205/40 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

11

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

UltraGrip Performance+

9.0

£155

Buy Details

Price / Value

Observe S944

7.9

£110

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

UltraGrip Performance+

205/40 R18 86 W

£155

Best price in last 6 months Great price for a premium tyre

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

205/40 R18 86 V

£161

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

Pilot Alpin 5

'25#1

'25#1

'25#2

10.0

Price from

£182

Price from£182

Expert summary

This is currently the best rated tyre we have and there is a reason for it - it combines sportiness on snow and dry and very good safety margins on the wet. It’s designed to maintain the joy of driving, even on winter tyres, but still manages to be safe at all times. 100% recommended.

Recommended

#1

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#1 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Dry braking

99%

Snow traction

95%

+7

Aquaplaning - longitudal

66%

Aquaplaning - cross

55%

Interior noise

47%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(Exemplary)

2025275/35 R19#1(Outstanding)

2025245/45 R19#2(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#2(-)

2024235/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2024245/45 R18#1(Exemplary)

2024235/35 R19#1(Test winner)

2023225/45 R18#1(Test winner)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/40 R18 86 V

B D 70dB

£182

mytyres.co.uk

£182

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

Blizzak 6

'25#1

'25#2

'25#3

9.2

Price from

£155

Price from£155

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

#8

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#8 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

79%

Comfort

78%

Snow traction

76%

+6

Dry braking

53%

Exterior noise

52%

Interior noise

29%

Test results

2025235/50 R19#1(Test winner)

2025275/35 R19#2(Very good)

2025225/45 R17#3(-)

2025215/55 R17#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#3(Good)

2025245/45 R19#4(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#6(-)

2025215/55 R17#6(Very good)

2025215/55 R17#7(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/40 R18 86 V

B C 70dB

£155

mytyres.co.uk

£155

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£171

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

UltraGrip Performance+

'25#2

'23#3

9.0

Price from

£155

Price from£155

Expert summary

A typical premium tyre - very well balanced, great on all surfaces with low rolling resistance. Proven by many tests.

Recommended

#9

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#9 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow traction

91%

Aquaplaning - cross

90%

Snow handling

81%

+6

Wet braking

62%

Exterior noise

58%

Dry handling

52%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#2(Outstanding)

2023225/45 R17#3(Good)

2023205/60 R16#3(Good)

2022215/60 R16#3(Good)

2022215/55 R17#3(Exemplary)

2022215/55 R17#4(-)

2021235/55 R18#1(Exemplary)

2021225/50 R17#3(Good)

2021225/45 R17#3(-)

2021225/40 R18#5(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/40 R18 86 W

B D 71dB

£155

mytyres.co.uk

£155

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£197

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

WinterContact TS 870 P

'25#1

9.4

Price from

£151

Price from£151

Expert summary

Continental winter tires have been winning tire tests for many years, and the 870P is no exception. The “P” stands for performance, but don’t be mistaken, its rolling resistance is also praised, making it ideal for EVs. A well-balanced tire.

Recommended

#7

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#7 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Aquaplaning - cross

84%

Dry handling

83%

+7

Aquaplaning - longitudal

66%

Wet handling

66%

Snow traction

65%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#1(Good)

2025215/55 R17#1(Outstanding)

2025235/50 R19#1(Exemplary)

2025215/55 R17#3(Exemplary)

2025245/45 R19#5(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#6(Good)

2025225/40 R18#7(Good)

2025225/40 R18#13(-)

2024215/55 R17#2(Highly recommended)

2024235/55 R18#2(Very good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/40 R18 86 V BSW XL

B C 72dB

£151

mytyres.co.uk

£151

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£174

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

'25#6

'25#7

'25#8

7.2

Price from

£161

Price from£161

Expert summary

The Cinturato Winter 2 is enjoyable to drive and offers safety in all conditions. However, some tests have described its dry handling as sluggish.

Performance

Exterior noise

74%

Snow handling

72%

Wet circle cornering

70%

+7

Dry handling

36%

Aquaplaning - cross

34%

Snow braking

0%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#6(Good)

2025215/55 R17#7(Good)

2025215/55 R17#8(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(Good)

2024205/55 R16#4(-)

2024215/55 R17#6(-)

2024215/55 R17#7(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#11(Sufficient)

2024205/55 R16#13(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R17#5(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/40 R18 86 V

B D 71dB

£161

mytyres.co.uk

£161

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£179

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/40 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

92%

2. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

78%

3. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

65%

4. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

64%

5. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

64%

6. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

60%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

70%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

70%

3. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

67%

4. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

67%

5. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

63%

6. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

29%

Snow

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

87%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

73%

3. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

68%

4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

58%

5. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

55%

6. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

29%

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

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Best snow tyres

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Best dry-handling tyres

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Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

53 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5 3.7/5 (20)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 3.9/5 (16)

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ 3.8/5 (13)

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 3/5 (4)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16156 Tyres 205/55 R16140 Tyres 225/55 R17128 Tyres 215/60 R17126 Tyres 225/45 R17123 Tyres 0/0 R0118 Tyres 225/50 R17115 Tyres 215/60 R16113 Tyres

205/40 R18 — Also available in

Summer(45)All season(11)

Top brands in 205/40 R18

Did you know ...?

205/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 1 tyre models available, which can be compared to 155/60 R15, 170/60 R17, 160/60 R14. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 82 mm. The wheel diameter is R18, which means it fits to a 18 inch/457.2mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 1951.56 mm, which is very similar to 185/65 R15(1952.5 mm), 195/55 R16(1950.61 mm), 190/50 R17(1953.44 mm), 235/40 R17(1947.16 mm), 160/60 R17(1959.73 mm), 215/45 R17(1964.44 mm), 205/45 R17(1936.16 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/40 R18: H(210km/h), V(240km/h), W(270km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 86, 97.

There are 1 runflat variants available.