10 Major Tire Retailers That Offer Free Tire Rotations

Owning a vehicle is expensive, and when it's time to swap out your old tires for a fresh set, you know your wallet is going to take a hit. Even if you know the average cost of new tires for your area and your vehicle, there's no getting around spending at least a few hundred bucks. Of course, it's always a smart idea to wait for a major holiday sale to purchase new tires, like Black Friday or Labor Day, but an extra tip you might not consider is to be picky about where you buy your tires.

Some, but certainly not all, tire retailers offer free tire rotations when you buy your tires from them. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average cost for a tire rotation is $60 to $72, and experts recommend rotating your tires every 5,000 to 7,500 miles, or about two to three times a year, depending on your driving habits. By choosing a retailer that offers free tire rotations with the purchase of new tires, you can save a few hundred bucks every year. Plus, many major tire retailers we've rounded up here offer extra free services in addition to tire rotation, giving you even more bang for your buck.

Discount Tire, or America's Tire depending on where you're located in the country, is an excellent spot to shop for new tires. The chain is known for offering great discounts on new sets of tires (the company name is "Discount" Tire, after all) from both high-end brands like Michelin, Continental, and Bridgestone, as well as budget-friendly yet reliable brands like Falken, Kumho, and Hankook.

For any tires purchased and installed at Discount Tire, the company offers free tire rotation and balancing for the life of the tires. Some people have even reported Discount Tire rotating tires for free despite buying them elsewhere, but not every location follows this policy.

In addition to complimentary tire rotation, Discount Tire is one of the best places to get free air for your tires. A technician will check your tire pressure to determine how much air each tire needs, if any, and then top them off free of charge. You can take advantage of this service every month. Furthermore, Discount Tire offers free flat tire repair and inspections, which are especially helpful before a long drive. If you purchase tires through Discount Tire directly, you can also buy a Certificate for Repair, Refund, or Replacement, which covers your tires for three years after the purchase date as long as they have more than 3/32 inch of tread depth.

There are plenty of ways to save money at Costco beyond simply scoring great bulk deals on food and household items. If you spring for a Costco membership, you can use the chain's exclusive gas stations, get an eye exam with affordable frames, and of course, purchase new tires that come with multiple free services.

When you buy and install your tires through Costco Wholesale, they come with a number of "Lifetime Maintenance Services" that Costco says "extend throughout the life of the tires you purchase." These services include regular tire rotations, balancing, flat repairs, and inflation pressure checks. If you need air in your tires, Costco will inflate them with nitrogen instead of compressed air, as nitrogen can help improve your vehicle's fuel economy and the life of your tires.

When your tires need service over time, Costco technicians can install new rubber valve stems for free to prevent air loss. However, the company notes that replacing TPMS valve stems and other accessories incurs an extra charge.

You may have heard Firestone and Bridgestone used interchangeably, but they are distinct companies. In 1988, Bridgestone officially acquired Firestone and has owned and operated the brand ever since. That's why you'll often see deals that apply to both Bridgestone and Firestone tires.

If you purchase your tires directly from a Firestone location, you can get them rotated on a regular basis for the life of the tires. This free service also applies to any Bridgestone or Firestone tires, no matter where you originally purchased them. Bridgestone is one of the leading major tire brands, but it can be pricey, so if you find a great deal on Bridgestone tires through another retailer, it's nice to know you can take them to any Firestone location for free rotation.

In addition to free lifetime tire rotation, Firestone also mounts your tires and performs alignment checks at no cost. Plus, if you need any additional services through Firestone, the company promises a 10% discount on your next purchase (up to $25) if your vehicle isn't ready at the time that's promised.

Walmart doesn't offer free tire rotation, even when you purchase tires directly from Walmart, but its membership-only warehouse store Sam's Club does. When you buy tires at Sam's Club, you'll get free balancing and tire rotation for the life of the tires, and the company defines lifetime as "usable tread down to 2/32nds inch."

One of the notable differences between buying tires at Sam's Club versus Costco is that you'll need to pay $20 per tire for Sam's Club to install any new tires you purchase. If you're a Sam's Club Plus member, the cost for installation drops to $10 per tire. At Costco, the price of installation is built into the tire price, so the advertised price you see per tire is what you'll pay for mounting and balancing the new tires, as well as disposal of your old ones.

When you buy and install tires at Sam's Club using the Premium Tire Installation Package at $20 (or $10 for Plus members) per tire, you'll also get Road Hazard Protection that can replace your tires for free if you run into a non-repairable road hazard within five years of purchase. Other free services Sam's Club offers for any vehicle include battery checks, air pressure checks with inflation or deflation as needed, and tread depth checks.

