Electric vehicle owners, many of whom maintain similar expectations around original equipment tires as owners of gas-powered vehicles, say their tires are wearing out faster.
That is according to a J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study that was released on March 25. The study found that EV owner expectations are not fully aligned with the reality of EV tires naturally wearing out faster, thanks to a higher vehicle weight and torque.
“The widening satisfaction gap between EVs and gas-powered vehicles highlights an opportunity for tire manufacturers and automakers to educate EV owners on the differences in performance,” said Ashley Edgar, Senior Director of Benchmarking and Alternative Mobility at J.D. Power, in a statement.
Due to the conflict of maximizing vehicle range and optimizing tire wear for EVs, Edgar said tire manufacturers and OEMs “need to work together to overcome the challenge without completely sacrificing tire performance in other areas, especially as the EV market continues to increase.”
The study ranked Michelin as the highest in the luxury segment, now for a 21st consecutive year, thanks to a score of 834. Goodyear scored 812 and ranked second and Continental scored 811 and ranked third.
Michelin ranks highest in the passenger car segment after scoring 823, while Goodyear was second with a score of 811 and Kumho was third with 799. Michelin also ranked highest in the performance sport segment with a score of 833.
In the truck/utility segment Falken ranks highest with a score of 818, while BFGoodrich is second with 812 and Hankook is third with 804.
The study included the responses of 31,414 owners of 2022 and 2023 model-year vehicles and was fielded from August through December 2023.
