Guide to ‘Cheap’ Tires

By Tire Agent Staff

January 23, 2024

TL;DR quick takes from this post on best economy tires

Where to buy the cheapest tires: Any tire seller that carries the brands we mention in this post. Tire Agent ships tires fast and free, anywhere in the U.S.
Who has quality tires for cheap: The best cheap tire brands include Atturo, Cooper, Falken, General Tire, Hankook, Ironman, Kumho, Lexani, Nexen and Toyo.
Where can you buy super cheap tires? Tire sellers, including Tire Agent, carry a range of tires to fit a range of budgets. Please don’t buy used tires.
How can I get good tires with bad credit? We’ve partnered with several companies that offer multiple ways to pay, including no credit check. Visit Tire Agent’s PayPair page to learn more.

_{Updated. Original post date Feb. 28, 2023.}

What Are The Best Cheap Tire Brands?

Full disclosure: This article isn’t about super cheap, low-quality tires. Cheap doesn’t equate to low-quality tires at Tire Agent. In fact, the tire makers that we’ve listed here aren’t always going to have the cheapest tires in town, but they offer less expensive models that still perform well and have a good tread life.

When we measure the best cheap tire brands, we’re usually looking at the tire’s UTQG rating. While we cover this and the other numbers on the side of your tire in a separate article, know that the UTQG rating is a standard to measure a tire’s tread wear, traction, and temperature. Almost all passenger tires have a UTQG rating and a higher number generally means a better tire. That said, a low number doesn’t mean the tire is bad. If you don’t drive much or need tires for a second car, for example, you don’t need a tire with a particularly high UTQG rating.

The exception to this would be used tires, which are unsafe for you to use. Essentially, this is because rubber has a shelf life and the history of a used tire is generally unclear. This can lead to sudden and unexpected blowouts while driving and cost you a lot more in the long run.

With that said, all of the following brands will offer tire models that are both affordable and high quality. Let’s look at the top 10 best inexpensive tire brands, presented in alphabetical order.

Note: Tire prices and warranty details are subject to change.

Best Generic and Off Brand Tires

Before you shop for off-brand or generic tires, you might want to read this road test that Tyre Reviews (based in the U.K.) published in 2023. They compared eight brands against one name brand (Continental) and found that the brand-name tire out-performed the generic tires in every category.

Brand name tires are better, more reliable and offer better warranties. When it comes to buying tires, you get what you pay for. Dirt cheap tires could end up costing you more down the road. In our list below, we’ve presented some brands you may know well, as well as some that may be new to you.

Atturo Tires

Atturo is known for having some of the lowest price light truck tires and best prices on SUV tires. With the intention of being used on SUVs and 4×4 vehicles, they’ll have higher treadwear ratings than other tires. Atturo tires are also usable while on the road and will especially shine in rainy, wet conditions.

Pros

Great traction on gravel and dirt
Good on-road performance

Cons

Lower overall ride quality
Some tires don’t have a warranty

Cooper Tires

With a long heritage in the tire industry, Cooper is a well-established name in the automotive world. Their tires are commonly used as replacements for passenger vehicles. Some of their tires even come as part of the original equipment (OE) for Ford, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Cooper offers all-season, summer, on/off-road, and winter tires.

Pros

Great selection of tires
Above-average tread life

Cons

Can be difficult to balance
Only available for passenger cars, SUVs, and trucks

Falken Tire

This brand is sometimes referred to as a “replacement tire” brand, meaning once your car’s OE tires wear down, Falken has you covered. Falken emphasizes performance and innovation in its tires for cars, trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. Falken tires have above-average tread ratings across their different tire models.

Pros:

Good warranty with a free replacement up to two years for first 3/32 of tread life
High dry braking, hydroplaning, snow traction, and rolling resistance ratings

Cons

Not as widely available and recognized
Some models may have lower ride comfort, handling, and wet braking

General Tires

With over 100 years of experience, General Tires has a long heritage in the US tire industry. General is well known as a reliable, average, and affordable tire. General has a lot of options to choose from, including winter, all-season, commercial, all-terrain, and performance tires. General is a fantastic option for daily drivers.

Pros

Long-lasting, well-made tires
Models tend to reduce road noise

Cons

All-season tires get lower treadwear ratings than the industry average
Average wet and dry braking

Hankook Tires

As the first tire company in Korea, Hankook has grown over the years to service countries across the world. These tires will cost slightly more than most budget brand tires but also afford you slightly better performance and quality. If you’re looking for a little more, Hankook has put a lot of effort into producing a wide selection of better tires.

Pros

Quality tires
Higher than average UTQG ratings
Great warranties

Cons

Slightly higher price point on some models, but still good value for the price

Ironman Tires

Ironman is a budget brand of its parent company Hercules Tire and Rubber. With a large company backing it, Ironman produces a quality tire that’s still affordable. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the performance of Ironman tires, especially considering their lower prices and wide selection of options available.

Pros

Affordable and high quality
Great warranty and customer support

Cons

Slightly faster wear than average
Lower marks in inclement weather

Kumho Tires

Founded in Thailand, Kumho now has manufacturing plants all across Asia. As a much larger company, some tires are used as original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for Hyundai, Audi, Volkswagen, and Nissan vehicles. Kumho is known as a brand that provides average tires at an affordable price point.

Pros

Average treadwear
Good value

Cons

Not as many all-terrain and winter options
Lower performance than other brands in extreme conditions

Lexani Tires

Lexani is one of the few high-performance tire options that are still affordable. As a brand of the Nexen manufacturer, Lexani tires come out of South Korea and are meant for luxury vehicles such as Mercedes, Bentley, Ferrari, Tesla, and BMW. Lexani offers all-season/all-terrain, mud terrain, and performance all-season tires. They are a good budget option, and they will hold up with competitors and look great.

Pros

Stylish, fits well on luxury vehicles
Surprisingly affordable for their quality

Cons

Decent quality

Nexen Tires

We mentioned Nexen previously as the parent company of Lexani but Nexen is also a brand widely known for delivering high-quality products at an affordable price. Their tires are sometimes used as OEM “factory tires.” Nexen’s tires have above-average marks across its wide range of affordable tire selections.

Pros

High performance and quality
OEM manufacturer

Cons

Lower-than-average touring all-season treadwear
May not be ideal for winter conditions

Toyo Tires

This Japanese manufacturer caters to just about everyone, from everyday drivers to off-road enthusiasts. As a brand with a wider range of options, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by both their innovations and the quality/performance of their tires across different models. That said, Toyo also won’t be the absolute cheapest option available.

Pros

Higher quality and performance than other brands we’ve mentioned
Well-known name

Cons

Higher cost than other brands in this category
Louder road noise

Where To Buy Cheap Tires

Purchasing 4 new tires can be a big, and possibly unexpected, expense. You’d be correct in trying to save as much money as possible while still getting a high-quality tire. While you won’t necessarily be using the best tires on the market, a good cheap tire brand optimizes savings and performance to deliver you a long-lasting product that won’t break the bank.

When Tire Agent answers queries about “best cheap tires to buy,” we look for the perfect mix of quality and price.

Check our Deals page for the latest tire rebates, coupons and offers.

See also our Easy Payment Plans, which can help you break the cost of a new set of tires into several smaller payments.

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