Tire replacement continues to grow, said DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, which conducted its annual and national Light Vehicle Study that surveys 4,500 light vehicle owners.
The survey investigates respondents’ maintenance habits across a broad range of product categories, including are tires: winter, all-season, or performance. DAC said winter tire replacement has increased steadily since 2015, with the post-pandemic period seeing obvious growth.
“From a regional perspective, Quebec, with its mandatory winter tires, saw the highest incidence in 2024 at 41.6%, whereas British Columbia, with its comparatively milder winters, saw a rate of 20.3%,” said DAC in its update. Owners of older vehicles, aged 13 years or older, were the least likely to purchase winter tires, at 27.6%.”
In terms of buyers and when they tend to buy tires, DAC said Canadians in 2024 were most likely to purchase their winter tires in October at 21.9%, and November at 19.9%. And, dealers may note, 27.3% were most likely to do so at Canadian Tire, while independent repair shops followed at 15.4%.
On the digital front, DAC said online purchases increased since 2021 with online winter tire purchases at 15.3% in 2024. When asked why they chose a particular outlet for their winter tire purchase, 26.2% or respondents cited trust. Another 23.9% cited price, and only 8.6% pointed to location convenience.
“The automotive aftermarket has remained strong throughout the tumultuous past few years,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner at DAC, in a statement “Understanding consumer maintenance behaviour in detail is critical to all players in the industry from vehicle companies to major retailers to independent garages.”
