What to do if you get a flat tyre in a hire vehicle

Getting a flat tyre can be a stressful experience in any case, but it can be a particular nightmare when you’re in a hire car. However, the most important thing you can do in this situation also happens to often be the hardest – don’t panic. It’s a high-stress situation, and the best thing to do in these sorts of circumstances is to concentrate on dealing with the issue step-by-step.

So with that in mind, here’s a quick guide on what to do next.

Immediate steps to take

Let’s summarise them quickly first, before we explain them in a bit more detail:

• Pull over safely: Choose a well-lit, flat area away from traffic and turn on your hazard lights.
• Ensure your safety: Exit the vehicle and move to a safe distance, ideally behind crash barriers.
• Call emergency services if necessary: For hazardous locations, contact 999 to secure the area.

So then – we’re assuming you’ve already pulled over. Ideally, it’s a well-lit, flat area away from traffic, such as a lay-by or a designated parking area. (If you can, it’s always best to avoid stopping on a busy road or in a location where your vehicle could become a hazard to other road users – but don’t worry if that’s not been possible, we’ll come to that in a moment.) Once you’ve safely parked, turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers to your situation.

Next, make sure you’re safe. Once you’ve gotten out of the vehicle, make sure you and all passengers have moved to a safe distance from the car or van. Ideally, find a location behind crash barriers or a safe area away from moving traffic. If you’re on a motorway or dual carriageway, stay well behind the safety barriers. For added safety, if you have a warning triangle, place it at a safe distance behind your vehicle to give approaching traffic a clear warning.

If the car is in a particularly hazardous location – such as on a country road with limited visibility, just after a sharp turn, or on a motorway slip road – we’d advise calling 999 so that the police can come to secure the area, provide safety warnings to other drivers, and assist in managing the traffic around your car.

Contact Intack Self Drive

Once you’ve dealt with the immediate safety concerns, the next step is to call us. It’s always helpful if you can provide specific details about your location, the nature of the problem, and any relevant information about the vehicle (e.g., model, registration number). This will help to build a better picture of exactly where you’re at, and what we can do to help you. And of course, feel free to ask us for immediate advice on anything you might need to, if you’re uncertain about anything in particular.

Now, from here, you generally have two options:

Option 1: Change the tyre yourself

If you have the necessary tools and expertise, and if the car is equipped with a spare tyre, you might decide to change the tyre yourself. After changing the tyre, give us a call and we’ll get you the location of our nearest approved repair centre where you can have the tyre repaired / replaced.

Now, we know it might be tempting to skip that step entirely and just continue your journey on the spare. Unfortunately though, some spare wheels (Spacesavers) aren’t usually designed for speeds over 50mph, so to be honest it’s not a particularly advisable course of action, even if you’re on a tight deadline.

Option 2: Wait for roadside assistance

Alternatively, there will be a phone number for a 24 hour breakdown provider in the windscreen of your vehicle. Each vehicle we supply comes with its own roadside assistance provider, and it’s included as part of the price, so you won’t have to worry about any additional charges.

However, you should be prepared for some waiting time – it could range from an hour to potentially much longer. It can be a restless waiting period, so it might be an idea to use the time to think about whether you need to make any adjustment to your plans for reaching your destination. If your timescale is quite flexible, you might not have to worry about it, but if someone’s expecting you, this might be a good opportunity to call ahead.

Typically, the recovery company will transport you to the nearest garage where the tyre can be repaired. Be sure to factor in these types of potential delays when planning your journey, as these situations can take a couple of hours or more, depending on the time of day and the remoteness of your breakdown location.

Is there anything else I should do?

That covers all the important stuff to be honest, but if you can, it’s helpful to keep brief notes about the incident. This can provide us with insights into your experience and help us improve our services in the future.

And of course, as we’ve covered above, if you ever need any help or advice at any stage throughout the process, you can always give our office a call during working hours on 01254 57811. With more than 50 years of experience behind us, we’re passionate about helping to make your experience as smooth and stress-free as possible, so we’re here to help however we can!