Apr 25, 20232 min read

Electric Vehicle Tyre Advice

Picture the scene, you have made the move to an electric vehicle and you are enjoying that surge of electric power every time you wish to overtake. Equally addictive is that regenerative braking each time you lift off but wait a minute; surely this is hard on tyres? Well the answer isn’t as clear cut as that but yes, EV’s in general are considerably heavier than combustion powered vehicles and therefor can be harder on rubber depending on your daily commute. Many EV manufacturers work with tyre companies to specially develop tyres for a particular model, with the aim of providing tyres that increase the comfort of the journey and help to maximise the driving range between vehicle charging.

EVs are generally fitted with low rolling resistance tyres that maximise energy usage. In addition, because EVs are generally silent, tyres are chosen for their low tyre / road noise characteristics so as to increase driver and passenger comfort, such as tyres with the ContiSilent technology as developed by Continental, which can reduce road noise by up to 9 decibels. All of these requirements are taken into account when tyres are specified or developed for a new EV model.

So wait a minute? You mean I can’t just buy any set of cheap tyres when it’s time to change? Well not exactly. You can take your EV to any tyre shop and they will no doubt have a set to fit it but if they are not EV specific, you run the risk of wearing the rubber out much faster and also depleting the battery range. The dedicated EV tyres have a strong rubber compound for the battery weight and yet low rolling resistance, meaning they have been developed specifically for electric vehicles. These tyres are not going to be made of algae or include photosynthesising micro-plants in their construction.

In fact more and more manufacturers are aiming to produce tyres made out of recycled materials in keeping with the eco build ethos. Most manufacturers have your best interests at heart, which is why the tyres that come with your first alternative-energy vehicle will likely suit you fine and should be replaced with the same type once again. Opting for standard tyres may be less expensive to purchase at first, but it is likely you will spend more money replacing incorrectly-fitted tyres than you would committing to EV specific rubber in the first place.