Buying tires at Les Schwab
Regional chain, selling tires since 1952, 610 stores. What tires cost there, what shipping and installation add, how returns work and what customers rate them.
Who owns it
Meritage Group LP, a San Francisco investment firm, which agreed in September 2020 to buy the company from the Schwab family and closed the purchase in November 2020, ending 68 years of family ownership. Reuters reported in August 2024 that Meritage was exploring a sale at a valuation above 7 billion USD; no sale has been announced since. Tom Nolan became CEO in March 2026, the first chief executive hired from outside the company.
What you can buy there
Les Schwab's brand page lists three house lines it developed for western driving conditions, Mazama, Dean and Caldera, alongside Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, Cooper, Hankook, Toyo, Yokohama, Falken, Firestone, Ironman and Laufenn. It also sells wheels (Fuel, Method, Black Rhino, Niche, Raceline and others), batteries, shocks and struts, tire chains, brake parts and alignment work, plus commercial, farm, industrial and off-the-road tires and retreading. There are no used tires and almost none of the cheap imported labels online discounters lean on: the budget end is the house brands plus value lines such as Ironman and Laufenn.
Shipping
There is no shipping at all. Les Schwab does not sell tires online for delivery; lesschwab.com is a research, quote and appointment tool, with "Book an Appointment" as the call to action and the advice to "stop by and talk with us." Every purchase is completed in a store, which is why the chain has no Alaska or Hawaii freight question: Alaska has stores, Hawaii has none, and nothing is mailed anywhere.
Installation
Fitting is done in Les Schwab's own bays at more than 610 company stores, and the chain takes walk-ins as well as online appointments. It does not itemize a mount-and-balance charge per tire: the tire is quoted installed and the Les Schwab Tire Warranty comes with it at "No Extra Cost or Certificates," covering free flat repairs, rotations every 5,000 miles, rebalancing and air pressure checks for the life of the tires. Road hazard protection is included rather than sold as an add-on: 100 percent road hazard damage replacement with no expiration, free replacement if a tire is damaged beyond repair before 25 percent of its wear, and credit for the unused tread after that.
Returns and warranty
The warranty includes a 60-day satisfaction guarantee that lets you exchange tires if you are not completely satisfied and no more than 2/32 inch of tread is worn. Because nothing ships, returns and exchanges are handled over the counter at any Les Schwab store and there is no return freight or restocking fee to consider. Manufacturing defects are handled by Les Schwab under its own warranty rather than referred to the tire maker, but only at Les Schwab stores.
Where they sit on price
Les Schwab competes on a bundle, not on sticker price, and the per-tire price is usually higher than online sellers and warehouse clubs because mounting, the warranty, lifetime rotations, rebalancing and road hazard replacement are baked in. The company puts numbers on the giveaways: 20 USD saved per flat repair, up to 27 USD (cars) or 35 USD (light trucks and SUVs) per rotation, up to 67 USD or 75 USD per rebalance, and a 60 USD pre-trip safety inspection. There is no membership fee and no online-only price tier, so the shelf price is the price everyone pays.
What it does well
- More than 610 stores across 15 western and plains states, all taking walk-ins, with free air checks and free tire repair offered at every location
- The warranty costs nothing extra: 100 percent road hazard replacement with no expiration, unlimited free flat repairs, free rotations every 5,000 miles and free rebalancing for the life of the tires
- 60-day satisfaction guarantee to exchange tires if you do not like them, with up to 2/32 inch of wear allowed
- Free inspections open to anyone walking in, including brakes, visual alignment, shocks and suspension, battery and wipers, plus a pre-trip safety check the company values at 60 USD
- Consumer Reports named Les Schwab the best tire retailer for 2026 on feedback from more than 24,500 surveyed members, scoring installation quality, sales help, free perks and alignment work
Where it falls short
- No online purchase and no shipping whatsoever: you have to live near a store and go to it
- Regional by design, 15 states, and the free lifetime services and warranty can only be redeemed inside that store network, so they are worth nothing if you move east
- Per-tire prices are noticeably above online discounters and warehouse clubs, and the budget selection is thin because the cheap imported brands are largely absent
- Trustpilot sits at 2.8 of 5 across 112 reviews with 62 percent one-star, and the corporate BBB profile lists 154 complaints closed in three years; the recurring themes are two to three hour waits despite booked appointments, pressure to buy struts or all four tires, and pushback on warranty claims
What Les Schwab is rated
Ratings move, so we print the month we read each one. We never average different sites into a single number.
