More than four-fifths (82%) of drivers would prefer to have a spare wheel in their boot rather than a tyre inflation kit, new AA research has revealed.

Half (49%) of drivers would happily pay to have a spare wheel in their car due to the peace of mind

Analysis of nearly 12,000 members of the AA – which has signed up as an event partner to this year’s Great British Fleet Event – shows that half (49%) of drivers would happily pay to have a spare wheel in their car due to the peace of mind.

Similarly, more than a third (35%) said that they would hesitate to buy a car if it didn’t come with a spare and one in three (35%) wouldn’t feel confident using a tyre inflation kit.

With pothole-related incidents on Britain’s roads at a five-year high, the case for having a spare wheel in the boot of your car is particularly strong. Last year, pothole-related damage accounted for almost £0.5bn in vehicle repairs, with a large portion of that spend going on tyres.

While many drivers, especially those with newer vehicles, may think they have a spare wheel tucked away in the boot, it’s estimated that the vast majority of new cars don’t come with one as standard.

Last year, more than half of the vehicles that the AA attended with punctured tyres didn’t carry a spare wheel. Even though AA patrols were able to carry out a temporary repair to some of these tyres at the roadside, many required an immediate visit to the garage.

Opting to add a spare wheel would help to reduce the number of occasions where drivers end up stranded at the side of the road after finding they only have a tyre inflation kit, which has then failed to seal the offending tyre, resulting in them calling for help.

Chris Wood, AA Patrol of the Year, warned: “Since manufacturers opted to fit an inflation kit instead of a spare wheel, it can take our patrols a couple of hours to resolve the same issue.

“Most of the members we attend say that they’d much prefer the peace of mind of having a spare wheel in the boot, even if they had to pay extra for it. As a result, we are seeing spare tyre kits become more accessible online.

“Being proactive can help to save you time – one suggestion is to store a list of mobile tyre fitters in your phone along with the relevant tyre sizes for your vehicle. This way, if you feel safe to do so, you can quickly arrange a replacement tyre without the need to trawl the internet for the information you need when under stress caused by a vehicle breakdown.

“Our advice is for all drivers to check if their vehicle has a spare wheel before they need it, and if they find that their vehicle doesn’t have one, to have a plan in place if things go wrong. If they do find a spare wheel in the boot, we’d urge them to check that it is serviceable, if they’re not sure how to do this, most garages are happy to help.”