If you're lucky enough to live in a state serviced by Les Schwab, it's one of the best places to buy new tires simply because of all the free services you'll get in exchange for your business. States where Les Schwab currently operates include Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

When you purchase tires through Les Schwab, you can get rotations every 5,000 miles, unlimited flat repairs, rebalancing for your tires and wheels, tire replacement for the tread life of the tire, shock and suspension safety checks, visual alignment checks, and air checks and inflation as needed — all at no extra cost beyond the original tire purchase.

Les Schwab also offers a few non-tire-related complimentary services for any vehicle, regardless of where it's typically serviced or whether you purchase anything on your visit. These include free brake inspections, free battery and charging system checks, free wiper blade checks, and free pre-safety checks, during which a technician examines your vehicle's tire wear, wheel alignment, air pressure, shocks and struts, battery, and brakes.

If you don't live in the Northeast or Midwest regions of the U.S., there's a chance you may have never heard of Monro Auto Service. Monro operates in 16 states, including Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

When you buy tires from Monro, you'll get free tire rotations for the life of the tires, included with installation. The company recommends rotating your tires at least every 6,000 miles, but doesn't specify that you can only get free rotations at that interval.

In addition to free tire rotations with a tire purchase, Monro offers free courtesy inspections, free alignment checks, and free brake inspections for any vehicle, whether you make a purchase through Monro or not. The company also provides flat tire repairs, tire balancing, and tire replacement, but these aren't complimentary services.

Once you've researched the best tips for buying new car tires and you know which ones you plan to get for your vehicle, consider getting them from Mavis Discount Tire to receive free rotations for the life of the tires. Mavis Discount Tire has the most locations in Florida, and a significant number of stores in Georgia, New York, and other states in the southern and northeastern regions of the U.S.

When you buy your tires at Mavis, tire rotations will not cost a penny for the life of the tires. It's not clear whether there is a limit to how frequently you can stop by to rotate your tires, but the generally recommended time frame for rotations is every 5,000 to 6,000 miles. Mavis also offers a few non-tire-related complimentary services for most cars, including free brake inspections, free alignment checks, and free battery health checks.

If you buy new tires from Tires Plus, the company will give you free rotations for the life of your tires, which is generally around 2/32 inches of tread left on the tire. Tires Plus will also give free rotations for any vehicle already outfitted with Bridgestone or Firestone tires, regardless of where you purchased them, simply because this is a store brand owned by the Bridgestone parent company, just like Firestone.

Tires Plus also offers a few other free services, including free brake inspections and free battery checks. With any service appointment, you can also get a free courtesy check, during which a technician will "check certain critical vehicle parts and systems" to make sure your vehicle is still performing as it should.

You can find Bridgestone, Firestone, and SureDrive tires here — all of which are owned by Bridgestone — but there are also multiple other popular tire brands to choose from, including Falken, Yokohama, Kumho, and Hankook.

Like Costco and Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club is a membership-based warehouse retail store that delivers budget-friendly prices on bulk grocery products. In addition to affordable groceries, members can save money on gas, vision services and glasses, electronics, and, of course, tires.

Members who purchase and install tires at BJ's can take advantage of free lifetime maintenance perks, including tire rotation, tire balancing, flat repairs, and inflation checks. Along with the cost of the tires you select, BJ's charges a $20 installation fee per tire. There are often deals to help lower the overall cost of your tires, whether you go for a pricey brand like Michelin or a cheaper yet reliable option like Cooper. BJ's notes that these free maintenance services are subject to availability and blackout periods, so keep busy seasons and holidays in mind when planning which month or week to bring your vehicle in.

One of the best online retailers to shop for tires is Tire Rack, and although Tire Rack doesn't have physical retail stores, the company was acquired by Discount Tire. As a result, Discount Tire became the largest Tire Rack-recommended installer in the U.S., with over 1,200 locations across the country.

Thanks to this acquisition, when you purchase tires through Tire Rack and choose Discount Tire as your installer, you'll receive free rotations and rebalancing for the life of the tires, flat tire repairs, tire inspections, air checks, tread depth checks, and valve stems or tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) rebuild kits at installation, although many new tires no longer include TPMS sensors.

Tire Rack notes that an installation fee will be charged separately by Discount Tire, but that fee is all you'll pay to receive all those free lifetime services. Tire Rack also offers mobile installation with its own technicians starting at $40 per tire, but this package doesn't include any of the free services available through Discount Tire.

To compile this list, we first determined which tire retailers in the U.S. have the most locations or significant influence in a few states. With that list of major tire retailers, we then sourced information directly from each retailer's website to confirm all free services provided with or without tire purchases. This research uncovered some major retailers that don't offer free rotation, like Goodyear, which only offers free wheel alignment checks, valve stem or TPMS kits, and lifetime wheel balances.

Choosing to buy your new tires from a retailer that offers free tire rotation and other services can save you quite a bit of money over the life of the tires, as can these helpful ways to make your tires last longer.