Comparis tyre shop comparison shows great lack of transparency

November 2, 2018 - The online comparison portal Comparis.ch has compared ten of Switzerland's largest online tyre shops. The result: Insufficient prior information can result in high additional costs for assembly and return in case of incorrect orders. The total costs can thus rise to twice the tyre price. The Comparis samples also show unreliable prices for assembly costs.

A set of tyres for a compact car (tested in Comparis comparison: Toyota Yaris) costs between 160 and 200 francs (40 to 50 francs per tyre) online. However, it is not enough to buy alone. For the assembly of the tyres it needs the expert

Customers need to take a closer look at this service: Depending on the region and the installation provider, this can result in additional costs of up to 200 francs (for example, 50 francs per tyre at the assembly partner of Reifendirekt.ch). In the case of the Toyota Yaris, these are additional costs in the amount of the entire tyre price

To make matters worse: The information provided by the individual service partners on the tyre shop portals is often unreliable. The comparis.ch random sample test showed incorrect or unclear information on the partners' assembly costs at seven out of ten tyre shops (Reifendirekt.ch, Reifen-pneus-online.ch, Tirendo.ch, Pneupirat.ch, Reifen-popgom.ch, Pneuwirbel. ch, e-pneu.ch). In addition, listed assembly partner ssometimes even did not offer the tyre assembly service (Reifendirekt.ch).

"Car owners should get to grips with the existing assembly stations near them and their prices before they make a purchase," says Comparis mobility expert Andrea Auer. "Prices are usually set by the service partners themselves and may differ from those published on the portal." A call to the service partner is well worth it.

As far as costs are concerned, the bigger the tyre, the greater the price differences of the individual suppliers.

"Buying tyres online should not only focus on prices," advises Auer. "More important is the quality of the tyres. Because this affects enormously the safety in road traffic.» Information about all safety-relevant features of different tyres isprovided by comprehensive tyre tests of car magazines or the TCS.

The comparison service Comparis.ch examined ten of the largest tyre shops in Switzerland by 2018.