I have been driving an EV since 2022 and done nearly 70000km without a spare tyre – madness you say, let me explain.

When I took delivery of my car, I pondered about buying a spare tyre. I was concerned about the amount of boot space it would take and even more concerned about jacking up a 2.5 tonne monster. Before I had done anything, I had a tech screw puncture my tyre in suburban Melbourne.

I heard the noise, got out and could see the screw. I drove to the nearest tyre place and they were able to repair the tyre…phew. I asked them – if you couldn’t have repaired it what would it have cost me and how long before you’d have a nice matching Continental tyre. Two or three weeks and $500+.

Hmm, I now had more to ponder before my next road trip. If I had an unrepairable puncture, I’d be towed into a nearby town and getting a suitable replacement may not be great. I could see that I’d end up with a sub-optimal tyre and probably pay a exorbitant price….just maybe.

My lateral thinking took me to this place – I bought a nice matching tyre (not a wheel, just a tyre). It sits in my shed at home and only comes out for road trips. It does not take up all that much space as you can pack stuff in the middle. If I suffer the bad news I’ll get towed to a local town and ask the local tyre guy to put my tyre on the wheel for me. Maybe need an overnight stop but should be OK.

Since making this decision, I have not had a puncture but replaced the tyres at 60000km. At that time I only bought 3 tyres and used the best of the old ones as my new ‘spare’. So the cost was simply buying one tyre early.

This may not work for you but works for me