Car enthusiast Jim Bassett was shocked to find he needed to replace the rear tyres on his new Volkswagen ID.3 after just 7,500 miles, costing him over £300.
Due to its battery, the Volkswagen ID.3 weighs the same as a Jeep Wrangler 4×4, and it seems particularly prone to rapid tyre wear. Other ID.3 owners also report short tyre life, blaming it on the car’s weight and instant torque.
Bassett expressed his surprise at the early tyre replacement, saying:
“I’ve never had to change tyres this early, it’s normally been at around 25,000 miles.”
He cautioned that more people need to know that tyres on EVs won’t last as long as conventionally fuelled vehicles of a similar size. The increased weight combined with the torque that electric motors produce put stress on the tyres of electric vehicles. In another recent study of last year’s MOT results, almost 80% of Tesla Model 3 vehicles failed the test due to illegal tyres.
To extend tyre life, manufacturers recommend that drivers are delicate when applying the throttle.
Volkswagen, who first launched the ID.3 in 2019, said that driver performance is the key factor impacting tyre wear. A spokesman said:
“Tyre longevity is influenced by a wide range of factors, most importantly the way in which the vehicle is driven, for example, hard cornering, braking and acceleration can cause more wear than gentle driving”.
Source: The Telegraph / Mirror