Is this the right shop for you?
Yes, if: Drivers in the western and plains states who keep a car for years and would rather have mounting, rotations, rebalancing and road hazard replacement included in one installed price than itemized.
Look elsewhere if: Price hunters who want the cheapest tire shipped to their door, and anyone likely to move out of Les Schwab's 15-state footprint before the tires wear out.
Running right now
Up to $100 off 4 select All-Weather / All-Terrain tires (9/14-10/31)
9/14-10/31/2026: $100 off Open Country A/T III, Quatrac and WeatherActive sets, $80 off Pinza AT, AltiMax 365AW, Wildpeak A/T Trail, $60 off Ranger A/T R404 and Courser. Also Hankook $80 and Laufenn up to $60 prepaid Visa (8/1-9/30) and General $90/$70 (9/1-10/31). West-coast/Mountain chain, in-store only.
The sizes people buy, and what they cost
These are the ten sizes US drivers buy most often. Prices are per tire, what the size actually goes for across the retailers we track, so you can tell a real offer from a marked-up one before you click anything.
| Size | Fits | Budget | Mid-range | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 195/65R15 | Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic | $50–$68 | $72–$98 | $102–$145 |
| 205/55R16 | Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla | $55–$75 | $80–$118 | $122–$175 |
| 215/55R17 | Toyota Camry, Honda Accord | $70–$95 | $100–$140 | $145–$205 |
| 225/45R17 | Hyundai Elantra, Volkswagen Golf | $82–$112 | $116–$165 | $168–$245 |
| 225/60R17 | Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 | $75–$102 | $106–$150 | $154–$220 |
| 225/65R17 | Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 | $75–$102 | $106–$150 | $154–$220 |
| 235/65R17 | Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue | $75–$102 | $106–$150 | $154–$220 |
| 265/70R17 | Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 | $105–$138 | $142–$195 | $200–$275 |
| 235/60R18 | Honda CR-V, Honda Odyssey | $95–$128 | $132–$180 | $184–$260 |
| 245/60R18 | Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot | $115–$152 | $156–$212 | $216–$300 |
Per tire, before installation and before any rebate. All 254 sizes we cover.
Questions people ask about Les Schwab
Can you buy Les Schwab tires online?
No. Les Schwab does not sell tires for shipping, and there is no checkout on lesschwab.com. The site lets you look up tires by license plate, vehicle or size, get a quote and book an appointment, but the purchase itself happens at a store. That also means you cannot have Les Schwab tires sent to a different installer.
Does Les Schwab really fix flats for free?
Free flat repair is part of the Les Schwab Tire Warranty on tires bought there, unlimited and for the life of the tire, and the company says all of its more than 610 locations offer free tire repair and that it fixes more than four million flats a year. Free air pressure checks and top-offs are offered at every store to anyone. The February "free beef" promotion that made the chain famous ran from 1964 to 2011 and is gone; stores now hand out free popcorn and coffee instead.
Is Les Schwab still family owned?
No. Les Schwab started as one tire shop in Prineville, Oregon in 1952 and stayed with the Schwab family until 2020, when Meritage Group LP agreed to buy it; the deal closed that November. The company is still privately held and does not publish revenue, and its head office is in Bend, Oregon. A 2025 company release put it at more than 8,500 employees in more than 600 locations across 15 states.
Why is Les Schwab more expensive than buying tires online?
Because the price is quoted installed and the warranty is not an add-on. Mounting, balancing, lifetime rotations every 5,000 miles, rebalancing, unlimited flat repairs and 100 percent road hazard replacement with no expiration all come with the tire at no extra cost. If you use those services the gap narrows; if you drive the car for two years and sell it, you paid for perks you never used.
Sources
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- lesschwab.com
- bbb.org
- trustpilot.com
- en.wikipedia.org
Checked September 2026. Store counts, prices and ratings change; tell us if you find one of ours out of date.