Behind the scenes

Swiss motorists are fitting winter tyres themselves

26.9.2024

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

A growing number of car owners are switching from summer to winter tyres without the help of a specialist. At online retailer Galaxus, demand for jacks (+40%) and tyre changing accessories (+215%) has risen significantly. Four out of five orders for vehicle supplies are placed by men.

Autumn is here, temperatures are dropping and the weather forecast has added the word «snow» to its active vocabulary again. For drivers, this means it’s time to shed those summer tyres and replace them with winter tyres – at least from October to Easter.

Figures from online retailer Galaxus suggest that Swiss driveways, garages and parking spaces will soon be as busy as Formula 1 pit lanes. This year, 40% more jacks have already made their way from the Galaxus warehouse to household garages in Switzerland compared to the same period last year. Not to mention the 38% increase recorded in 2023. To date, customers have ordered tyre supplies over three times more often in 2024 than in 2023. Products include mounting paste, storage bags, tyre casings, air pressure gauges and valve caps.

In addition to quality tyres and a jacked-up car, a successful wheel change also requires the right tools. And it appears that our customers are equipped. Amateur mechanics have ordered 114% more car tools this year than in the previous year. Orders include products for changing tyres, such as balancers or wheel spiders, but also classic garage utensils like oil drip pans or repair kits for windscreens or dents.

What’s striking is that there seem to be significantly more men than women working on their cars. Over 80% of all parcels containing vehicle supplies are sent to male recipients. This figure has remained constant for several years now.

DIY car maintenance

The figures above suggest that people in Switzerland are taking things into their own hands with their car. And not just when it come to tyres. A growing number of people are also replacing broken lights and worn out windshield wiper blades themselves. Anthony Gullo, the man in charge of the vehicle supply range at Galaxus, explains: «This trend is definitely also driven by the fact that the products are readily available online at attractive prices. Plus, it’s relatively easy to carry out small jobs on your car with the help of tutorials off the internet.» Lubrication, car fluid top-ups or battery maintenance will also be a do-it-yourself job for many people in 2024.

It seems a (legal) Fast and Furious feeling is still in demand – even 23 years after the first film of the legendary series with Vin Diesel came out. As a result, 43% more car tuning parts and 46% more accessories ended up in our customers’ shopping carts this year compared to the previous year.

Anthony predicts a bright future for the vehicle supplies range: «We expect the demand for car supplies at Galaxus to keep on rising. For one, this is because an increasing number of cars are hitting our roads every month. And then there’s a general DIY trend that goes far beyond cars. This overall trend has to do with the fact that Swiss customers are increasingly watching their pennies. After all, reaching for your toolbox is often cheaper than a trip to a car workshop.»

Do you change your tyres yourself or do you leave it to a specialist? What about car maintenance in general? Is that something you enjoy doing? Let us know in the comments.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Tobias Heller

Communications Manager

Tobias.Heller@digitecgalaxus.ch

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