Blackcircles.com
Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer, founded in 2001 and owned by Michelin, connecting consumers to over 2,200 independent garage fitting centres and offering 40+ tyre brands plus mobile fitting, MOT, and Tyre Guarantee services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Blackcircles.com does
Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer, founded in 2001 in Edinburgh and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Michelin following the 2015 acquisition for £50 million. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform where motorists search for tyres by vehicle registration, tyre size, or brand, and complete purchase online with payment made upfront before fitting. The platform stocks tyres from over 40 brands spanning budget, mid-range, and premium tiers (Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama, Vredestein, and others) across car, van, 4x4, EV, motorcycle, caravan, summer, winter, all-season, runflat, and performance categories. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, reflecting an asset-light operating model.
Blackcircles.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blackcircles.com
- Legal name
- Blackcircles.com
- Website
- https://blackcircles.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer, founded in 2001 and owned by Michelin, connecting consumers to over 2,200 independent garage fitting centres and offering 40+ tyre brands plus mobile fitting, MOT, and Tyre Guarantee services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blackcircles.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Tyre Retail
- NAICS
- Tire Dealers (441340), Tire Dealers (44134)
- SIC
- Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Retail Tire Sales & Installation (Consumer) (TLAKADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Automotive Parts, Tools & Accessories Marketplaces (CRAFABAJ), Mobile Tire Service & Emergency Roadside (On-Site) (TLAKADAC), Tire & Wheel Services (Mount/Balance/Alignment) (TLAKAAAD)
Keywords
Where Blackcircles.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Blackcircles.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Tyre Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of tyres across multiple brands including premium, mid-range, and budget options. Customers pay for tyres online with fully fitted prices including delivery, fitting, balancing, new rubber valve, and disposal of old tyres.
- Fitting Network Fees: Revenue from coordinating tyre fitting services through a network of over 2,200 independent garages across the UK, with Blackcircles managing the transaction and routing jobs to fitting partners.
- MOT and Servicing: Additional revenue stream from booking MOT tests and car servicing through garage partners.
- Tyre Guarantee: Optional tyre protection plan offered from £6.99 per tyre covering accidental damage and manufacturing defects.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Fully Fitted Tyre Prices |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Tyre Guarantee Protection |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium Tyre Promotional Discount |
| Subscription | Monthly | PayPal Credit Financing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Blackcircles.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer, selling new tyres across 40+ brands (premium, mid-range, and budget) with vehicle registration and tyre size search on its e-commerce platform. Customers pay online for fully fitted prices that include VAT, delivery, fitting, balancing, new rubber valve, and disposal of old tyres, with fulfilment routed to a nationwide network of over 2,200 independent garage fitting centres or via mobile fitting at the customer's location. The core offering is augmented by an optional Tyre Guarantee protection plan (from £6.99 per tyre), MOT and servicing bookings, and PayPal Credit financing.
Product overview
Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer (founded 2001), operating a platform-plus-partner-network model. The core product is an e-commerce platform for purchasing tyres online with flexible fulfilment options: in-garage fitting at over 2,200 UK locations, mobile fitting at the customer's home or workplace, or mail-order delivery. The offering is augmented by add-on services including Tyre Guarantee (accident and defect protection from £6.99/tyre), MOT & Servicing through garage partners, and PayPal Credit financing (up to 12 months 0% interest). The platform stocks tyres across 40+ brands spanning car, van, 4x4, EV, winter, summer, all-season, runflat, performance, budget, mid-range, and premium categories. The company has served over 2 million customers and sold over 36 million tyres.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blackcircles Pitstop: Pitstop fitting centres located at key Tesco stores and shopping centres across the UK
Products and services
- Online Tyre Retail Platform E-commerce platform enabling UK motorists to search by vehicle registration or tyre size, browse 40+ tyre brands across budget, mid-range, and premium categories, and purchase tyres online with fully fitted pricing including VAT, delivery, fitting, balancing, new rubber valve, and disposal of old tyres, routed to a nationwide network of over 2,200 independent fitting centres.
- Mobile Tyre Fitting Standalone fitting service where partnered mobile fitters travel to a customer's home or workplace to install new tyres on the customer's driveway, offering convenience for those who cannot or prefer not to visit a garage. Available at various locations across the UK through the Blackcircles mobile fitting network.
- Tyre Guarantee Protection Plan Optional protection plan available on all tyre brands sold through the platform, priced from £6.99 per tyre, covering accidental damage, punctures, and bulges as well as manufacturing defects. Customers can add the Tyre Guarantee to any tyre purchase as a standalone add-on product.
