This tire retailer scores the lowest in customer satisfaction in the Consumer Reports – Jalopnik rankings

Finding the right tires for your car can be both essential and confusing. Tires are the only part of your vehicle that touches the road, so they are under a lot of pressure every time you go for a ride. An added layer of difficulty is the fact that there are many tire brands, and many even have the same parent company. That’s why we’ve covered topics ranging from every Michelin tire brand to the best all-season tires you can buy. But that still leaves out something important: where can you enjoy the best tire buying experience?

Good, Consumer Reports is on the case, offering a list of the most and least satisfactory tire retailers, drawn from some 30 chains, independent stores and car dealerships. The score was based on a CR survey of more than 24,000 members who purchased tires in the past year, focusing on individual factors such as price, installation quality, sales service, free benefits, installation time and tire choice.

At the very bottom of the list was Walmart, which narrowly beat Pep Boys for last place in the rankings – which probably shouldn’t surprise you. According to the Research by ACSI Retail and Consumer Shipping from 2025part of the U.S. Customer Satisfaction Index, Walmart ranked last among online multimarkets and general hypermarkets, and second-to-last in the grocery category. It goes without saying that experiences with buying tires would not score that highly there either.

Walmart is known for its low prices, and the retailer even had the lowest tire costs among its competitors. It also tied with multiple retail outlets – such as Costco, Discount Tire, Sam’s Club and BJ’s – for the least expensive installation costs. (Note, however, that CR’s listing did not include installation costs for a few higher-rated tire sellers.)

The real problem seemed to be the inability to exceed customer expectations. Walmart customers rated the company’s performance as mediocre in most categories, including installation quality, sales service, tire selection, shipping and the ability to schedule service appointments. Meanwhile, the two categories in which Walmart scored lowest had nothing to do with the tires at all. Walmart had the lowest possible CR scores for free benefits given to customers and for the condition of the waiting area. This could make sense if Walmart’s decision to cut back in those areas helps people save money overall. That said, Walmart was also a little disappointed with the time the installation took.

It is proof that, according to Tess Yanisch, one of CR’s senior research staff: “Most places will do at least adequate quality installation and have at least acceptable sales support, which were the features that contributed most to overall satisfaction.” So what really held Walmart back? There are certain retailers that went beyond just adequate and acceptable, and at the top was Les Schwab, which operates primarily in the West. Independent outlets as a group and Point S Tire – an internationally focused brand with 1,300 North American locations – were the only other retailers recommended by CR.

The three largest tire sellers all achieved very good overall scores in the Consumer Reports rankings, but they achieved those results in different ways. Les Schwab, for example, is helping to grow its numbers with the only free perk program that earns the highest possible rating on the CR charts. Notable free Les Schwab services even include free leak repairs. If these don’t work (as some parts of a tire can be repaired but others cannot), free tire replacement is also available.

Point S Tire, in turn, has the least expensive rubber among the leading trio, and by quite a significant degree. However, the CR survey did not provide enough data to rate Point S on factors such as free benefits, tire choice or waiting area. You’ll also want to be careful with independent tire shops. On the one hand, they had the fastest installation times; the independents were the only retailers on the list with the best possible CR score, and they also excelled with appointment availability. Would you like to have your tires shipped? Neither Les Schwab nor Point S can accommodate you, but some independents can. On the other hand, with thousands of independent companies to choose from, choosing the right one doesn’t necessarily guarantee a top-quality experience.