Key takeaways
- Stuck in a live lane, or unable to get out safely: call 999. Stopped somewhere safer on a motorway: call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, then your breakdown cover.
- Breakdown cover is the call when you want your spare fitted or the car recovered. The AA, for one, says it does not supply new tyres at the roadside.
- A mobile tyre fitter is the call when you want the tyre repaired or replaced where the car is, including at night.
- A garage only helps if it is open and you can get the car there on a spare or by recovery.
- Whoever you ring, have your exact location, the tyre size and your locking wheel nut key ready.
The right first call depends on two things: whether you are safe, and whether you want your spare fitted or a working tyre today.
Breakdown cover, a mobile fitter and a garage are not interchangeable. A breakdown patrol usually fits the wheel you already have. A fitter brings a tyre to the car, and a garage waits for the car to come to it. Ringing the wrong one first is how a flat turns into a tow and a day without the car. This guide puts the calls in order by situation and time of day, using what the AA, RAC and Green Flag publish about their own services.
Which number to ring: the short version
Two questions decide the call: is the car somewhere safe, and do you have a usable spare you are happy to drive on?
- Unsafe, or stuck in a live lane: stay in the car with your seat belt on and call 999.
- Stopped somewhere safer on a motorway: call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, then your breakdown cover. A fitter comes in only once the car is off the motorway.
- Safe, with a usable spare you are happy to use: your breakdown cover can fit it, and the tyre is sorted later.
- Safe, with no spare, or you want a proper tyre today: call a mobile tyre fitter. A garage only helps if it is open and you can reach it.
First call: are you somewhere safe?
The tyre is the second problem. The first is whether you and your passengers are out of harm's way. On a motorway or other high-speed road, go left and stop in an emergency area, a lay-by or on the hard shoulder, or at a service area if you can reach one (Highway Code, rules 275 and 277).
- Stuck in a live lane, or you cannot get out safely: stay in the car, keep your seat belts and hazard lights on, call 999 and ask for the police (rule 277).
- Stopped somewhere safer on a motorway: use the free emergency phone or call National Highways on 0300 123 5000, then your breakdown cover. National Highways operates England's motorways and major A-roads (National Highways).
- Off the motorway and somewhere safe: your next call is your breakdown cover or a mobile tyre fitter.
While you wait, keep your hazard lights on. On a motorway, get out on the side furthest from traffic if it is safe to, wait behind the barrier and do not go back to the car, even if it is raining, cold or dark (National Highways). On other roads, stand well away from the car and never between it and oncoming traffic. A warning triangle goes at least 45 metres behind the car, but never on a motorway (rule 276).
On motorways the Highway Code is blunt: "DO NOT attempt repairs on your vehicle". That applies to a fitter with a van as much as to you with a jack. So nobody, us included, changes a wheel on a hard shoulder, slip road or live carriageway. We fit the tyre once the car has been taken off the motorway. Our guide to a flat on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder takes that situation step by step.
Breakdown cover, mobile fitter or garage: who does what
Once you are safe, the choice comes down to what you want to happen next. This is the part most drivers have never thought about until they are standing next to the car.
| Who you call | What they usually do | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| 999 or National Highways | Get you and the car out of danger | Motorway, live lane, or you feel unsafe |
| Breakdown cover (AA, RAC, Green Flag and others) | Fit your spare, try a temporary fix, or tow the car to a garage | You have a usable spare, or the fault is not just the tyre |
| Mobile tyre fitter | Repair the puncture or fit a new tyre where the car is, balanced on the van | You want a working tyre on the car today, wherever it is parked |
| Local garage or tyre shop | Repair or replace once the car is on their premises | It is open, it is close, and you can get the car there on a spare or by recovery |
The gap people fall into is between the second and third rows. A patrol comes out for a flat, but what it normally fits is your spare. Plenty of cars do not have one. The AA says more than half the vehicles its patrols attended with a puncture in 2023 had no spare wheel (AA, February 2024). We compare the two in more detail in our guide to whether breakdown cover pays for a flat tyre.
Can I call the AA, RAC or Green Flag for a flat tyre?
Yes, if you are a member: all three treat a flat as a breakdown. What happens next differs, so it is worth knowing before you ring.
- The AA says its patrols will fit your spare or try a temporary fix. If that is not possible, they recover the car to a garage. It is explicit that it does "not provide new tyres or permanent tyre repairs at the roadside", and that you pay for the repair or replacement yourself. With no spare, a patrol may fit a temporary wheel and escort you to a garage or tyre centre (the AA).
- The AA at home: its standard cover is for breakdowns more than a quarter of a mile from home. A flat on your own drive needs its At Home option, which comes with a recovery tow to a nearby garage (the AA). Check your level of cover.
- The RAC said in 2019 that its patrols first try to plug the puncture, then fit your spare, and that they carry a universal spare wheel so you can drive on to a tyre specialist (RAC, 2019). It does not cover the cost of new tyres as standard (RAC).
