Garage vs Mobile Tyre Fitting: Which Is Better for You?
You can drive to a garage to have tyres fitted, or pay a mobile fitter to come to your home or work. We should be upfront: we are a garage and we only fit tyres on site, at 32-34 Feltham Road in Ashford. We do not offer mobile fitting. So read this as a fair comparison from one side of the fence, with the points where mobile genuinely wins left in.
The quick answer
For a normal tyre on a normal car, both can do a good job if the fitter is competent. A mobile fitter saves you the trip. A garage is usually cheaper per tyre, is not affected by weather, and can put the car on a ramp to look at what else is going on: brakes, suspension, uneven wear and the other tyres. If you can get to us, the garage route tends to give you more for less money.
Cost
Mobile fitters have to cover a van, fuel and travel time between jobs, so most add a call-out charge or a higher per-tyre price. Prices vary a lot between firms, so compare the total fitted price including any call-out, valve and balancing.
| What you pay for | At our garage | Typical mobile fitter |
|---|---|---|
| Part-worn tyre | From £15 fitted | Rarely offered |
| Budget new tyre | About £30 to £55 fitted | Varies, often more once call-out is added |
| Balancing and new valve | Included | Usually included, check first |
| Call-out charge | None | Common |
| Deposit | None, pay when the job is done | Some take payment when you book |
Our prices are on the tyre fitting page. Mid-range tyres are about £55 to £90 fitted and premium tyres about £90 to £160 or more, depending on size.
Time and convenience
This is where mobile fitting earns its money. The fitter comes to you, and you carry on with your day. With a garage you have to drive there and either wait or come back.
In practice the gap is smaller than it sounds. A single tyre takes us about 20 to 30 minutes and a set of four about an hour, and most people wait. Mobile fitters work to booked time slots, which can mean waiting in for a window of a few hours, and a delay at one job pushes the rest back. If you are near Feltham Road, the round trip to us is short. We are just off the A30 and a few minutes from M25 junction 13.
Weather and working conditions
We fit tyres indoors, on a level floor, with the tyre machine and balancer bolted down. Rain, frost and wind make no difference to the job or the timing. A mobile fitter works at the kerb or on a driveway. Good fitters cope well, but heavy rain, ice and sloping driveways do lead to rescheduled jobs, and some vans cannot work in tight car parks or on busy roads.
What else gets checked
When your car is on our ramp, we can see underneath it. That matters more than people expect:
- Uneven wear on the old tyre often points to a worn suspension part or misalignment. We tell you what we see. We do not do wheel alignment ourselves, but we can tell you when it is worth having it measured by a specialist (see our alignment advice).
- Brakes: with the wheel off, the pads and discs are right in front of us. We do a free brake check if you ask.
- Suspension and steering: split boots, leaking shock absorbers and worn joints are easy to spot from below.
- The other tyres: a nail in a second tyre or a bulge on the inner sidewall is easy to miss from the kerb.
If we find something, we tell you and give you a price. Nothing gets done without your say-so.
Range of tyres and stock
A van can only carry so much, so mobile fitters usually order your tyre in for a set date. We keep common sizes in stock in budget, mid-range and premium, plus inspected part-worn tyres, so if we have your size we can often fit it the same day. See same-day tyre fitting for how that works.
When mobile fitting makes sense
To be fair, there are times we would tell a friend to call a mobile fitter:
- The tyre is flat or damaged and the car cannot be driven, and there is no usable spare.
- The car is somewhere far from any garage.
- You have limited mobility and getting to a garage is genuinely hard.
- You need a tyre fitted on a Sunday or in the evening, when we are closed.
If your tyre is flat but you are not sure whether it is safe to drive a short way, call us on 07341 216705 first. A slow puncture can often be pumped up and driven a short distance to us. A tyre that has gone completely flat should not be driven on, as that damages the sidewall and can turn a £10 puncture repair into a replacement.
Why drivers choose our garage
- Fitted at our garage on Feltham Road, with balancing and a new valve included
- Part-worn tyres from £15 fitted, each one inspected before it goes on
- Open Saturday 10am to 6pm as well as weekdays 9am to 6pm
- No deposit and no call-out. You pay nothing until the job is done
- A look underneath the car while it is in, with a straight answer on anything we find
- Rated 4.9 from 80+ Google reviews
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer mobile tyre fitting?
No. We only fit tyres at our garage at 32-34 Feltham Road, Ashford TW15 1DH. If your car cannot be driven, a mobile fitter or your breakdown cover is the better option.
Is mobile tyre fitting as good as a garage?
It can be, if the fitter is skilled and has a proper machine and balancer in the van. The differences are that a garage is not affected by weather, can lift the car to inspect it, and usually has more tyres in stock.
Is mobile tyre fitting more expensive?
Usually a little, because the fitter has to cover travel and a van. Compare the total fitted price including any call-out charge. At our garage there is no call-out and part-worn tyres start from £15 fitted.
How long does garage tyre fitting take?
About 20 to 30 minutes for one tyre and around an hour for a set of four. Most customers wait while we do it.
Getting to our garage
We are on Feltham Road in Ashford, just off the A30, with drivers coming to us from Staines, Sunbury, Feltham, Stanwell and Shepperton. Most tyre jobs are done while you wait.
Get directions to 32-34 Feltham Road, Ashford TW15 1DH, or call 07341 216705. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 10am to 6pm. Closed Sunday.
Need tyres fitted in Ashford?
Send us your tyre size or reg and we will confirm stock and the fitted price before you travel.