Buy 3 Tires Get 1 Free: Better Than Regular Tire Deals?

The Math:

Your average passenger vehicle tire can cost anywhere from $80-250, depending on size and type (all-season, winter, etc.).

We asked our product experts, who told us a customer-favorite option from a well-known brand in a common size would cost approximately $144 per tire. So we'll run the numbers to create examples with that price.

Remember, these final prices don't include additional costs like sales tax, disposal or environmental fees and installation costs.

On the surface, a buy-3-get-1 promotion is the better deal. But, this is only true if you were paying the competition that same great tire price.

Here's the trick: retailers who use the buy-3-get-1 promotion typically inflate their tire pricing to make up the difference of the cost of the free tire. You might have noticed this with other products, like grocery store items. That free tire isn't really free; the cost has been padded into the price of the other three.

It's a pretty common marketing ploy that makes you feel good about getting one "free" when in reality, that's far from the case.

So the competitor's price (in red) is now bloated to reflect their average upcharge:

To make matters worse, these types of promotions are usually conditional, only applying in specific situations. They might only apply to one specific tire, brand or even size. Some tire shops may offer a few different tire models but add the condition that they must be in stock or their own lower-quality, in-house brand.

Additionally, some manufacturer rebates don't apply if you only buy three tires, so you might get a free tire but lose the manufacturer's rebate. These average around $80 but some can be as high as $150. That's a lot to miss out on.

Many tire shops also offer other automotive services such as alignments, oil changes, air conditioning, brake work, etc. The buy-3-get-1 deal gets you in the door—don't be surprised if they also recommend a laundry list of additional full-price services while you wait!

In short: tire shops will generally recoup the loss of that fourth "free" tire, one way or another.

Other Promotions to Consider:

This deal is totally worth it if you can find it without pesky conditions. Otherwise, promotions are where you can stack up the savings. Combining rebates and offers, especially during holiday promotions, is where it's at.

What promotions and incentives do we offer?

• Limited-time instant online savings and rebates by mail: Deals
  • Up to $80 (sometimes more!) in instant savings and up to $150 in rebate-by-mail deals
  • If your purchase qualifies for more than one rebate, most offers can be combined!
• Military discount
  • Get 5% off instantly, and combine it with online savings and rebates by mail
• Special offers
  • When shopping this site, you can filter for "Special Offers" for any applicable closeouts or limited-time price reductions
• Seasonal promotions
  • Manufacturer-backed for direct savings

Our Verdict:

If you can find this promo with no strings attached, it's a sweet deal. Unfortunately, that's pretty rare. However, you can find better deals with other more reliable incentives via manufacturer and credit card rebates. Plus, tires are frequently on sale.

At Discount Tire, we bank on our solid reputation for good, speedy service and affordable prices. Per our Low Price Promise, our prices are the lowest available. If you find a lower price, we'll beat the competition's lower (installed) price and make sure you get the best deal possible.

We also prefer to be transparent about our pricing at all times, which is why we don't typically offer the "Buy 3 Tires, Get 1 Free" deal. You can rest assured that if we do offer this type of promotion, it will be on the same trustworthy level of our normal stellar tire deals.

If you're looking for your next set of tires, drop by your nearest Discount Tire location and we'll get you taken care of. You won't just save money when you shop with us, you'll save time too! Buy your tires and wheels online and book an appointment ahead of time so you'll wait less time in-store!