A man and woman are sitting on the floor together, shopping online. They're both looking at the laptop in the woman's lap.

It’s no secret that buying and owning a car is an expensive endeavor, but it’s something that many of us need to live our lives. Because of how expensive vehicle parts can be, many people are looking for ways to save money on vehicle maintenance, especially when it comes to tires and wheels.

We have a simple solution that could save you hundreds of dollars: buying these products online! Of course, we don’t expect you to simply take our word for it. That’s why we’re here to list a few reasons why buying tires and rims online can save you money and help you get the most bang for your buck.

The Products Are Generally More Affordable

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. Often, wheels and tires online are much less expensive than their in-store counterparts because online businesses don’t need to maintain brick-and-mortar locations. The lack of a physical store saves them money on property fees and salesperson paychecks. These savings pass on to you. Plus, when a business hires salespeople, they need to incentivize them with commissions. In order to do that, they have to bump up the price artificially to cover those costs.

Something else worth noting is that online vendors also save on warehouse expenses. Business owners often have warehouses nearby to ship products out quick and easy. However, when selling online and shipping across the country, companies can more easily do it all from one location, saving even more in property fees and labor costs and saving the customer money.

You Don’t Have To Travel To Shop

A man is sitting behind the wheel of his car. He has his hand resting on his forehead and looks exhausted.

Shopping for wheels and tires online can save you money in many ways you might not think about. One example is that you won’t have to travel to the store you want to buy from.

Depending on how many automotive shops you have to visit to find the right product for your vehicle, you could be spending a large amount of time traveling. On top of that, if you’re buying new wheels or tires due to your old ones not being usable anymore, shopping from home will save you from having to figure out or pay for other modes of transportation.

Easily Compare Prices

Many people don’t bother comparing prices when shopping in person because that would mean visiting multiple shops. Most shoppers simply go to the closest location or one they’ve shopped at before and buy wheels.

Thanks to online shopping, comparing prices is easier than ever! All you have to do is open a few Internet tabs and find vendors offering the tires and rims you’re looking for at the price and quality most reasonable to you. You can even download apps on your smartphone that tell you if that same product is cheaper elsewhere. All of this can lead you to buying the most affordable version of the wheels or tires you’re looking for.

You’ll Find Savings Online

A woman is sitting at a table with one hand on her laptop. Her other hand is putting a coin inside of a pink piggy bank.

Speaking of apps that find the cheapest prices for you, many of them also offer coupons you might not have found when shopping in person. Buying your wheels and tires from a website has the potential to save you money by offering exclusive discounts, from coupons to online-only sales, you won’t be able to find at a brick-and-mortar location.

Higher Potential To Buy in Bulk

Even though some physical wheel and tire stores offer bulk buying, it’s not always feasible. Physical stores are limited by what they have in stock and on-site. While they can get more products from other local stores or their distributor, this can be a lengthy process that could potentially cost more money or time when it’s all said and done.

This isn’t the case for online retailers. Since everything ships from a single location, the number of wheels and tires in stock will be significantly higher than it would ever be in a store. This makes buying in bulk much easier, which is a great way to save some cash. Though this might be more relevant for businesses that have company vehicles, plenty of consumers could benefit from buying tires in bulk.

Payment Flexibility Is Available

Since wheels and tires are high-ticket items, it’s always nice when you can use payment plans. Unfortunately, few physical stores offer this service. Most don’t want to risk a person skipping out on finishing payments since the company will take a hit from it.

While this can also apply to online storefronts, they have one advantage that brick-and-mortar stores don’t: third-party financing companies. Online stores can offer pay-over-time options, giving buyers the option to pay-in-four or over monthly installments. While payment plans don’t actually save you any money, being able to pay over time will make the upfront cost much more manageable.

You’ll Buy the Right Product the First Time

If you decide to shop for wheels and rims online, you’re more likely to buy the right products for your vehicle the first time. One of the downsides of shopping for expensive products in-person is the fact that you’re on a time limit. While you might not have anywhere else to be that day, the store will close eventually. That means if you don’t come to a decision fast enough, you’ll have to come back the next day. Plus, the salesperson who helped you one day might not be available the next time you come by.

Plenty of people make rushed decisions and either buy tires that don’t fit their car or choose poor-quality ones that they’ll need to replace in a few years. If you made a rushed decision and bought the wrong tires, you could have to spend a lot more money to fix your mistake.

Shopping online helps to avoid all of this. You can take as much time as you need researching the best wheels and tires for your car, finding the best price, and making sure you feel comfortable buying them at that time. Not only will this save you money, but it will also curb feelings of stress. Shopping online is certainly worth it in the end!