How to change a flat tyre

Lesson Type
Manual
Auto
Last updated: 12 Nov 2019

It can be pretty unnerving the first time that your journey is interrupted by a flat tyre or puncture. Being stuck at the side of the road with a limping car and a car jack that you’ve never even looked at, let alone used, is stressful for even the most seasoned road users; if you're still taking driving lessons or you've newly passed your test, it’s a full-blown nightmare.

How to change a flat tyre in 11 easy steps

1. Assess your location

Are you in a safe place to be kneeling by your vehicle? Is the ground stable and flat? The hard shoulder of a busy motorway is not a good place to be putting yourself in vulnerable situations. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to call for assistance.

2. Find your spare wheel and related gear

Your spare wheel, wheel brace and jack. They’ll generally be in the boot and can sometimes be found under the boot carpet. Some cars do not come with a spare wheel and will come with puncture repair kits. If you don’t have a spare wheel, make sure you’re familiar with how your car’s puncture repair kit works.

3. Remove the wheel trims

The wheel trims are the plastic covers that make your wheels look more presentable. If you’ve got alloy wheels, you won’t have wheel trims but you might have covers hiding the wheel nuts.

Either way, remove any visible covers or trims to expose the wheel nuts.

4. Loosen your nuts

Before you lift your car using the jack, loosen the wheel nuts of the flat tyre. Your wheel brace (the large spanner/wrench/socket-type thing found with your spare wheel) should be used for this. Simply loosen the nuts slightly (no more than one full turn). You may find that they’re a little bit stiff; don’t be afraid to use a bit of sensibly applied brute force to get things started. At this point, make sure that any passengers are out of the vehicle.

5. Apply handbrake and jack up the car

Apply and double-check the handbrake and then find your car’s jack point. It will be identified in the users manual. If you don’t have your manual, look for reinforced-looking areas near the front or back wheels on your car’s frame, but be aware that jacking a car from the wrong point can be dangerous and can damage your vehicle. Once the car is jacked up, NEVER put your body underneath the vehicle, NEVER start the engine and NEVER allow any passengers to get back into the car.

6. Remove the wheel

Remove the wheel nuts (loosened from step 4) and place them in a safe place. Once you’ve got the nuts stashed somewhere safe, remove the wheel.

7. Replace the wheel

Put on the spare wheel. You might need to jack the car up slightly more to make room for the fully-inflated spare wheel. This stage can sometimes be a bit difficult; be patient and don’t force it.

8. Replace the nuts

Replace your wheel nuts. Tighten them up with your hands first, then use the wheel brace to secure them (don’t over-do it, you’ll be tightening up again in the next step). If you’ve lost a nut while changing the wheel, don’t worry, you can manage temporarily with three if you drive carefully. If you’ve lost more than one, borrow one from another wheel temporarily.

9. Lower the jack

Gently lower your vehicle to the ground and continue to tighten up the wheel nuts until they’re good and tight.

10. Replace your wheel trim

Replace your wheel trims by clipping them into place and then tapping them until secure.

11. Tidy up

Pack away your flat tyre, wheel brace and related gear.