- Green Flag says its policies cover flat tyres. For a flat or damaged tyre, it will take you to a place of your choice within 10 miles so the tyre can be repaired or replaced (Green Flag).
Some providers sell a tyre add-on, and the wording matters. The AA's Tyre Cover, for example, reimburses a garage bill after a patrol has helped rather than changing what happens at the roadside (AA Tyre Cover). The RAC says its tyre add-on cannot be added once you have already broken down. Terms change, so check your own policy rather than assuming a tyre is included. A roadside plug or a can of sealant is a temporary measure either way. TyreSafe says a permanent repair needs the tyre taken off the wheel and inspected inside as well as out (TyreSafe).
What should I do if I have a flat tyre and no spare?
Check the boot first, because many newer cars carry an inflation kit instead of a wheel. The AA notes that car makers are under no legal obligation to provide a full-size spare (AA). That leaves three routes.
- The inflation kit, if there is one. The AA says sealant can work on simple punctures, but not if running the tyre flat has damaged or overheated it. The RAC says a kit will not cope with a sidewall rip or a hole over 4mm (RAC). Treat it as a way to reach a fitter, not as the repair.
- Breakdown cover, for a temporary wheel and an escort or tow to a garage, which then has to be open.
- A mobile tyre fitter, who brings a tyre to the car so nothing has to be towed.
The AA puts it the same way in its own newsroom. For a tyre beyond repair at the roadside, a driver can call a mobile tyre fitter. The alternative is a temporary wheel from the patrol, then being followed or recovered to a garage (AA). Our guide on what to do with no spare tyre covers the kit itself step by step. If your car has run-flat tyres, it can usually be driven slowly to a safe place or a fitter within the maker's limits; our run-flat guide explains those limits.
Who to call if your tyre pops
A tyre that bursts while you are driving is a blowout. The order of calls is the same, with more urgency on the first. The AA's advice for the moment itself is simple. Keep a firm grip on the steering wheel and do not brake suddenly. Brake gently and steer steadily until the car is slow enough to pull over somewhere safe (the AA). Then make the safety call first and the tyre call second.
Expect a new tyre. Under British Standard BS AU 159, repairs are limited to the central part of the tread. They are ruled out where the tyre has bead damage, rubber separation or damage from running deflated (BTMA summary of BS AU 159). That describes almost every burst tyre. So the outcome is either your spare fitted by a patrol or a replacement fitted where the car is. Our tyre blowout guide goes through the moment in more detail.
What do I do if I have a flat tyre at home?
This is the easy version. Nobody is in danger, so there is no reason to drive on it to a garage, and a good reason not to. Running a tyre flat damages it from the inside, and under-inflation damage is one of the things that rules a repair out (TyreSafe). Leave the car where it is and have the tyre repaired or fitted at home, on the drive or at the kerb. If you would rather ring your breakdown cover, check first that it includes a home option: the AA's standard cover, for example, only applies more than a quarter of a mile from home (the AA).
A tyre found flat in the morning is often a slow puncture that has been creeping for days. The usual causes are a nail or screw in the tread, a perished valve or a leak where the tyre meets the rim. Each has a different fix, which is why it is worth having the tyre looked at rather than just pumped back up. Our puncture repair page explains which of them can be fixed.
Who to call at night, at weekends or on a bank holiday
Out of hours, the list gets shorter. Garages and tyre shops keep their own opening hours. Some mobile tyre services only book daytime slots too. Halfords, for example, says it is on call 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm (Halfords). That can leave your breakdown cover or a fitter who works around the clock. The AA itself says that when a tyre is beyond roadside repair outside garage opening hours, many drivers call out a mobile tyre fitter (AA).
To picture the difference, take a flat found on the drive at 11pm with no spare. The AA's At Home option, for example, gives a recovery tow to a nearby garage, where the car waits for the garage to open. A mobile fitter repairs or replaces the tyre on the drive that night, so the car is ready to use in the morning.
Fast Tyre offers 24 hour tyre repair, 365 days a year, and a night, weekend or bank holiday visit costs the same as a weekday one. If you are waiting in the dark, read our guide to staying safe during a night-time breakdown.
What to tell the person you ring
The same five things speed up any of these calls, and for a fitter they decide whether the van sets off with the right tyre first time.
- Exactly where you are: postcode, road name and a landmark, or a what3words reference. On a motorway, the Highway Code suggests your phone's map app or the numbers and letters on the nearest marker post or driver location sign. Our guide to describing your location helps if you are somewhere unfamiliar.
- The tyre size: the string on the sidewall, such as 205/55 R16 91V. Only read it if you can do so safely. If not, the registration usually lets a fitter look it up.
- Whether you have the locking wheel nut key: usually in the boot floor, the spare wheel well or the glovebox. Without it the wheel cannot come off, so say if it is missing and the fitter can bring the kit to remove a locking wheel nut.
