Inefficient tires are costing California drivers more than $180 on extra gasoline over the lifetime of a new set, according to a report published by the Coalition for Clean Air, or CCA, and the Consumer Federation of America, or CFA.
The report finds that standards ensuring replacement tires are as efficient as the ones that come on a new vehicle would save drivers money while reducing pollution. But while a 2003 state law directed the California Energy Commission to set standards for the tires by 2007, agency efforts restarted in 2020 now appear stalled.
“Ensuring replacement tires are as good as the tires on a brand-new car is a commonsense step to save California drivers money while reducing needless pollution,” Bill Magavern, policy director at the CCA, said in a statement.”
Courtney Griffin, director of consumer product safety at the CFA, said after purchasing new tires, drivers often find themselves refueling more frequently, and the study shows those extra costs can add up significantly over time.
“This hidden expense hits low-income drivers the hardest, as they are more likely to own an older vehicle with replacement tires,” Griffin said. “The good news is that efficient tires, which are already standard on new cars, have been shown to be safe and reliable.”
Car manufacturers usually ship new vehicles with fuel-efficient tires because they’re a low-cost way to help meet vehicle fuel economy standards. However, because there are no efficiency standards for replacement tires, many have high rolling resistance, requiring more energy to rotate, Griffin said.
He said fuel-efficient replacement tires are readily available on the market today and leverage advances in rubber chemistry and tread design to achieve low rolling resistance. The report cites testing data of 149 tires showing that efficient tires don’t compromise safety or tire longevity.
Statewide, inefficient replacement tires are costing California drivers more than $1.1 billion in 2025, the report estimates. Most of these added costs are for extra gasoline; a small but rapidly growing share is for added electricity needed to charge EVs with replacement tires. The report finds that inefficient replacement tires are costing EV drivers an extra $161 on average on electricity over the lifetime of a set of tires – similar to the $184 average for drivers of gasoline vehicles.
The inefficient tires are causing additional emissions of 1,490 tons of nitrogen oxides, 106 tons of particulate matter, and 2.4 million metric tons of carbon dioxide this year. These emissions are equivalent to the annual emissions from nearly three-quarters of a million gasoline vehicles.
Efficient replacement tires would yield fuel savings of about 3.1 percent for gasoline vehicles and 4 percent for EVs.
With standards, savings on gasoline or electricity would be more than the additional upfront cost of a set of replacement tires matching the efficiency of typical new car tires, offsetting those costs in just over six months, Griffin said.
The average lifetime of a replacement tire set is about four years, and a typical vehicle has several sets of replacement tires over its lifetime.
