Tyre Cost per Mile Low Rolling Resistance: Explained Simply, With the Maths Shown and the Caveats Stated

Tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is a question about value, not about price alone, and the only way to answer it honestly is to divide the price by the miles the tyre is expected to last. A cheap tyre that wears out quickly can cost more per mile than a dearer tyre that lasts, and a dearer tyre that lasts no longer costs more per mile than the cheap one. This page gives you the method, a worked example with every assumption stated, and a table you can use to look up the cost per mile at three prices and three mileages. All prices and mileages in the examples are labelled as examples, because real prices change and real mileage depends on the car, the roads and the driver.

On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Low rolling resistance tyres are designed to waste less energy as they roll, usually through a compound and tread design that flexes less, and their cost per mile has two parts: the tyre itself, and the fuel it saves. The tyre part follows the usual formula — price divided by expected mileage — while the fuel part is a separate saving that depends on the car's fuel consumption, the fuel price and how many miles are driven. Both parts need stated assumptions, and neither should be quoted as a fixed figure.

The cost-per-mile formula — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

For tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance, the point is this: The formula is cost per mile equals tyre price divided by expected mileage. For a set of four, divide the price of all four by the total miles, which gives the same answer as working out one tyre and multiplying by four. The formula looks trivial, and it is, but the discipline is in the inputs: the price must be the price you actually pay, and the mileage must be an estimate you are willing to defend, stated openly rather than hidden. A cost per mile quoted without its price and mileage is a number without a meaning, and it should not be used to compare tyres.

What this type of tyre does to the cost per mile — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: The honest way to judge them is to work both numbers side by side. First, the tyre cost per mile, using the same assumed mileage you would use for any other tyre. Then the fuel saving per mile, worked from the car's own fuel use and the fuel price you actually pay, labelled as an example. If the fuel saving per mile is larger than any extra tyre cost per mile, the low rolling resistance tyre comes out ahead on running costs; if it is not, the cheaper tyre wins on the numbers even though it uses more fuel.

Worked example — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

Take a tyre that costs £160 as an example price, with an assumed mileage of 30,000 miles. The cost per mile is £160 divided by 30,000 miles, which is £0.0053 per mile, or 0.53p per mile. A set of four at the same example price costs £640, and over the same 30,000 miles the set costs 2.13p per mile for all four tyres together. Over 12,000 miles a year, one tyre at this cost per mile would cost £64.00 in tyre wear for the year, and a set of four would cost £256.00. Change the price or the mileage and the answer moves with it, which is exactly what the table below shows. That is the point this page works through for tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance.

Tyre price (example) 20,000 miles 30,000 miles 40,000 miles
£130 0.65p 0.43p 0.33p
£160 0.80p 0.53p 0.40p
£180 0.90p 0.60p 0.45p

Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: The table uses example prices only. Read across a row to see how the cost per mile falls as the assumed mileage rises, and read down a column to see how it rises with the price. The comparison is only valid within a column, because each column holds the mileage constant.

What changes the cost per mile — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Wear is the factor most people forget. Some low rolling resistance designs trade a little tread life for lower resistance, which pushes the tyre cost per mile up and eats into the fuel saving. Others do not. Because the balance differs by design, there is no universal answer to whether they are cheaper per mile — the answer comes from the price, the assumed mileage and the fuel saving worked out for your own car, which is exactly what the method on this page lets you do.

  • On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Purchase price: the starting point of the calculation, and the only part that is fixed at the till.
  • Expected mileage: the divisor, and the part that varies most — it depends on driving, pressure, alignment, load and road surface. That is the point this page works through for tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance.
  • Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: Driving style: hard acceleration and braking wear tread faster and push the cost per mile up.
  • For tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance, the point is this: Tyre pressure: under-inflated tyres wear their shoulders and can lose thousands of miles of life.
  • Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: Alignment: a car that scrubs its tyres on one edge wastes tread that should have been miles.
  • On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Load: a heavily loaded car, or one that tows, wears its tyres faster than the same car running light.

Common mistakes — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

  • On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Comparing two tyres using different assumed mileages, so the cheaper result is an artefact of the assumptions rather than the tyres.
  • Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: Quoting a tyre's mileage as a fact, when it is an estimate that depends on the car, the roads and the driver.
  • On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Forgetting that a set of four costs four times one tyre, and dividing the single-tyre price by the mileage of the set.
  • Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: Leaving fitting and balancing out of one tyre's figure and including them in another's, so the comparison is not like-for-like.

How to compare two tyres on cost per mile — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: Work out each tyre's cost per mile with the same assumed mileage, using the price you were actually quoted for each one. Then test the sensitivity: what happens if the dearer tyre lasts 25 percent longer, and what happens if it lasts no longer at all? If the dearer tyre only wins when you assume a much longer life, ask whether that longer life is plausible for your car and your driving. Check the label ratings for wet grip, fuel efficiency and noise at the same time, because the cheapest tyre per mile is not automatically the best tyre for the car. Finally, remember that fitting, balancing and disposal are real costs too — include them in both tyres' figures or in neither, but never in only one.

Related calculations — tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance

Frequently asked questions

How do I work out the cost per mile of a tyre?

On this page, tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance is the case in point: Divide the price of the tyre by the number of miles you expect it to last. For example, a tyre that costs £120 as an example price and lasts 30,000 miles as an assumed mileage costs 0.40p per mile. For a set of four, divide the price of all four by the total miles, or work out one tyre and multiply by four. Always state the price and the mileage you assumed, because the answer changes with both.

What mileage should I assume for a tyre?

Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: There is no fixed figure, because mileage depends on the tyre, the car, the roads, the pressures and how the car is driven. Use a range rather than a single number — the table on this page shows three mileages — and pick the one that matches your driving. A tyre's real-world mileage is never a fact you can quote; it is an estimate that the method tests.

Is a more expensive tyre cheaper per mile?

Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: It can be, if it lasts long enough to make up the higher price. Divide each tyre's price by the same assumed mileage and compare the results directly. A dearer tyre that lasts half as long again can cost less per mile than a cheap tyre that wears out early, while a dearer tyre that lasts no longer costs more per mile.

Does the cost per mile include fitting?

Taking tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance as the case in point: The simple formula uses the tyre price alone, so fitting, balancing and any valves or disposal charges are not in it. If you want a fuller figure, add the fitting cost to the tyre price before dividing by the mileage, and say that you have done so. Comparing a fitted price with an unfitted price will give a misleading answer.

For tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance, why do two identical tyres cost different amounts per mile?

Because the mileage is different. Pressure, alignment, load, road surface and driving style all change how long a tyre lasts, and the same tyre on two cars can wear at very different rates. That is why the cost per mile is a method with stated assumptions, not a property of the tyre itself. That is the point this page works through for tyre cost per mile low rolling resistance.