We Finally Know Why Spare Tires Are Slowly Going Extinct

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Automakers have gotten out of the business of providing many new cars with spare tires.
• Reasons for not offering them vary but are largely the same and include cost and vehicle design.

There was a time when a spare tire was one of the most important aspects of a new vehicle. Whether you purchased a sedan, SUV or pickup truck, you could find either a doughnut-size spare or a full-size spare tire on more expensive models. Sadly, times have changed — things like increased manufacturing costs, vehicle design and packing, and a general lack of know-how and interest in changing a vehicle’s tire has led to the slow extinction of the spare. To find out more, we dug around our data and asked a few automakers about the situation. 

Related: How Long Do Tires Last?

Where Spare Tires Are Disappearing

Takeaways:

• Automakers such as BMW, Ford, Lexus and Toyota no longer offer spare tires on several models.

• In some models, these spares have been replaced with nothing, while in others, tire inflator kits or run-flat tires have taken the place of spares.

Using Cars.com data, we checked every new 2026 and 2027 model on sale to see which ones don’t offer spare tires anymore. We found 39 brands that don’t offer spare tires on over 200 different models; those models, such as the BMW 2 Series, include their respective trims (such as the 230i) or unique variants (like the 2 Series Gran Coupe).

Some of the places where spare tires are not offered anymore make sense. For instance, a number of electric and hybrid models don’t come with spare tires. In other places, the lack of a spare tire being offered is puzzling. Aside from a number of commercial models like the E-Series, Super Duty and Transit chassis cabs, Ford doesn’t offer a spare tire on models including the Bronco Sport, Maverick, Explorer and Mustang. 

Another one of those 39 brands is Mercedes-Benz. A large swath of its models that are sold in the U.S. don’t come with a spare tire. That includes everything from the compact GLB crossover to high-powered AMG models like the E53 and AMG GT Coupe and 4-Door sedan. This isn’t to say that Mercedes is leaving owners out to dry if they find themselves with a flat; many of these models may come with tire inflator kits or run-flat tires. 

More on Vehicle and Tire Maintenance From Cars.com:

• Why Does My Car Squeal When I Turn the Steering Wheel?
• How Do I Find and Stop a Slow Tire Leak?
• How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?
• When Should You Get a Wheel Alignment?

Why Spare Tires Are No Longer a Thing

To find out what’s really going on, we reached out to a few automakers — specifically Hyundai, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Toyota — to get their reasoning on why they’ve been eliminating spare tires. While their reasons were different, they all took into account things such as vehicle design, changing consumer tastes and fuel efficiency. 

A rep for Subaru stated that while the company listens to its owners and that spares are still offered on more of the outdoorsy, off-road-oriented models (such as the Wilderness trims), the availability of spares comes down to packaging and model specific need:

“We listen to our owners, who’ve said that in cars like the Forester and Outback Wilderness, a full-size spare and wheel are critical to their mission, which is why we include one on those cars. On other cars, a tire rescue kit helps save weight, maximize cargo capacity, or make room for batteries. 

“The reasons may vary, but we listen to our owners and prioritize their expectations and specific needs for each model line, which is based on buyer surveys.”  

Hyundai said that more of its models come equipped with tire mobility kits, something that it stated is better than having to deal with a spare tire. Hyundai also said its decision to offer these kits instead of spares comes down to things like weight and value:

“Some Hyundai models are equipped with a Tire Mobility Kit rather than a spare. TMKs provide an effective and user-friendly temporary fix for tread punctures, often saving the driver significant time and physical effort compared to manually swapping an entire tire/wheel assembly. 

“Every Hyundai model’s standard equipment is tailored to vehicle-segment-specific needs, balancing customer preferences, weight, functionality, efficiency, and overall value.”

Nissan’s response was similar, mentioning that the reasons for the lack of a spare tire vary by model but basically come down to weight, consumer taste and packaging. 

“The reasoning can vary slightly by model, but the biggest drivers are:

• Customer usage patterns: Industry-wide data show that the vast majority of drivers never use their spare. Many customers prioritize features like safety tech or connectivity over carrying a spare they may never need.
• Packaging: Modern vehicles have more safety, technology and emissions components competing for space. In some cases, accommodating a spare would require compromising cargo volume or interior packaging.
• Weight and fuel efficiency: Removing the spare reduces overall vehicle weight, which helps improve fuel economy and supports efficiency standards.”

Nissan’s rep continued, saying that customers who want a spare can go to the dealer where, instead of a spare, they can get a tire mobility kit. 

“In place of a spare, these models come equipped with a Tire Repair Kit (TRK), designed to address the most common real‑world tire issues — specifically small punctures — so drivers can get safely to a service location.

“For customers who prefer having a spare, several models do offer a dealer‑installed spare-tire kit. Availability varies by model and trim based on packaging constraints, but where it’s feasible, the accessory provides that added option.”

Despite a request for comment, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota didn’t get back to us.

So, what’s a shopper to do when looking for a vehicle with a spare tire? You could always go buy an extra tire yourself, though with automakers focusing more on mobility kits, this means there may not be a dedicated place to put the tire in the vehicle. You could also go for a vehicle that has a spare. Despite our data showing a large number of nameplates without spare tires, there are still a number of new models that do come with them, such as the Toyota Camry, RAV4 and 4Runner; Kia Telluride; and Subaru’s Outback and Forester. 

Related Video:

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.