How to Change a Flat Tire

Changing a flat tire takes about 15-30 minutes and requires only the tools already in your vehicle: a jack, a lug wrench, and a spare tire. Here's the full process, in order.

What You'll Need

Step-by-Step

1. Find a safe, flat location. Pull as far off the road as possible, onto level ground if you can. Turn on hazard lights immediately, even before you've fully stopped.
2. Set the parking brake and stabilize the vehicle. Apply the parking brake. If you have wheel wedges or heavy rocks, place them against the tires diagonally opposite the flat to prevent the vehicle from rolling.
3. Remove the wheel cover or hubcap, if present , to access the lug nuts.
4. Loosen the lug nuts before jacking up the car. This is the step people most often get backward — it's far easier to loosen lug nuts while the tire is still on the ground and can't spin freely. Turn each lug nut counterclockwise about a quarter turn. Don't remove them yet, just break them loose.
5. Position the jack at the correct jack point. Check your owner's manual — jack points are specific reinforced spots on the vehicle's frame, not just any point along the body. Using the wrong spot risks damaging the vehicle or the jack slipping.
6. Raise the vehicle until the flat tire is a few inches off the ground.
7. Finish removing the lug nuts (now that the wheel can spin freely, you already broke them loose in step 4) and pull the flat tire straight off.
8. Mount the spare tire , lining up the wheel with the lug bolts, and push it into place.
9. Hand-tighten the lug nuts in a star pattern (not sequentially around the circle) — this seats the wheel evenly rather than pulling it off-center.
10. Lower the vehicle back to the ground , then fully tighten the lug nuts with the lug wrench, still in the star pattern, putting your full weight into it.
11. Double-check every lug nut is tight , then check the spare's tire pressure if you have a gauge — spares are often stored under-inflated and need air before or shortly after driving on them.

A Real Limitation Worth Knowing: Space-Saver Spares

Many vehicles come with a compact "space-saver" spare rather than a full-size matching tire. These are intentionally limited — typically rated for no more than 50 mph and no more than about 50-70 miles before you need a real replacement tire. Driving further or faster than the spare's rating risks damaging it or losing control. Check the sidewall of your spare for its specific speed and distance rating.

Need a full replacement instead of just running on the spare? Look up your exact tire size by year, make, model, and trim.