Knowing how to change a tyre is one of those practical skills that most drivers hope they’ll never need but are very glad of when they do. A puncture at the roadside doesn’t have to mean a long wait for breakdown assistance — if your car has a spare tyre and you know the procedure, you can be back on the road in around 20 minutes. Here’s how.
Before You Start: Know What Your Car Has
Not all cars carry a full-size spare. Options vary by vehicle:
Full-size spare. Identical to the other wheels and can be used without restriction. Most common on older cars and commercial vehicles.
Space-saver spare. A smaller, temporary spare — often called a “skinny” tyre. These are speed-limited (typically 50mph maximum) and distance-limited (usually no more than 50 miles). They’re for getting to a tyre specialist, not for long-term use.
Tyre repair kit. Many modern cars have replaced the spare with a compressor and sealant canister. This can temporarily repair a simple puncture (not a blowout or sidewall damage), allowing you to drive carefully to a garage. Note that a tyre treated with sealant may not be repairable and may need replacing.
Run-flat tyres. Designed to be driven for up to 50 miles at reduced speed after a puncture. Cars with run-flats typically don’t carry a spare.
Check your car now, before you need to know. Locate the spare (usually under the boot floor or mounted externally on some SUVs), and find the jack and wheel brace — also typically stored under the boot floor. Make sure you know where they are and that they’re in usable condition.
Safety First
Pull off the road as far as possible, on a firm, level surface. Avoid stopping on a bend, the brow of a hill, or on soft ground where the jack could sink. Switch on your hazard lights. If you have a warning triangle, place it approximately 45 metres behind the car on the approach side. Put on a reflective jacket if you have one.
Apply the handbrake and select first gear (or Park on an automatic). If you have wheel chocks, use them.
The Process
Step 1: Loosen the wheel nuts before jacking the car. Using the wheel brace, turn each nut anticlockwise to break the initial resistance. Don’t remove them yet — just loosen them by about half a turn while the weight of the car is still on the wheel. Trying to loosen them once the wheel is in the air will just spin the wheel.
Step 2: Position the jack. The jack must be placed at a designated jacking point — a reinforced area of the car’s underside designed to bear the weight. Using the wrong point can damage the sills or floor. The jacking points are in the handbook and are usually indicated by a notch or marking in the sill. On most cars there are four jacking points, one near each wheel.
Step 3: Raise the car. Jack the car until the flat tyre clears the ground by a few centimetres — enough to fit the inflated replacement.
Step 4: Remove the wheel nuts and flat tyre. Remove the nuts fully, keeping them somewhere safe (a pocket works well). Pull the flat tyre off toward you.
Step 5: Fit the spare. Lift the spare onto the hub, aligning the bolt holes. Hand-tighten the nuts in a star pattern (opposite pairs, rather than going around the circle) to ensure the wheel seats evenly.
Step 6: Lower the car and fully tighten the nuts. Lower the jack until the wheel bears the car’s weight. Tighten the nuts firmly using the wheel brace, again in a star pattern. The nuts should be tight — use your body weight on the brace, not just arm strength.
Step 7: Check the pressure. If you have a gauge or a portable compressor, check the spare’s pressure and inflate if necessary. If you don’t have a gauge, drive carefully to the nearest fuel station.
After Changing the Tyre
Stow the flat tyre, jack, and brace properly before driving. Have the flat tyre inspected or replaced at a tyre specialist as soon as possible. If you’ve fitted a space-saver spare, don’t exceed the speed limit marked on it (usually 50mph) and get to a specialist that day.
Torque check the wheel nuts at a garage — the roadside tightening with a wheel brace is adequate for safe driving but not a substitute for proper torque wrench tightening.
When Not to Change the Tyre Yourself
If you’re on a motorway hard shoulder or smart motorway, don’t attempt to change the tyre yourself. Get behind the barrier and call for breakdown assistance. The risk from passing traffic is significant, and the hard shoulder is not a safe working environment. This also applies if you’re on a fast dual carriageway without adequate space to work safely.
If the tyre has suffered a blowout rather than a simple puncture — particularly at speed — check the wheel and surrounding suspension components for damage before driving on the spare. A blowout can sometimes damage the wheel arch, brake lines, or suspension, which may not be immediately obvious.
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