Cost, mild weather block UK winter tire sales

London - Cost and perceived milder climate are the main factors preventing UK drivers from investing in a second set of wheels and tyres for the colder months of the year, a survey by tire manufacturer Falken has found.

Over a quarter of male and female respondents stated the higher cost was a reason not to opt for the cold weather rubber. 20 percent of those questioned suggested the UK’s milder climate as a reason why they would not buy winter tyres this year.

This was closely followed by 20 percent of drivers saying they didn’t need them for their car and a similar percentage (19 percent) claiming it was ‘too much hassle to change’ to winter tyres. Of particular note was just eight percent of drivers hadn’t heard of winter tyres, suggesting the awareness of cold weather tyres was more widespread than just a few years ago.

“The results surprised us, particularly the belief that the UK climate was sufficiently mild enough not to need cold weather tyres,” says Falken’s UK director Matt Smith.

“Exacta weather is predicting a very cold winter and consumers seem to have forgotten the conditions that caused travel disruption from just three or four years ago,” he added.