The Most (and Least) Satisfying Tire Retailers

Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website.

You can buy car tires at a wide range of vendors, from big-box stores to web-based businesses. And while the tires themselves might be the same, a new survey from Consumer Reports shows that the buying experience varies from tire retailer to tire retailer. That's why you should think as much about where you're buying your tires as you do which tires to buy.

Four retailers lead the 33 chains included in the survey for overall satisfaction: Costco, Tirerack.com, Les Schwab Tire Centers, and Discount Tire. As a broad category, independent retailers are on par with these particular chain retailers.

Although Costco wins favor for its prices, the ratings it received for selection, waiting area, and time for installation are middling. Leading online retailer Tirerack.com is one of the few retailers to get top marks for both selection and checkout ease. This is, however, a common trait among the three online-only retailers in our ratings, including Amazon.com and TireBuyer.com.

See the complete tire retailer satisfaction scores, including ratings across nine purchase/installation factors.

More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples

Copyright © 2006-2017 Consumer Reports, Inc.