Flat tyre and no spare wheel: what to do

The short answer Check the boot now, not when it happens. Most cars sold in the last decade carry a sealant kit rather than a spare, and a sealant kit only fixes small punctures in the tread. If the damage is in the sidewall, or the tyre has already been run flat, your options are a mobile fitter or recovery.

Spare wheels disappeared from new cars for weight, cost and boot space. Plenty of drivers find out on the hard shoulder. Two minutes checking what is actually under your boot floor is the most useful thing you can do after reading this.

Work out what you have

Space-saver or sealant kit goes into what each is genuinely capable of.

When a sealant kit will work

It can help if all of these are true:

• The puncture is in the tread, not the sidewall or shoulder.
• The hole is small — a nail or screw, not a gash.
• The object is still in the tyre, or the hole is clean and small.
• The tyre has not been driven on while flat.
• The sealant is in date.

When it will not work Sidewall damage, a bulge, a tear, a hole bigger than roughly 4mm, a tyre that has come off the rim, or one already destroyed by being driven on flat. In those cases using the kit wastes time you could spend getting help moving.

If you use the kit

1. Do not remove the object. A nail left in place helps the sealant hold.
2. Follow the instructions on the bottle — sequence varies between systems.
3. Drive gently and not far. The kit is a get-you-moving measure, not a repair.
4. Observe the speed limit on the label, typically around 50mph.
5. Tell the fitter sealant has been used. It changes how the tyre is handled and cleaned, and some tyres cannot be properly inspected afterwards.

If you have nothing, or the kit will not help

Your realistic options:

• Mobile tyre fitting. A van brings the tyre and the equipment to the car. This is the usual answer when the car is somewhere safe — a driveway, a car park, a lay-by well clear of traffic. See what is mobile tyre fitting.
• Recovery. The right first call on a motorway, in a live lane, or where there is nowhere safe to work. Once the car is somewhere safe, a fitter can take over.
• A repair, if the damage allows it. Cheaper than a new tyre and keeps a known tyre on the car — can a puncture be repaired?

Overnight, availability depends mostly on whether your size is on the van. See emergency and out-of-hours fitting.

Should you buy a spare?

For many cars a space-saver kit can be bought to fit, and for high-mileage or rural drivers it is often worth it. Two things to check before buying: that there is a well under the boot floor to take it, and that the wheel, jack and brace are actually correct for your car.

A spare you cannot fit is not much use either. If you are not confident doing it at the roadside, that is a perfectly reasonable position — changing a wheel safely covers the situations where nobody should be attempting it.

Common questions

Does sealant ruin the tyre?

Not necessarily, but it makes assessment messier and some sealants make a proper internal inspection difficult. A tyre sealed and then driven on at speed is more likely to be scrapped.

Is the sealant still good?

Check the date on the bottle. They typically expire after a few years, and an expired bottle may not seal. It is a cheap thing to replace.

My car has run-flats — do I need a spare?

Generally not, which is why it did not come with one. But a run-flat that has been used deflated normally cannot be repaired, so you are buying a tyre. Run-flat tyres explained covers the distance and speed limits.

Stuck without a spare?

Call 07989 606060 with your location and, if you can reach it safely, the tyre size from the sidewall. We cover areas across England and Wales, 24 hours a day.