How does mobile tyre fitting work at home? The van, the kit and the limits

What to tell us on the phone

The call decides whether the van arrives with the right tyre, so a minute spent on these details saves a second trip. Expect to be asked for:

• The tyre size, moulded on the sidewall as something like 205/55 R16 91V, or your registration so it can be looked up. Replacement tyres should match the size, load index and speed rating the car or tyre maker specifies. Continental lists the sidewall, the driver's door jamb and the handbook as places to find it.
• What is wrong: worn, punctured, cut, bulging, a warning light, or tyres you have already bought.
• Exactly where the car is: postcode, street, and whether it is on a driveway, in a car park or at the kerb, plus anything that makes the wheel hard to reach.
• Whether a locking wheel nut is fitted, and whether you have the key.
• Which wheel, if only one tyre needs work, and whether that side faces traffic.

Put together, a call with everything on that list sounds like this: "205/55 R16 91V, nearside (left-hand) rear, nail in the tread. The car is on my driveway in N13, there is room on both sides, and the locking nut key is in the glovebox." That takes under a minute and tells the fitter which tyre to load, which tools to bring and where to park.

Ask for the price on that call, before anyone sets off; nights, weekends and bank holidays cost the same as weekdays. A photo of the damaged tyre by WhatsApp can often tell us before the van leaves whether a repair is likely or a new tyre is needed. The final answer on a repair only comes once the tyre is off the rim.

How mobile tyre fitting works at your home, step by step

The numbers match the diagram above: step 1 is the call, and step 8, the 30-mile check, is under After the fitter has gone.

2. Arrival and a look round. The fitter arrives, typically 30 to 60 minutes after the call, and checks the car is on level, firm ground with room to work on the wheel.
3. Lift and wheel off. The car is jacked at the jacking point, supported while the wheel is off, and the nuts removed.
4. At the tyre machine. The wheel goes to the van for three jobs:
   • Old tyre off. The machine breaks the bead (the edge of the tyre that seals against the rim) and is designed to take the old tyre off without marking the wheel. The rim is cleaned where the bead seats so the new tyre seals.
   • Valve. The valve is checked, and a new rubber valve goes in if the old one has aged or is damaged; there is more on this under what a good fitter checks. On cars with tyre pressure sensors, TyreSafe notes that many manufacturers recommend a new valve core and cap at every tyre change. A sensor must never be swapped for a plain valve. See our TPMS sensor replacement page if a sensor has failed.
   • New tyre on. The new tyre is fitted, seated and inflated to the vehicle maker's pressure for the load, which is the figure the Highway Code says tyres must run at.
5. Balance. The wheel goes on the van's balancer, which spins it and shows where small weights are needed so it runs without vibration.
6. Refit and torque. The wheel goes back on and the nuts are tightened to the car maker's figure with a torque wrench, not by feel.
7. Old tyre away. The old tyre goes in the van for licensed tyre recycling, and you pay by card or contactless.

From the wheel coming off to the old tyre going in the van, a typical job takes 20 to 30 minutes. You do not need to stand over it, but stay somewhere safe and away from the working side of the car.

What a mobile tyre van carries

A van can match a tyre bay on tyre work because it carries the same core machines in a smaller form. Balancing is done on the van, not skipped: Michelin is clear that balancing is always necessary when a tyre is fitted.

Balancing on the van removes the vibration that comes from the wheel and tyre themselves. If a car still shakes afterwards, the cause is usually somewhere else, such as a bent rim or worn suspension. Our wheel balancing service explains what is involved and how to tell the causes apart.

What a good fitter checks on the job

Swapping the tyre is the easy part. These are the checks that make the difference between a tyre that is simply on the car and a job done properly:

• The new tyre matches the car: size, load index and speed rating the same as specified, and never a lower load capacity than the original.
• The inside of a punctured tyre, because driving on a flat can wreck the inner wall even when the outside looks fine.
• The rim and bead seat for corrosion or kerb damage that could stop the new tyre sealing.
• The valve: rubber valves perish with age and start to leak. Michelin recommends a new valve whenever the tyre is replaced, and replacing an aged one sooner rather than waiting for the next tyre change. We check the valve on every job and fit a new one if it has aged or is damaged. If you would rather have a new valve with every tyre, as Michelin advises, ask for it on the call.
• The other tyres: tread depth against the legal minimum of 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters, plus cuts and bulges, so you know if another tyre is close to needing work.
• Clean threads and hub faces, because Continental warns that dirt or rust there can give a false torque reading.

Can a mobile fitter repair a puncture?

Yes, and properly, because the van has the machine to take the tyre off the rim. TyreSafe says a permanent repair can only be done after the tyre is removed from the wheel so it can be inspected inside and out, to British Standard BS AU 159. The BTMA summary of that standard sets the limits.

The damage must be no wider than 6 mm and inside the repairable central area of the tread. Liquid sealant, an outside plug or any temporary repair does not count as a permanent fix. Damage on or near the sidewall cannot be repaired. Our puncture repair page covers the service and the rules in more detail.

