A puncture now equals a breakdown !

Monanore

Electric cars now can’t usually have a spare wheel or a spacesaver.

So a puncture, unless it’s a simple hole in the tread repairable by the noddy repair kit, results in a breakdown scenario. The car is taken away and you are dependent on the maker’s ‘Assistance’ arrangements.

All for want of a spare. That’s progress for you.

Has anyone experience of this ?

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6666132/a-puncture-now-equals-a-breakdown

It is not people having "experience of this", that is a pointless question. Most new cars, not just EVs have not included a spare wheel or the facility to store one out of the way for at least a decade. The manufacturers first moved to space saver wheels the got rid of them altogether in the early 2010s. This was done because of a combination of reduced weight improving fuel efficiency and giving more usable interior space. Outside of a few SUV types, only the very top end of each manufacturer's range offer them as an optional extra, usually the level where the person buying them will have a driver and the car is already huge so the proportional space lost is tiny.

flaneurs_lobster

My car is old enough to have a spare. Any puncture will still be a breakdown because I lack the knowledge, dexterity, strength or skills to safely jack up a tonne of metal and change wheels - it's why I pay a subscription to a breakdown service.

Goudy

Most Dacia's apart from the Spring have an optional spare wheel for around £200.

But it's correct, weight is the evil element in this as weight equals more emissions/less range. It's not just the weight of the wheel either, can you imagine the weight of the jack needed to lift a two and a half tonne EV compared to the skinny one that lifts a one tonne Sandero.

shinytop

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980945#Comment_81980945

Yes but your breakdown man/woman can do it for you in 10 minutes, not tow you somewhere to buy a new tyre.

Car_54

I once had the opportunity to choose a top-of-the-range Saab as my next company car, but was put off by the lack of a spare. That was in about 1990, so it's hardly a new problem.

LightFlare

I was told that if you do have a full size spare, you should let all the air out of it to save weight as well

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980953#Comment_81980953

Ah, so the OP is defining "breakdown" as a situation where an immobilised vehicle has to be recovered to another location to effect repairs rather than my meaning - it's broken and I need the "breakdown service" to make it go again.

Monanore

@MattMattMattUK
"It is not people having "experience of this", that is a pointless question. "

That's a bit harsh! I accept the new reality; what I'm interested in is how well the different makers' breakdown services have treated them and dealt with the problem. That would help decide which make of car to buy and which to avoid, given that a puncture situation is far more likely than an actual breakdown these days. Is that pointless ?

XzavierWalnut

I have used a puncture repair system in the past without any problem, although it was at home, so I only had to get the car to a nearby tyre place.
The concern I have with my current car which has 20" wheels, is, if I just turn up at a tyre place, do they stock a suitable tyre.

flaneurs_lobster

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980971#Comment_81980971

Do new cars all come with this "makers' breakdown services"? Been a while since I bought a new car, is this now a thing or just for EVs?