It's a fact that most new cars do not come with spare tires. However, most car owners are unaware of this until they experience their first flat in their new ride. If you're lucky, the car comes with runflats (we won't discuss the sacrifices in ride & handling that typically come along with these runflats). If you're less lucky, you have a full-size spare. Further down the rung of luck is a compact spare. Then, way down at the bottom is that can of fix-a-flat and some sort of air compressor.
The lack of a spare tire is especially common in electric cars where every attempt is made to keep weight to a minimum.
Here's the story (and an informative video) of one Nissan LEAF owner who found out the hard way that her car does not have a spare tire:
I am pretty handy and resourceful but I have to admit my recent most embarrassing moments. Although I've had many flat tires in the past, I was surprised and shocked at how little I knew about my new Nissan Leaf. This problem may not be unique to Nissan Leaf (electric or not), because many newer cars have some solutions you are not familiar with, so spend some time to study this before you have a flat tire.
This is the story: our new Nissan Leaf (a newly leased car) got a flat tire in the middle of a parking lot. So, not the first time, just calmly figure out what to do, right? But then I noticed both left and right had earth moving equipment moving in. and realized that the parking lot was going through construction and renovation. Now I was under pressure just to move the car to somewhere else. Still, not a big deal, just a flat tire, right? Wrong again. Now I am sharing my mistakes with you so that you do not have to make the same ones. Certainly I wish someone told me this (before my flat tire accident).
I am grateful to the construction team, if you are watching and smiling, who did not bulldoze or even tow my car, and in fact were both patient and helpful.