Where the fitter can work

The fitter needs level, firm ground and room around the wheel being worked on. TyreSafe's advice for any tyre change is a hard, flat, even surface, away from a motorway or busy road. In practice:

• A driveway is ideal.
• A work or retail car park works with the owner's or site manager's permission, so check before you book.
• At the kerb: on a quiet street, not a busy main road, we can deal with a flat or damaged tyre where the car stopped, as long as the working side is safe from passing traffic. For a planned change of worn tyres, a driveway or a private car park is the better choice. Mobile tyre fitting with no driveway runs through the options.
• Gravel, grass or a slope may still work; mention it on the call so the fitter brings the right supports.

How much room is enough? Kwik Fit's FAQ gives a simple test: if there is room on each side to fully open the door and get into the car, its fitters can usually go ahead. That is a fair check before any visit. If your space is tighter, or the wheel that needs work is against a wall or another car, say so on the call.

What our vans cannot do

• Wheel alignment. We do not do tracking; it needs an alignment bay, so book a garage for it. Alignment adjusts the suspension angles, which is a different job from balancing the wheel.
• Work on a live carriageway, hard shoulder or slip road. Never; we fit once the car is off the motorway. The safe way off is below.
• Caravans, trailers, motorbikes or lorries. We cover cars, SUVs, 4x4s, EVs and vans only.
• Repair a tyre that is past saving. Sidewall damage, a bulge or an inner wall destroyed by driving flat means a new tyre, which the van can usually bring the same visit.

If a tyre fails on a motorway, Highway Code rule 277 sets out what to do:

1. Leave at the next exit or pull into a service area if you can.
2. If you cannot, move into the left lane and stop in an emergency area or on the hard shoulder.
3. Get out on the side away from traffic only if it is safe to do so, and wait behind the barrier.
4. If you cannot get out safely, stay in the car with your seat belt and hazard lights on, and call 999 at once, asking for the police.
5. Otherwise, call National Highways on 0300 123 5000.

Is mobile tyre fitting as good as a garage?

For tyre work, it should be. The standards do not change with the location: the same balancing, the same torque figures and the same BS AU 159 repair rules apply on a driveway as in a workshop. What matters is whether the fitter actually follows them, so ask whether they balance every wheel, use a torque wrench and repair from inside the tyre. Fast Tyre is fully insured and gives a 2-year tyre warranty. Mobile fitting compared with a garage sets out when each makes sense.

How to get ready for the visit

1. Park on level ground with room around the wheel that needs work, and not boxed in on that side.
2. Have the tyre size or registration ready, and any tyres you have bought. We fit customer-supplied tyres if they are the right size and specification.
3. Put the locking wheel nut key somewhere obvious, usually the glovebox or the spare wheel well. If it is lost, say so on the call; locking wheel nut removal is part of what the van does.
4. Have the car keys to hand; the fitter may need to move the car onto better ground. Payment is by card or contactless on site, so if you cannot be there yourself, say so on the call and we will tell you what can be arranged for the keys and payment.

After the fitter has gone

Have the wheel nuts re-checked after about 30 miles. Continental advises a follow-up torque check after the first 30 miles or 50 km whenever a wheel has been refitted, because nuts can settle. The chance of a wheel coming loose is very low, but the check takes a minute at any garage or with your own torque wrench. Watch for a new vibration at speed, and call us if the tyre pressure warning light comes on.

Need someone to come to you?

Fast Tyre runs mobile tyre fitting across London and the surrounding counties, 24 hours a day, every day of the year including bank holidays, with no out-of-hours surcharge. For a planned visit, see tyres fitted at home or at work. If you need the tyres on today, we fit the same day. If the car cannot be driven, start with our emergency tyre call-out. Call or WhatsApp with the size and postcode and we will tell you when a mobile tyre fitter near you can be with the car.

Sources

Checked on 2 October 2026. The technical, legal and roadside points in this guide come from these sources; the arrival and fitting times, cover and warranty are Fast Tyre's own. The repair limits come from the BTMA's published summary of BS AU 159; the full standard is not free to read. Competitor service details can change and were checked on the date above.

• The Highway Code, Annex 6: vehicle maintenance, safety and security and rules 274 to 287: breakdowns and incidents (GOV.UK)
• Driving on motorways (National Highways)
• Minor repairs to passenger car and light van tyres (British Tyre Manufacturers' Association summary of BS AU 159)
• TyreSafe: Punctures and puncture repairs, Tyre pressure monitoring system, How to change a tyre at home or roadside
• Michelin UK: Wheel alignment, wheel balancing, How to replace a tyre valve
• Continental Tyres UK: Retorquing wheels, Tyre size
• Kwik Fit: Mobile tyre fitting and mobile tyre fitting FAQs; Halfords: Mobile tyre fitting

Photos: all from Fast Tyre jobs. The top photo is a wheel change on a customer's driveway.

Frequently asked questions