37% of consumers choose OE tyre brand – JD Power

According to the JD Power 2017 US Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, 37 per cent of owners who replaced two or more tyres on their vehicle selected the tyre brand that was OE fitted to the vehicle.

Original equipment tyre brands have the highest market share when vehicle owners replace at least two tyres in their first two years of ownership. The survey showed 62 per cent of these owners purchased either Michelin (21%), Goodyear (12%), Continental (11%), Bridgestone (11%) or Pirelli (7%), while 38 per cent purchased other brands.

Brent Gruber, senior director of automotive quality practice at JD Power, said: “Tyre manufacturers who have their products fitted to new vehicles have a great advantage over their competitors. A large number of vehicle owners do not even consider other brands when buying replacement tyres. As long as they have a positive experience with their OE tyres, there is a natural tendency for consumers to select the same brand for their first replacement.”

OE pull-through strongest in luxury segment

The study also found that luxury vehicle owners more frequently purchase the OE tyre brand for their vehicle (58% stay loyal) than mass market vehicle owners (31%). Additionally, luxury vehicle owners have a higher intent to return to a car dealership (46%) for new tyres as compared to mass market vehicle owners returning to a dealership (33%) for tyre replacement.

The inference is that dealerships should make sure to stock OE tyre options and train service personnel to explain how those tyres were engineered to maximize vehicle performance, particularly for luxury vehicle owners, Gruber said.

As part of the study, Michelin tyres ranked highest in all four segments: luxury (757); passenger car (743); performance sport 746); and truck/utility (712). In the luxury segment, Pirelli ranked second (722) and Bridgestone ranked third (720). In the passenger car segment, Pirelli ranked second (710) and Goodyear ranked third (702). In the performance sport segment, Goodyear ranked second (72) and Bridgestone ranked third (712). In the truck/utility segment, Goodyear ranked second (687) and BFGoodrich ranked third (667).