NEV Tire Replacement Wave
In 2025, with the continued rise in the number of new energy vehicles and the first batch of vehicles entering their tire replacement cycle, the tire industry is facing a critical juncture of structural transformation, marking the beginning of large-scale replacement in the market for tires specifically designed for new energy vehicles.
Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers shows that from January to May 2025, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in my country increased by 45.2% and 44% year-on-year, respectively, with the proportion of new car sales rising to 44%. By the end of 2024, the number of new energy vehicles in China exceeded 31.4 million.
Compared to gasoline vehicles, the significant differences in vehicle weight, power output, and noise environment of new energy vehicles are driving the tire industry to focus on three core needs: quiet operation, energy saving, and safety, and accelerating the pace of technological upgrades across the industry.
Quiet operation has become key to improving driving quality
Since the operating noise of electric motors is much lower than that of internal combustion engines, tire noise and road noise are the main sources of noise inside the vehicle during driving. Surveys show that approximately 93% of new energy vehicle owners consider "quiet comfort" as their primary factor when choosing replacement tires.
To address this, tire manufacturers have made breakthroughs in both structural design and material processing, widely applying silent cotton liners, multi-frequency noise-absorbing tread patterns, and specialized rubber compounds to effectively suppress tire cavity resonance and road noise transmission. Currently, some leading products have achieved in-vehicle noise test results approaching industry benchmarks at a constant speed of 60km/h, significantly improving overall vehicle NVH performance and ride comfort.
Energy Saving Performance Directly Addresses Range Anxiety
Driving range is a core concern for new energy vehicle users, with 96% of owners listing "range improvement" as a primary demand when changing tires. Due to the additional weight of the battery pack, the curb weight of comparable new energy vehicles is generally about 500 kg higher than that of gasoline vehicles, making the impact of tire rolling resistance on energy consumption more pronounced.
By optimizing the tread rubber molecular structure and adjusting the tread pitch and contact patch shape, low rolling resistance technology has become a key path to extending driving range. Real-world testing shows that high-quality, low rolling resistance tires can help improve the range of new energy vehicles by 3%-8%, with some models achieving an additional 30-80 kilometers of range under high-speed conditions, effectively alleviating users' range anxiety.
Safety performance is comprehensively upgraded due to vehicle characteristics
New energy vehicles are characterized by high instantaneous torque and high vehicle weight, placing higher demands on tire load-bearing capacity, grip performance, and durability. Their motor torque output is generally about 1.5 times that of comparable gasoline vehicles, leading to significantly faster tire wear under rapid acceleration conditions, and increasing the risk of tire fatigue under long-term high-load operation.
To address this, tire companies are comprehensively improving tire mechanical strength and wet grip by strengthening tire carcass cord materials, increasing the load index to over 98, and optimizing tread rubber and tread pattern drainage design.
Currently, some high-end new energy tires have achieved industry-leading 100-0 km/h braking distances in wet braking tests, and their wear resistance index generally exceeds 400, balancing safety and long-term use.
Faced with a rapidly growing market, domestic and international tire companies are increasing their investment in the field of new energy-specific tires. Domestic brands, with their keen insight into localized needs, high cost-performance ratio, and rapid customization capabilities, are gradually expanding their market share and engaging in differentiated competition with international brands.
The tire industry has shifted from optimizing single performance aspects to synergistically improving comprehensive performance such as quietness, energy efficiency, and safety. With the continued release of replacement demand from new energy vehicles starting in 2025, the tire industry is not only innovating on the product side but also undergoing a deeper transformation in materials science, intelligent manufacturing, and green recycling, driving the entire industry towards high performance, specialization, and sustainability.