- What the tyre is doing: completely flat, losing air slowly, a visible nail, a bulge, or burst.
- Whether you have a spare or a kit, and whether you have already used sealant. Sealant has to be cleaned out before the inside of the tyre can be inspected, so it changes what the fitter brings.
What a fitter checks when they arrive
If you call a mobile fitter, this is how the job usually runs, so you know what you are agreeing to.
- Where the car is. The first check is whether the car can be worked on safely where it stands. On a narrow verge of a fast road, that may mean the car is driven slowly to somewhere safer first, or recovered. On a motorway, it means the car is recovered off before anyone touches the wheel.
- Where the damage is. A puncture in the central part of the tread can usually be repaired; one near the shoulder or in the sidewall cannot (TyreSafe).
- The inside of the tyre. The tyre comes off the wheel so the inside can be checked, because a tyre driven on while flat can be damaged inside even when the outside looks fine.
- The wheel and the valve. A bent rim or a perished valve can cause the same slow leak as a nail, and fixing the tyre alone would not cure it.
- Repair or replace. Then the tyre is repaired, or a new tyre of the right size, load and speed rating is fitted, balanced and set to the pressure on the car's tyre placard.
Need someone to come to you?
If the car is somewhere safe and the tyre is the only problem, the quickest route to a working car is usually to bring the tyre to it. Our emergency tyre call-out runs day and night across London and the surrounding counties. We are typically with you in 30 to 60 minutes, and the fitting itself takes 20 to 30 minutes once the van is there. Puncture repairs are done to BS AU 159 where the damage allows. Where they are not possible, a new tyre goes on from the van with a 2-year warranty.
Ring us and describe what you can see. We will tell you honestly whether it sounds like a repair, a replacement or something your breakdown cover should handle.
Sources
Checked on 2 October 2026. Breakdown providers' policies change without notice, so check your own policy wording. Points about how a fitter works through the job are trade knowledge from fitting work rather than a published source, and are written that way.
- GOV.UK, The Highway Code: breakdowns and incidents (rules 275 to 287), updated 22 October 2025
- National Highways, Driving on motorways: what to do if you break down (also states that it operates and maintains England's motorways and major A-roads)
- The AA, Understand how our breakdown cover works, Tyre Cover, Four fifths prefer a spare (February 2024), How to change a tyre (updated 7 August 2024) and Spare wheels: using, buying and maintaining
- RAC, Report a breakdown, How the RAC Universal Spare Wheel fixes no-spare breakdowns (2019) and How to fix a flat tyre
- Green Flag, Home page FAQ: are flat tyres covered by breakdown cover?
- Halfords (tyre retailer, its own service hours), Autocentre and mobile tyre puncture repair services
- TyreSafe, The complete guide to punctures and repairs
- British Tyre Manufacturers' Association, Minor repairs to passenger car and light van tyres (summary of BS AU 159, reviewed June 2014)
Photo: Gustavo Fring on Pexels
Frequently asked questions
If you are somewhere safe, call a mobile tyre fitter, who will repair or replace the tyre where the car is. Some providers will sell you cover on the spot. Even then, a patrol would normally fit your own spare rather than a new tyre, and the RAC, for one, says its tyre add-on cannot be added after you have broken down. If you are stuck in a live lane, call 999. If you have stopped somewhere safer on a motorway, call National Highways on 0300 123 5000.
Yes. A mobile tyre fitter brings the tyre, a tyre machine and a balancer to the car, so the tyre is changed where you are parked. That can be at home, at work, in a car park or at a safe roadside spot, though never on a motorway hard shoulder, slip road or live lane. A breakdown patrol can also come out, but it will normally fit your own spare rather than a new tyre.
It depends on whether the tyre can be repaired or needs replacing, and on the tyre itself, so whoever you call, ask for the cost to be confirmed before anyone sets off. If it is late at night, at a weekend or on a bank holiday, ask too whether that costs extra.
No. There is no legal requirement for a driver to carry a spare wheel; the rules cover the tyres actually on the car, including a spare once it is fitted. The AA notes that car makers are under no obligation to supply a full-size spare, and that a spare can only legally replace a road wheel if it is in good condition with legal tread. Many newer cars come with an inflation kit instead. It is worth knowing which your car has before you need it, along with where the locking wheel nut key is kept.
Only as far as you need to reach somewhere safe, slowly. The RAC says it is better to risk damaging the wheel rim than to stop somewhere dangerous. Once you are safe, stop: driving further on a flat damages the inside of the tyre and can turn a repairable puncture into a replacement.
It depends on the fitter, where you are and the time of day, so ask for an arrival estimate when you call. With Fast Tyre, it is typically 30 to 60 minutes anywhere we cover, at any hour. The fitting itself then takes about 20 to 30 minutes once the van is with you.