Why Can Only 80% of Tire Insurance Be Claimed?

[MargaretRose]

Tire insurance can only be claimed at 80% for the following reasons: Quality Guarantee Insurance: Quality guarantee insurance refers to liability caused by product quality issues. According to national regulations, tires are considered consumables, and individual damage is not covered by (any insurance company's) compensation scope. Therefore, they cannot be compensated, and there are no additional insurance options. However, if the issue is related to quality, at most, only 80% can be claimed. Liability Insurance: Liability insurance refers to the insured's responsibility to third parties. For example, human intervention causing a tire blowout is merely a 'single damage.' Many insurance companies do not have such a claim item, so no compensation is required.

[DiMargaret]

Last time I had a flat tire and filed an insurance claim, I finally understood the intricacies involved. The insurance company set the compensation ratio for the tire at 80%, mainly because tires are considered wear-and-tear parts, making it hard to distinguish between normal wear and accidental damage. Last year, when I filed a claim for a nail puncture, the claims adjuster measured the tread depth with a caliper and said, 'Your tire had already worn down by 2mm. A new tire costs you 1,000 yuan, so after deducting wear and depreciation, the maximum compensation is 800 yuan.' More importantly, installation fees, wheel alignment, and other related services are mostly out-of-pocket expenses. In reality, after the 80% compensation, you still end up paying an extra 300-400 yuan yourself, but it’s still better than footing the entire bill.

[KarterAnn]

Here's the deal with tire claims in auto insurance: The 80% reimbursement rate set by insurers is essentially risk hedging. Having run an auto repair shop for over a decade, I've seen countless car owners try to pass off two-year-old tires as new for fraudulent claims. Once, a customer's tire sidewall was clearly cracked from scraping against a curb, yet they insisted it was punctured by road debris. The adjuster spotted the issue immediately and ultimately only paid out 65% based on tread wear depreciation. More importantly, insurance needs to cover the entire vehicle's risks—if tires were fully covered, premiums would rise by at least 30%. Check your policy details if you don't believe me: tires fall under 'exclusionary additional coverage,' which inherently comes with higher claim thresholds.

[DiIsabela]

Tire insurance claims are discounted by 20% mainly due to three factors. First, tires are consumables that naturally lose about 10% of their value annually, so getting 60% reimbursement after two years of use is already quite good. Second, the installation cost of new tires includes expenses like balancing weights, valve stem replacement, and dynamic balancing services—these additional fees of around 200 yuan are typically not covered in the claim. Third, insurance companies need to mitigate moral hazards—after all, only the car owner knows the true condition of the tires. Therefore, when filing a claim, remember to bring the tire purchase invoice and maintenance records to avoid further discounts due to insufficient evidence.