New tyres - which ones? Where and how much?

[Mommyrose]

Our MOT said tyres have very little life left in them. We need to get new ones. Where to start? Which tyres are good (brands)? Where is the best place to get them fitted? How much should I expect to pay?

We have a Skoda Fabia that we bought from an elderly neighbour in 2013. She hardly used the car (1yr old then) and so we had it almost like new and didn't have to change tyres until now.

There are a bunch of good brands.

Michelin CrossClimate+ would be my choice. They have very good summer performance and are vastly better on snow and ice than any comparable tyre. They are a premium tyre and cost about £90 per tyre on my Grand C-Max. I would expect the size for a Fabia to cost less.

Where to buy depends. If you don't have a trusted local garage to sort them for you, then ATS-Euromaster is probably the best of the big chains. Just Tyres has also been OK for me. I always avoid Kwik-Fit.

Avoid Kwik fit.

Look on Blackcircles.com to get an idea of prices. You will need the tyre size, which you can read off the side of your current tyres. All the big brands, eg Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Avon, Kumho are good. You can then either buy the tyres from them and have them sent to a local fitter, or use the price as a basis on which to shop around local suppliers.

I would avoid Chinese ‘budget’ tyres. They might be ok in the dry, but they tend to be poor in the wet which is definitely not what you want.

Thanks :)

Are Halfords or National tyres ok?

Halfords wouldn't be my choice.

I've not used National. I'd be inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I go to my local independent... they do reasonable prices and supports a local business. Paid £220 for 4 tyres.

I use Hometyre (hometyre.co.uk) because they'll come and fit them whilel I'm at work.

Avoid the chains all con artists stick with local independent tyre fitter.

Ive had good service and reasonable from Tyres on the drive a couple of times
Plus they come to your house

I would ask friends for local reccomendations. I generally avoid chain garages as often they are over priced!

I'd look on black circles. Last time they came to My house and fitted them for an extra £20. Oh and I got good rates with TopCashback too

Find a local independent.