Free air by the numbers
Facts about free air for tires in the US, counted from our map of 17,801 places. Updated Oct 26, 2026. Free to quote with a link.
Key facts
- There are 17,801 places with free air for tires in the US on our map: 12,442 gas stations and 5,359 tire shops.
- 70% of them (12,549) are near-certain to have free air, either by chain policy or by state law.
- Only two states require free air by law: California (with a fuel purchase) and Connecticut (while the station is open). That covers 5,931 gas stations on our map (5,443 in California, 488 in Connecticut).
- 11 chains offer free air as a policy: Wawa, Sheetz, QuikTrip, Kwik Trip, Stewart's Shops, QuickChek, Family Express, Discount Tire, Les Schwab, Belle Tire and Sullivan Tire.
- Among chains with a free air policy, Discount Tire has the most locations (1,130), followed by QuikTrip (1,120) and Wawa (1,093).
- California has the most places with free air (5,856), followed by Texas (1,003) and Florida (806).
- 6,442 free air locations (36%) are open 24 hours.
- 1,706 free air stops are a short drive from an Interstate exit, and 816 have EV charging.
- Where air isn't free, machines usually cost about $1.50 to $2.50 per use.
- GetGo began charging for air in fall 2026 ($3 for 5 minutes) after Alimentation Couche-Tard bought the chain from Giant Eagle.
How to cite: Source: Free Air for Tires (www.freeairfortires.com), data as of Oct 26, 2026.
How sure we are the air is free
| Confidence | Places | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 5 of 5: chain policy or state law | 12,549 | 70% |
| 4 of 5: usually free, ask first | 2,045 | 11% |
| 2 of 5: free at some stores | 3,207 | 18% |
Free air locations by chain
| Chain | Locations | Confidence | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mavis / NTB / Tire Kingdom | 1,633 | 2 of 5 (some stores) | 2026-10 |
| Kroger | 1,574 | 2 of 5 (some stores) | 2026-10 |
| Discount Tire | 1,130 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| QuikTrip | 1,120 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Wawa | 1,093 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Kwik Trip / Kwik Star | 920 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Sheetz | 865 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Costco Tire Center | 655 | 4 of 5 (usually free) | 2026-10 |
| Les Schwab | 607 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Sam's Club Tire & Battery | 595 | 4 of 5 (usually free) | 2026-10 |
| Big O Tires | 476 | 4 of 5 (usually free) | 2026-10 |
| Stewart's Shops | 389 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Royal Farms | 319 | 4 of 5 (usually free) | 2026-10 |
| Belle Tire | 185 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| QuickChek | 145 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Family Express | 86 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Sullivan Tire | 78 | 5 of 5 (chain policy) | 2026-10 |
| Other gas stations (CA and CT law) | 5,931 | 5 of 5 (state law) | 2026-10 |
Free air locations by state
| State | Places | Law? |
|---|---|---|
| California | 5,856 | Yes |
| Texas | 1,003 | No |
| Florida | 806 | No |
| Pennsylvania | 726 | No |
| New York | 619 | No |
| Georgia | 564 | No |
| Wisconsin | 548 | No |
| New Jersey | 526 | No |
| Connecticut | 501 | Yes |
| Virginia | 485 | No |
| Ohio | 454 | No |
| Arizona | 445 | No |
| North Carolina | 413 | No |
| Maryland | 365 | No |
| Colorado | 344 | No |
| Indiana | 322 | No |
| Minnesota | 308 | No |
| Michigan | 307 | No |
| Washington | 277 | No |
| Illinois | 211 | No |
| Missouri | 211 | No |
| South Carolina | 209 | No |
| Iowa | 207 | No |
| Tennessee | 189 | No |
| Utah | 187 | No |
| Oregon | 177 | No |
| Kentucky | 156 | No |
| Kansas | 150 | No |
| Alabama | 120 | No |
| West Virginia | 117 | No |
| Oklahoma | 114 | No |
| Nevada | 101 | No |
| Idaho | 97 | No |
| Delaware | 88 | No |
| New Mexico | 71 | No |
| Louisiana | 71 | No |
| Massachusetts | 67 | No |
| Mississippi | 55 | No |
| Arkansas | 52 | No |
| Montana | 46 | No |
| Nebraska | 43 | No |
| Vermont | 33 | No |
| Wyoming | 31 | No |
| South Dakota | 31 | No |
| North Dakota | 23 | No |
| New Hampshire | 22 | No |
| Maine | 18 | No |
| Alaska | 18 | No |
| Hawaii | 10 | No |
| Rhode Island | 6 | No |
| District of Columbia | 1 | No |
Cities with the most free air
| City | Places |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 226 |
| San Diego, CA | 155 |
| Bakersfield, CA | 135 |
| Fresno, CA | 131 |
| Sacramento, CA | 126 |
| San Jose, CA | 101 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 95 |
| Houston, TX | 75 |
| Orlando, FL | 65 |
| Stockton, CA | 63 |
Chains that stopped offering free air
- GetGo: GetGo began charging for air in fall 2026 ($3 for 5 minutes) after Alimentation Couche-Tard bought the chain from Giant Eagle. Sources: community.triblive.com, audacy.com.
Questions
How many gas stations have free air in the US?
We map 12,442 gas stations and 5,359 tire shops with free air for tires, 17,801 places in total, as of Oct 26, 2026. Thousands of independent stations also have free air but aren't on any chain list.
What percentage of gas stations have free air?
There's no official count. Of the 17,801 places on our map, 70% are near-certain to be free (chain policy or state law), 11% are usually free, and 18% are free at some stores only.
How much does air cost at a gas station?
Where it isn't free, air machines usually cost about $1.50 to $2.50 per use, paid by coin or card. GetGo began charging $3 for 5 minutes in fall 2026.
Which states require free air at gas stations?
Only California and Connecticut. California requires free air for customers who buy fuel; Connecticut requires it at every licensed station while it's open.
Method
Store locations and hours come from each chain's own store list, collected by the open-data project All the Places, plus Wawa's store locator. Free air policies come from each chain's website and news reports, checked 2026-10. California and Connecticut stations come from the same store lists. See about our data. Independent stations with free air aren't counted, so the real number is higher.