Tyres for electric cars remain more expensive to buy and need replacing sooner than for internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents, Epyx data reveals.

Latest figures show that the price premium for electric car tyres persists despite advancements in the sector.

In September 2023 – the average price of an ICE tyre was £168 while an electric equivalent was 32% more at £222. By August this year, the ICE tyre had risen to £187 while the electric tyre was £246 – still a rise of 32%.

Along the way, the variance between the two has usually been in the 32-35% range, although at some points has fallen as low as 29% and risen as high as 40%.

The new Epyx data also shows EV tyres need replacing soon – the average days until the first tyre change for an electric car is 336 while the average mileage when this occurs is 14,352. This compares to 383 days and 18,333 miles for ICE.

There’s a comprehensive pool of data behind the statistics, taken from Epyx’s 1link Service Network platform. The solution is used by operators totalling almost five million cars and vans to manage their service, maintenance and repair needs. In total, 469,574 tyre lines were invoiced through the system in 2024.

The price premium for electric car tyres has been in play since fleets first started adopting EVs  but Tim Meadows, CCO at Epyx, said there had been commentary in the fleet sector hoping the gap would start to close over time, especially as electrification has progressed.

“But there’s no sign of that happening yet in our data,” he stated.

“Also, we are seeing electric car tyres being replaced more often. This is probably primarily due to the additional weight of these vehicles but also many of these models have higher performance than ICE equivalents, and that could be a factor, too.”

Meadows said the findings underscore the importance of managing tyre costs effectively as fleets continue to electrify.

Epyx added that technology such as 1link Service Network plays a key role here.

The wider fleet sector has also previously called for operators to introduce driver training and other measures to ensure that EV drivers adopt a more conservative style on the road, slowing down wear rates.