Spare tire covers

What to check before you buy

• Read the size on the spare itself: it can differ from the four tires on the road.
• Some vehicles have a camera in the middle of the spare: pick a cover with a camera opening.
• Vinyl and fabric covers fade: a snug fit keeps them from flapping at speed.

Good to know

• A temporary donut spare is usually limited to about 50 mph and about 50 miles: drive to a tire shop soon.^1,2,3
• A spare ages even if it is never used, and some vehicle and tire makers advise replacing tires, spares included, once they are six to ten years old.^3,4,5
• On tires made since 2000, the last four digits of the DOT code give the week and the year the tire was made.^4,6

How we checked this page

Checked on October 16, 2026. We kept a fact only when two independent sources agree, and each one is numbered to its sources below. We never write a price: the listings come straight from eBay and show what sellers ask. This page was written with an AI assistant and checked against the sources below.