- MOT & Servicing Vehicle MOT testing and servicing booked through Blackcircles.com's garage partner network, covering standard MOT, EV MOT, Hybrid MOT, and service levels including interim, full, major, and EV-specific servicing. Bookable as a standalone service through the Blackcircles platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2 million customers served since 2001
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Blackcircles.com
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blackcircles.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Blackcircles.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- PayPalcorePayPal integration for secure payment processing including PayPal Credit financing options (0% interest for up to 12 months on Michelin tyres when spending £500+) and Pay in 3 interest-free payment plans.
- Tyre Manufacturers NetworkcorePartnerships with major tyre manufacturers including Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Hankook, Pirelli, Yokohama, Kumho, Falken, Dunlop, Vredestein, and many others for inventory and promotional campaigns.
- Independent Garage Network (2,200+)coreOver 2,200 independently owned garages across the UK forming the largest fitting network. Garages join the network for agreed job numbers, regular fitting fee income, and exposure to new customers. Mobile fitting partners also available.
- TescosecondaryBlackcircles Pitstop fitting centres located at key Tesco stores and shopping centres across the UK, providing dedicated in-store tyre fitting locations.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Blackcircles.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kwik Fit: UK's largest specialist tyre and exhaust fitting chain with a national centre network and online booking. Direct competitor offering overlapping tyre retail plus fitting, though with a predominantly owned-and-operated centre model rather than independent partners.
- ATS Euromaster: Major UK tyre retailer and fitting network with both owned centres and franchise partners. Competes directly on tyre selection, fitting convenience, and fleet services.
- National Tyres: Long-standing UK tyre and exhaust retailer with a national branch network, offering online ordering with in-branch fitting. Comparable model to Blackcircles with owned rather than independent garage partners.
- Delticom: European online tyre retailer (parent of TyreShopper, mytyres.co.uk, etc.) operating multiple DTC tyre brands across Europe. Closest continental analogue to Blackcircles' online-plus-partner-fitting model.
- Tirendo: European online tyre retailer operating in the UK and Germany, offering tyres with fitting partner networks. Comparable pure-play e-commerce-plus-fitting proposition to Blackcircles.
- Protyre: UK tyre retailer with both owned and partner fitting centres, providing competitive online tyre pricing and MOT/servicing attach. Overlaps significantly with Blackcircles' full-service proposition.
Broad incumbents
- Halfords: UK retailer of motoring products including tyres, parts, and cycling. Sells tyres online with in-store fitting, making it an indirect but broad-overlap competitor in consumer automotive retail.
- Amazon UK (Tyres & Auto): General online retailer that includes automotive tyres and accessories. While not a tyre specialist, its scale and logistics create price-comparison pressure on specialist tyre platforms.
Regional players
- Tyre Pros: UK tyre retailer connected to the Kwik Fit family, offering a broad brand portfolio with fitting. Adjacent competitor serving similar consumer and small-fleet tyre replacement needs.
Emerging players
- Rolo Tires: Factory-direct DTC tyre brand launched in 2026 by Blackcircles founder Michael Welch targeting UK and European markets with an agentic-AI-enabled operating model. Direct emerging challenger targeting Blackcircles' customer base.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blackcircles.com social profiles
Digital presenceBlackcircles.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blackcircles.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Blackcircles.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blackcircles.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blackcircles.com
What does Blackcircles.com do?
Blackcircles.com is the UK's leading online tyre retailer, selling new tyres across 40+ brands (premium, mid-range, and budget) with vehicle registration and tyre size search on its e-commerce platform. Customers pay online for fully fitted prices that include VAT, delivery, fitting, balancing, new rubber valve, and disposal of old tyres, with fulfilment routed to a nationwide network of over 2,200 independent garage fitting centres or via mobile fitting at the customer's location. The core offering is augmented by an optional Tyre Guarantee protection plan (from £6.99 per tyre), MOT and servicing bookings, and PayPal Credit financing.
Is Blackcircles.com a public or private company?
Blackcircles.com is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Blackcircles.com founded?
Blackcircles.com was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Blackcircles.com based?
Blackcircles.com is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Blackcircles.com make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Tyre Sales are the primary driver. The others are fitting Network Fees, MOT and Servicing and tyre Guarantee.
Who are Blackcircles.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kwik Fit, ATS Euromaster, National Tyres, Delticom, Tirendo and Protyre. Broad incumbents are Halfords and Amazon UK (Tyres & Auto). Tyre Pros is listed as a regional player. Rolo Tires is listed as an emerging player.
Does Blackcircles.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blackcircles.com.
What industry is Blackcircles.com in?
Blackcircles.com's product category is Online Tyre Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAKADAA, Retail Tire Sales & Installation (Consumer), with a secondary code of CRAFABAJ, Automotive Parts, Tools & Accessories Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 441340 and its SIC code is 5013.