SAN ANTONIO — Experts have cautioned that electric vehicles (EVs) were going to be hard on tires, but new research shows it's worse than the industry expected, ... much worse.
According to the 2023 JD Power OE Tire Customer Satisfaction survey results, EV owners say they they expect to get about 40,000 miles of life out of their OE tires. The reality, it turns out, is starkly different.
Consumers are getting just 13,000 miles before needing to purchase a replacement set, the market research firm disclosed at the Smithers Traction Summit, under way in San Antonio.
"Customers put a third of importance on tires' performance and wear," Ashley Edgar, JD Power senior director of automotive supplier benchmarking and alternative mobility, said.
"… Customers are expecting to get longer life out of their tires, but they are having to replace them three times sooner than expected."
That, she added, could have significant impacts for the replacement decisions and, ultimately, brand loyalty.