Exactly, I think this has been sponsored by the tyre brands. Note: “the costs need to be passed to consumers”. This isn’t the case. Tyre manufacturers invest a proportion of their annual profits into R&D to remain relevant and competitive. The reason tyres are so expensive at the moment is that companies are taking advantage of the stock market oil price hike to increase their list price to consumers (even though manufacturing costs have only slightly increased). Tyre company Procurement and Engineering teams are targeted annually on reducing production costs across their ranges to deliver a higher return to shareholders. With the many new entrants in the markets, you have choices. Each tyre is given a rating for grip, wet performance and noise. A budget tyre is never going to give you the same level of tyre wear as a premium (over the life of the tyre). However a mid range will be comparable, with the opportunity to halve the cost. Shop around, do some research, look for a comparable mid tier brand who is aggressively buying market share and you can make some great savings.