Following positive feedback and requests from customers, Kwik Fit has hosted its second Tyre Insights Day for the fleet industry, with the combined track and workshop event attended by key decision makers from rental and leasing companies.
The UK’s leading tyre supplier to fleets hosted the event to build on its inaugural knowledge sharing activity held 12 months ago. The event was attended by delegates from more than 20 leading companies, collectively responsible for some 1.8million maintained cars and LCVs.
The event was once again held at the MIRA Technology Park. As a long-established vehicle research facility, the location enables Kwik Fit’s programme to include both data-driven seminars and practical first-hand driving experience in a variety of vehicles.
The activity saw delegates get behind the wheel of different vans to assess the relative performance of summer and all season tyres in different conditions. They experienced the comparable performance on dry handling tracks with tests including sudden lane changes – and the difference in braking and control capabilities on surfaces simulating wet, snow and icy weather.
With an ever-increasing proportion of fleet cars having an electric powertrain, the event also focused on the emergence of ‘EV Ready’ car tyres. Delegates were able to test vehicles fitted with EV Ready tyres, mixed with the original equipment, highlighting the technology enhancements made by premium manufacturers.
The day also allowed customers to continue to see the difference in performance of a premium compared to a budget tyre. A number of guests were taken by surprise at the loss of grip from a budget tyre at relatively low speeds and were thankful for the track’s extensive grass run off area to save their blushes – and the test car’s bodywork.
In between the track sessions the seminars were led by Kwik Fit’s tyre and data experts. Topics covered included the rapidly increasing complexity of the tyre market (particularly the growth in variety of tyre fitments), the increase in homologation and the logistical and stocking challenges caused by the growth in average tyre size.
The sessions also covered the differing tyre wear rates between EV and ICE vehicles across a range of categories. With over eight million data points to draw on, Kwik Fit is in a unique position to provide customers with the insight they need as they plan their budgets for their current and forecast fleet profiles.
Tom Edwards, Kwik Fit fleet sales director said: “After the success of our inaugural Tyre Insights Day last year, we were delighted to expand the event in 2025 and welcome even more guests. We’ve had such positive feedback from the day. Guests appreciated not only the mix of workshop and track based sessions, but also the opportunity everyone had to put aside competitive rivalry for the day and share their own experiences.
“Any Kwik Fit fleet customer who was not able to attend can contact our fleet team who will be happy to share some of the insights and discuss any future events.”
