Is Tyre and Alloy Wheel Insurance Worth It? Pros and Cons Explained

Standard car insurance covers you for accidental or malicious damage, thefts, and write-offs. However, smaller but common damages, such as punctured tyres alloy scrapes or dents, are usually not covered by a standard policy.

In this article, we’ll explore common damages to tyres and alloy wheels and explain how an optional insurance policy can provide a cost-effective solution, protecting your car from these expensive repairs.

How Tyre and Alloy Insurance Works

At ALA, we offer an optional tyre and alloy wheel insurance policy designed to save you time and money if you ever need to repair or replace your alloys or tyres. The claim and repair process is as easy and stress-free as possible.

The policy covers the most common damages and costly repairs, including:

• Malicious and accidental damage to the tyres, alloy wheels, or valves
• SMART (small-to-medium area repair technique) carried out by a mobile repairer
• Sudden and unforeseen tyre deflation, caused by accidental damage
• If the damage is beyond the point where a cosmetic or SMART repair can’t be performed, ALA contributes towards the repair or replacement tyre or alloy.
• The policy covers up to four claims per year with each of the car’s wheels constituting one claim.

Read our other guide explaining tyre and alloy wheel insurance

How long does alloy wheel protection last?

You can purchase ALA’s alloy wheel and tyre insurance for a term of one to four years. A longer period of coverage not only saves you money on multi-year policies but also helps cover common lease agreement lengths, which typically last 3-5 years. This ensures you can return a leased vehicle without worrying about damaged alloys, losing your deposit or paying a charge.

What’s excluded from tyre and alloy wheel insurance policies?

There are some factors to consider when purchasing the tyre and alloy wheel insurance. In some situations, ALA can’t provide coverage so it’s worth bearing these in mind. The general exclusions are:

• Pre-existing damage prior to the start of the policy
• General wear and tear, corrosion, discolouration, or deterioration from normal use.
• Any claims that involve dishonesty, deliberate damage, or fraud
• Incidents covered by other tyre insurance providers
• Chrome effect, split rim, and non-standard aftermarket alloys
• Claims related to road traffic accidents, fire, flood, and theft
• Damage outside the territorial limits (UK).

For more information on the limitations of the policy, please refer to our Tyre and Alloy Wheel insurance product page.

Weighing the Pros and Cons of Tyre and Alloy Wheel Insurance

Tyre and alloy wheel damage is one of the most common incidents that is not covered by your standard car insurance policy. When considering this type of cover, it’s important to understand its benefits as well as potential drawbacks.

Advantages of Having Tyre and Alloy Insurance

Tyre and alloy insurance policies offer car owners numerous advantages.

• You avoid unexpected significant expenses, protecting yourself from high repair and replacement bills.
• The insurance gives you peace of mind about returning your leased or financed vehicle or selling it without cosmetic damage to the car’s wheels. It can reduce the stress of everyday driving, knowing that your car is fully protected from smaller accidents such as hitting a pothole, scraping kerbs or suffering from a puncture.
• You can get like-for-like new tyres or alloy wheels without compromising on cheaper tyres.
• Our policy allows multiple claims per year (up to four).
• There’s no excess amount to pay on the policy.
• Maintains the car’s value for longer. Keeping your wheels in good condition is important if you have a leased car or wish to sell to another car buyer in the future.
• Our mobile repair service makes the process of changing tyres or repairs quick and convenient.

Explore our guide to discover more benefits of the tyre and alloy wheel policy.

Drawbacks and Considerations Before Buying

Like any product, the policy has disadvantages and limitations to be mindful of before purchasing it. The key factors to consider are:

• The insurance may not be cost-effective as it involves additional costs on top of your comprehensive car insurance policies.
• Some varieties of alloy wheels aren’t covered (for example, chrome effect, split rim, non-standard alloys). You need to check the cover carefully before buying.
• Age limit. The policy is limited to cars under 7 years old.
• You have only 30 days to buy the policy after purchasing a used or new car from a VAT-registered car dealer.
• Within 14 days of purchase, you need to provide photos of your tyres and alloy wheels.

The table below provides a summary of the key benefits and considerations of the policy.

How Much Does Tyre and Alloy Insurance Cost?

The total cost of the cover depends on its length (up to 4 years) and the number of claims you wish to be covered for per year. For example, a one-year policy with up to two claims costs £201.60, while the same level of cover over four years cost a total of £496.20. This demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of a multi-year policy with greater claim allowances.

The table below reflects the prices, depending on the number of years and claims.

ALA pays out up to £300 per tyre in a single claim and up to £250 per alloy wheel. Our policy doesn’t have excess, and we don’t charge you any admin fees.

Calculating whether tyre and alloy wheel cover is worth it

Average prices for tyres and alloys in the UK vary dramatically, depending on a myriad of factors like your car’s model and age as well as a tyre’s design and manufacturer

With the price of budget tyre brands around £50-£70 per tyre and premium tyres with a price range between £250 and £1,200 per tyre and alloy wheels, varying from £200 to over £1,000, the tyre and alloy wheel insurance can provide a welcome relief especially for expensive tyres.

The table below gives you an idea about the average cost of tyres and alloys, depending on your car’s manufacturer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it worth getting tyre and alloy insurance for a leased vehicle?

Yes. The insurance protects your leased vehicle from damaged alloys and tyres, meaning that you don’t need to pay a fee or lose your deposit when returning it. Alternatively, you could have the alloys professionally repaired but this could be expensive to pay out of pocket.

Is there an excess payable on this policy?

No, one of the major benefits to our insurance policies is that we never charge an excess fee to claim. We also never charge admin fees or other hidden costs.

Are there any wear and tear deductions?

Unfortunately, this tyre and alloy wheel insurance policy only covers sudden, or unforeseen damage, so is not able to cover gradual degradation or wear and tear. If your tyre tread is below 2mm, this will void your tyre insurance so you will need to replace your affected tyres.

Is there a waiting period?

There is a waiting period of 14 days, during which time, you will be expected to take some photos of your alloys and tyres to prove there is no existing damage.