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185/55 R16 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter
26
Tyres

We recommend

Premium
Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3
Hankook

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

8.2
£104
mytyres.co.uk
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Best deals

Best tyres in tests (2026)

Default order: highest overall test rating first. Ratings combine tests in different tyre sizes.

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1
Continental WinterContact TS 870
ContinentalPremium
WinterContact TS 870
ADAC'26#1AUTOEXPRESS'26#1ADAC'26#2
9.8
Price from£110
Expert summary
Continental has been dominating the winter tyre segment for years, and the TS870 is no different. It is very well-balanced and offers great mileage, making the premium price point worthwhile in the long run.
Recommended
#3
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#3 Winter tires 2026
Performance
Lateral guidance on snow
100%
Wet circle cornering
95%
Snow cornering
93%
+23
Snow handling - objective
64%
Price/value
63%
Snow traction
61%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T EVc
B C 71dB
£110
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£110
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£135
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
2
GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
GoodYearPremium
UltraGrip Performance 3
ADAC'26#3AVD'26#3SPORTSCARS'26#3
9.2
Price from£108
Expert summary
The UltraGrip Performance 3 is one of the best tyres we have seen in the tests and on top of that it's top discipline is snow performance while maintaining great properties on wet, which makes it a great candidate for snowy climates.
Recommended
#8
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#8 Winter tires 2026
Performance
Dry driving behavior
100%
Wet side guide
100%
Wear
95%
+27
Interior noise
62%
Rolling resistance
60%
Price/value
53%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T EVR
C C 70dB
£108
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£108
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£122
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
3
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
BridgestonePremium
Blizzak 6
SPORTSCARS'26#2AUTOEXPRESS'26#4AUTOBILD'26#5
9.1
Price from£106
Expert summary
Blizzak has always been a winter tire focused on wet conditions, but with its sixth model, Bridgestone has promised improved snow performance and reduced rolling resistance. Early tests suggest they have delivered on these promises—Blizzak 6 is unmatched in wet conditions and excels on snow, making it ideal not just for city climates.
Recommended
#9
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#9 Winter tires 2026
Performance
Snow safety
100%
Lateral guidance on snow
96%
Gravel traction
91%
+26
Interior noise
49%
Exterior noise
42%
Price/value
34%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 H
B C 70dB
£106
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£106
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£144
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
4
Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3
HankookUpper-middle
W462 Winter i*cept RS3
ADAC'26#3AUTOEXPRESS'26#3ADAC'26#6
8.2
Price from£104
Expert summary
There aren’t many things to dislike about the Winter i*cept RS3, except perhaps for slightly lower mileage and higher rolling resistance. For its price, it performs well in all weather conditions.
Performance
Lateral guidance on snow
100%
Wet side guide
100%
Dry steering response
100%
+21
Rolling resistance
36%
Wet safety
33%
Interior noise
31%
View full review
Price variants (4)
185/55 R16 87 T
B C 71dB
£117
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£117
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
185/55 R16 87 T mfs XL
B C 71dB
£104
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£104
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
185/55 R16 87 H
B C 71dB
£112
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£112
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
185/55 R16 87 H mfs XL
B C 71dB
£113
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£113
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
5
Kumho WinterCraft WP52+
KumhoUpper-middle
WinterCraft WP52+
AVD'26#6AUTOBILD'26#11ADAC'26#12
8.1
Price from£79
Expert summary
The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ is a winter tyre from the established South Korean manufacturer, designed for use on passenger cars during cold weather conditions. Serving as an updated successor to the standard WinterCraft WP52, this model is engineered for winter driving. Its main focus is delivering traction on cold, snowy, and icy roads, though specific technical modifications over its predecessor are not detailed.
Performance
Dry braking
97%
Wet braking
93%
Wet circle cornering
84%
+14
Snow handling - objective
43%
Dry handling - objective
29%
Aquaplaning - cross
28%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 83 H
B D 71dB
£79
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£79
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£100
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
6
Uniroyal WinterExpert
UniroyalUpper-middle
WinterExpert
AUTOBILD'25#5AUTOBILD'25#8ADAC'25#12
7.9
Price from£85
Expert summary
Very good traction on snow for a nice price in a wide range of dimensions. Could use shorter braking distance on dry and better traction on the wet.
Performance
Rolling resistance
93%
Dry handling - objective
86%
Ice braking
78%
+21
Safety
19%
Wet side guide
0%
Wet handling - objective
0%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T £85
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£85
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
7
Barum Polaris 6
BarumBudget
Polaris 6
AUTOBILD'26#7ADAC'26#11AUTOZURNAL'25#2
7.8
Price from£90
Expert summary
Barum unveils the Polaris 6, a budget-friendly winter tyre from the Czech Republic that adopts design elements from Continental’s TS series, including a V-shaped tread for better snow performance. The Polaris 6 improves on the Polaris 5 with enhanced durability, reduced rolling resistance, and quieter operation, while maintaining solid wet and dry performance. Priced about 20% higher, it leverages Continental’s technology to offer greater value and reliable winter traction for cost-conscious drivers.
Performance
Exterior noise
100%
Price/value
100%
Snow acceleration
100%
+12
Aquaplaning - cross
38%
Aquaplaning - longitudal
36%
Snow cornering
21%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T XL EVc
C D 71dB
£90
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£90
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
8
Dunlop Winter
DunlopPremium
Winter
SPORTSCARS'26#6AUTOEXPRESS'26#8ADAC'26#8
7.6
Price from£85
Performance
Mileage
95%
Exterior noise
89%
Snow traction
88%
+14
Interior noise
30%
Wet handling - objective
27%
Dry handling
26%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T
C D 70dB
£85
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£85
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
9
Falken EuroWinter HS02
FalkenUpper-middle
EuroWinter HS02
AUTOEXPRESS'26#7AUTOMOTORSPORT'25#9ADAC'24#7
6.5
Price from£88
Expert summary
The EuroWinter HS02 is one of the few affordable winter tires with good mileage and low rolling resistance. It offers strong driving characteristics, with only slight weaknesses on snow.
Performance
Interior noise
90%
Dry braking
75%
Dry steering response
75%
+16
Snow braking
6%
Lateral guidance on snow
0%
Snow handling - objective
0%
View full review
Price variants (1)
185/55 R16 87 T £88
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£88
In stock · Free shipping
Buy

