Costco Vs. Sam's Club: Which Has The Better Deal On Tires?

Buying new tires can be pricey, but it's crucial to replace them if you spot any warning signs that they're reaching the end of their life. If you're looking to save money when it comes time to install new tires, it's worth shopping around for the best deal. Alongside dedicated tire retailers, two popular membership-only tire retailers for budget-conscious buyers are Sam's Club and Costco, with locations dotted across the country. Both sell car and truck tires, and both claim to offer exceptional value for money. However, there are a few key differences between the two chains that mean that one might end up being better value than the other.

Both retailers offer comprehensive tire-fitting services, although Costco's tire installations are free and Sam's Club charges $20 per tire for "all-in tire installation." The services offered by the pair are quite similar, with both including lifetime tire rotation, balancing, and flat repairs. Both also offer a road hazard warranty alongside the standard tire manufacturers' warranty for most tire purchases. The only state where Sam's Club does not offer a road hazard warranty is New York.

The $20-per-tire fee charged by Sam's Club does offer one notable extra over the free Costco fitting: toll-free access to emergency roadside assistance for up to four years after the tire has been fitted. This assistance includes winching and extraction, flat tire repairs, and towing, among other services. However, while that may be useful, Costco tires can often work out to be the cheaper option — let's take a deeper look.

The price of the exact make and model of tire you're looking for will differ between retailers, and there's no one-size-fits-all way to predict where a tire will be cheapest. However, some retailers are more likely to offer competitive rates than others. To see if there's a difference in pricing between Sam's Club and Costco, we've compared several tires from big-name brands that fit popular car and truck models.

We started by comparing tires for a 2025 Toyota RAV4, which ranks as the most popular SUV in the U.S. by a considerable margin. We searched for tires for a RAV4 XLE (AWD), and first selected the BFGoodrich Advantage Control all-season tire. The tire retailed for $173.99 at both retailers, but at the time of writing, Sam's Club offered $80 off a set of four tires while Costco only offered $30 off the same set. Our second RAV4 tire for comparison was the Pirelli Scorpion ATR. Here, there was a much more significant difference, with Sam's Club charging $232.77 per tire and Costco charging $169.99 per tire. Even with a limited-time offer from Sam's Club of $100 off a set of four tires, Costco still worked out cheaper.

Next, we compared tires for another popular car model, the 2025 Honda CR-V. The same Bridgestone Advantage Control tires cost $209.99 each at Costco for the CR-V, and $210.99 each at Sam's Club. Pirelli Scorpion Verde summer tires cost $244.99 per tire at Costco, and $255.77 each at Sam's Club.

From the small sample of car tires above, it seems that Costco has a slight edge when it comes to pricing, although the differences in retail prices might be offset by the different deals that each retailer offers at the time of purchase. To check if the same is true for trucks, we compared two tire models that fit the 2025 Ford F-150.

The two tire models selected for the F-150 were the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 and the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent. The Michelin tires at both retailers cost $317.99 each, although Sam's Club offered a $10 cheaper price on a set of four than Costco. Likewise, the Bridgestone tires retailed for the same $310.99 price from both outlets, but Sam's Club offered $80 off a set of four; Costco did not offer a discount. Even then, the $20 fitting fee per tire at Sam's Club meant that both ended up being the same price overall, even after the Sam's Club discount.

While both Costco and Sam's Club offer competitive pricing for car and truck tires, Costco's pricing is tricky to beat thanks to its combination of generous deals and free tire fitting. However, Sam's Club is also well worth considering, particularly if you appreciate the additional roadside assistance. It's always a good idea to shop around before buying car and truck tires, but Costco is a particularly safe bet for competitively priced rubber.