Only 3pc of cars now sold with spare wheel
It is the end of the road for the spare wheel after new research revealed just three per cent of new cars are being sold with a back up in the boot in an effort to reduce emissions.
Manufacturers are increasingly ditching the back-ups to save weight and make the vehicles more fuel efficient so they adhere to tougher legislation.
An RAC review of 313 models – ranging from the smallest superminis to the largest 4x4s – found only eight automatically come with a spare wheel.
The breakdown rescue company said this is causing a rise in the number of incidents where drivers need help in the event of an unrepairable flat tyre.
Its patrols went out to nearly 200,000 call-outs last year where drivers had a puncture and no spare wheel, up from 165,000 in 2018.
It comes after the Government announced an increasing number of England’s pothole-plagued roads will be completely resurfaced with councils being handed £8.3 billion for repairs.
Councils will be urged to use the money to fund long-term improvements, including full-scale resurfacing, rather than quick fix repairs as part of a new decade-long funding settlement.
The Asphalt Industry Alliance has estimated that it would cost £14 billion to fix all of the country’s potholes.
The RAC say many manufacturers have stopped including a spare wheel as standard to reduce the weight of their cars by up to 20kg.
This makes the vehicles more fuel efficient and allows them to abide by tougher emissions legislation.
Another factor driving the rapid decline in spare wheels is that electric vehicles often have battery packs in the place they would normally be.
The only car models identified as having a spare wheel as standard were the Fiat Tipo, Ford Focus (selected variants), Hyundai Sante Fe (PHEV), Land Rover Defender, Seat Ateca (selected variants), Suzuki Across, Volvo XC90 (not PHEV) and Toyota Land Cruiser.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Getting a puncture on a journey has to be one of the most irritating breakdowns for drivers, especially if it’s as a result of hitting one of the plethora of potholes that currently characterise so many of our roads.
“In the past, a driver could have reached for the spare wheel in the boot but this new analysis shows that these are now pretty much a thing of the past, with a miniscule number of new cars sold in the UK coming with one as standard.
“It’s understandable therefore that drivers are increasingly calling on us to help them out of a tight spot, and it’s a trend we fully expect to continue as electric vehicles are even less likely to come with a spare.”
Mr Dennis pointed out however that most customers buying new cars can usually add a spare wheel as an optional extra.
“This might turn out to be a wise investment if you are one of the many drivers who unfortunately suffers a puncture.”
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, which represents car makers, declined to comment.