185/55 R16 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870
78%
2. Kumho WinterCraft WP52
73%
3. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+
72%
4. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
71%
5. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3
69%
6. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906
67%
7. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
66%
8. Barum Polaris 6
62%
9. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02
57%
10. Dunlop Winter
52%
11. Uniroyal WinterExpert
38%

Wet

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870
84%
2. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
77%
3. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3
73%
4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
71%
5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+
69%
6. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906
58%
7. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02
57%
8. Dunlop Winter
56%
9. Kumho WinterCraft WP52
56%
10. Uniroyal WinterExpert
52%
11. Barum Polaris 6
51%

Snow

1. Dunlop Winter
79%
2. Continental WinterContact TS 870
77%
3. Barum Polaris 6
74%
4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
73%
5. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
71%
6. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3
70%
7. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+
65%
8. Uniroyal WinterExpert
58%
9. Kumho WinterCraft WP52
50%
10. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02
45%
11. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906
44%

This is a preview of our comprehensive tyre test. The full test includes:

Detailed breakdowns
Interactive sorting
Side-by-side comparisons
View Full Test Results

Price vs Quality

See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance

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Cars with 185/55 R16 tyres

Insight 2012
Insight
2012
Yaris 2011
Yaris
2011
Swift 2010
Swift
2010

I'm looking for ...

Best snow tyres
Best tyres for EVs
Best ice tyres
Best dry-handling tyres
Best rain tyres
Quietest tyres
Most economical tyres
Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

178 customer reviews for tyres in this size
Michelin Alpin A4 4.3/5 (54) Continental WinterContact TS 860 3.6/5 (47) Continental WinterContact TS 870 3.7/5 (24) Falken EuroWinter HS01 3.7/5 (21) GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3 3.9/5 (14) Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2.8/5 (9) Uniroyal WinterExpert 3.2/5 (5) Imperial Snowdragon 3 1.5/5 (4)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16158 Tyres205/55 R16141 Tyres225/55 R17128 Tyres215/60 R17126 Tyres225/45 R17123 Tyres0/0 R0118 Tyres225/50 R17115 Tyres215/60 R16113 Tyres

185/55 R16 — Also available in

Summer(67)All season(19)

Top brands in 185/55 R16

Kumho(2)Uniroyal(1)Yokohama(1)Barum(1)Bridgestone(1)Continental(1)Dunlop(1)Goodride(1)GoodYear(1)Hankook(1)

Did you know ...?

185/55 R16 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 13 tyre models available, which can be compared to 185/50 R16, 175/75 R16, 195/65 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 55 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 55% of the tyre width (185mm), which means the sidewall height has 101.75 mm. The wheel diameter is R16, which means it fits to a 16 inch/406.4mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 1916.06 mm, which is very similar to 195/65 R14(1913.54 mm), 175/65 R15(1911.66 mm), 205/50 R16(1920.77 mm), 215/35 R18(1909.15 mm), 205/55 R15(1905.38 mm), 185/70 R14(1930.82 mm), 225/35 R18(1931.14 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 185/55 R16: H(210km/h), S(180km/h), T(190km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 83, 87. You can find 185/55 R16 on 9 car models - mainly .

185/55 R16 is found on 9 vehicles:

HondaHonda
JazzInsight
NissanNissan
MicraNote
RenaultRenault
Modus
SuzukiSuzuki
BalenoSwift
ToyotaToyota
Yaris
VolkswagenVolkswagen
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