Discount Tire and Costco are two places that can save you a considerable amount of money when it comes time to buy new tires.
But which is better to use?
Discount Tire carries more brands and more models of tires. They also have a low price guarantee that ensures they will get you the best price possible. Costco regularly has out-of-stock tires, but they offer a slightly better warranty than Discount Tires.
Read on to find out how each retailer stacks up against one another, so you can better determine which is the right choice for your needs.
Discount Tire Pros:
- Free Tire Rotation & balancing
- More tires stocked than Costco
- Financing options
- Cheaper tires than Costco
Discount Tire Cons:
- The only financing option is with a credit card
- Mixed customer reviews
- You have to pay for extra warranty
Costco Tire Pros:
- Low pricing
- Excellent 5-year warranty
Costco Tire Cons:
- Don’t stock many tires
- Constantly out of stock
- Free rotation and balancing service
- Not as cheap as Discount Tire
- No advance appointments
Which Has Cheaper Tires?
Discount Tire offers more affordable tires compared to Costco.
And thanks to their Low Price Guarantee, Discount Tire will do whatever it can to ensure that you get the lowest price possible on the tires they sell.
Let’s take a look at how the same tires compare at Discount and Costco
| Discount Tire | Prices | Costco | Prices |
| Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady | $177 | Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02 | $198.99 |
| Continental Control Contact Sport SRS | $128 | Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus | $177.99 |
| Goodyear Eagle Exhilarate | $147 | Michelin Primacy MXM4 | $168.99 |
| Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3 Plus | $159 | Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 (240) | $262.99 |
| Barum Bravurius 5HM | $66 | Bridgestone BLIZZAK WS90 | $176.99 |
As you can see from the table above, Discount Tire is considerably cheaper than Costco.
Discount Tire also provides a low-match guarantee, so if you find the tires cheaper somewhere else, they will match that price.
If you want to take advantage of Discount Tire’s Low Price Guarantee, you will need to bring in a valid ad that features the price in question.
Related Articles: Firestone vs Michelin Tires (Which Are Better?)
Which Has The Better Tire Warranty?
Costco has a better tire warranty.
In addition to the standard tire manufacturer warranty, Costco provides a free 5-year “Road Hazard Protection” warranty for all of its tires.
Discount also offers a standard manufacturer’s warranty, but you need to pay extra for their 3-year warranty.
Many of the tires stocked at Discount and Costco come with a standard distance warranty from the manufacturer.
These typically provide a warranty for between 50k and 80k miles depending on the brand.
If you drive 15k miles per year, this would cover you for around 3-5 years.
Discount Tire Warranty
As well as the standard distance warranty provided by the manufacturers, Discount Tire offers its own “Discount Tire Certificate,” which works like a three-year warranty.
If your tires fail during this time period, you can get a full refund or replacement.
However, keep in mind that you’ll pay extra per tire for this guarantee.
Prices depend on the brand and model you’re buying.
This fee can range anywhere from $10 to $100 a tire.
Not every tire that Discount Tire stocks come with a standard manufacturer’s warranty.
Tires that do, all have varying lengths of the standard warranty.
Related Article: How Long Do Michelin Tires Last? (Explained)
Costco Tire Warranty
Costco’s Road Hazard Protection guarantee protects your tires against tire failure or treadwear damage for five years.
If failure or damage occurs within that timeframe, Costco will repair or replace the tire.
Costco is good about this and will honor their Road Hazard Warranty under most circumstances.
If you choose to have your tire replaced, Costco does this in the form of a credit that goes toward your purchase and is determined by the remaining tread analysis.
Which Stocks More Tires?
Discount Tire has way more tire options than Costco.
If you like variety and appreciate having different options to choose from, Discount Tire is going to be your best bet.
Let’s take a look at the tires that Costco and Discount Tires stock:
| Discount Tire | Costco |
| Arislin | BFGoodrich |
| Arizonian | Bridgestone |
| Atturo | Michelin |
| Barum | |
| BFGoodrich | |
| Braven | |
| Bridgestone | |
| Carlisle | |
| Coker Tire | |
| Continental | |
| Cooper Tires | |
| Corsa | |
| Dunlop | |
| EZGO | |
| Falken Tires | |
| Fierce | |
| Firestone | |
| GBC Motorsports | |
| General Tire | |
| Gladiator | |
| GMZ | |
| Goodyear | |
| GTRadial | |
| Hankook | |
| Hartland | |
| Interco Tire Corporation | |
| Kanati | |
| Kumho Tire | |
| Laufenn | |
| Maxxis Tires | |
| Michelin | |
| Mickey Thompson | |
| MileStar Tires | |
| Mohave | |
| Journey | |
| Nankang | |
| Nexen Tire | |
| Nitto | |
| Nokian Tyres | |
| OHTSU Tires | |
| PathFinder | |
| Phantom | |
| Pirelli | |
| Pitbull | |
| Pro Comp | |
| Rage Tires & Wheels | |
| Road Hugger | |
| Sentury Tire | |
| Taskmaster | |
| Tensor Tire | |
| Trailfinder | |
| Uniroyal | |
| Vision Wheel | |
| Vogue Tyres | |
| West Lake Tires | |
| Yokohama |
It’s also worth noting that Costco is consistently out of stock on many of its tires.
This isn’t the case with Discount Tire. They routinely stock their inventory, thus ensuring that you can get most tires when needed.
Trade-in Options
Discount Tire won’t buy your used tires from you, but you might be able to trade them in when you buy new tires.
This would serve as a credit that goes toward the total purchase price of your new tires.
Exactly how much of a credit you will receive is unknown, as it depends on several factors, such as your tires’ age, brand, model, tread, and so on.
What’s more, most credits are usually pretty small, so don’t go in expecting to get your brand-new tires half off or anything.
The best thing you can do is stop by your local Discount Tire store so they can see first-hand what kind of condition your tires are in.
They’re going to need to be inspected anyway.
But if you’re trying to determine what kind of credit you’ll receive so you can better budget your new tires, call ahead of time to schedule an appointment for them to look at your existing tires.
Trade-ins don’t appear to be an option through Costco. This is likely because they don’t sell used tires, whereas Discount Tire does.
What’s more, Costco’s system is set up in a way that prevents them from accepting any tires with a DOT date older than two years.
You might also like: How Old Should New Tires Be? (Explained)
Customer Service
It’s fair to say that both Costco and Discount Tires get mixed reviews when it comes to customer service and feedback.
Costco Tire Centre currently gets a rating of 1.5/5 on Consumer Affairs
The most helpful review mentions the fact that the installation team at Costco broke a lug nut and refuse to fix or replace it. Yikes!
Discount Tires scored slightly better, with a rating of just over 2/5
The most helpful review states that Discount Tires is great at what it does – selling cheap tires. And should not be judged on services that it does not perform, such as wheel alignment, detailing your vehicle, or checking and changing your oil.
For what it’s worth, I think you need to take these scores with a pinch of salt.
Both Discount and Costco seem to offer a very similar, no-frills service in order to maintain the cheap prices of their tires and service.
Installation
Since Costco limits itself on the tires it will install for customers, you’re sure to get better installation service through Discount Tire.
What’s more, Discount Tire sometimes offers bundled deals where installation and balancing are included in the total sale price.
If you want a comprehensive installation service, Discount Tire is the better investment.