205/45 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

8

Tyres

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Premium

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

8.9

£146

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Premium

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

205/45 R18 90 H

£146

Best price in last 6 months Great price for a premium tyre Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

Blizzak 6

'25#1

'25#2

'25#3

9.2

Price from

£145

Price from£145

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

Snow safety

100%

Lateral guidance on snow

96%

Gravel traction

91%

+26

Exterior noise

52%

Price/value

34%

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)

205/45 R18 90 V XL Enliten / EV

B C 70dB

£145

mytyres.co.uk

£145

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Budget

Polaris 6

'25#2

'25#9

'25#10

8.3

Price from

£95

Price from£95

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%

Test results

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/45 R18 90 V mfs XL

C D 72dB

£95

mytyres.co.uk

£95

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Upper-middle

Eurowinter HS02

'25#9

'24#7

'24#22

7.2

Price from

£112

Price from£112

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

Dry steering response

75%

Comfort

75%

Wet circle cornering

73%

+14

Snow braking

5%

Lateral guidance on snow

0%

Snow handling - objective

0%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#9(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#22(-)

2023205/60 R16#11(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/45 R18 90 V £112

mytyres.co.uk

£112

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/45 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

64%

2. Barum Polaris 6

62%

3. Barum Polaris 5

57%

4. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

44%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

70%

2. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

53%

3. Barum Polaris 6

51%

4. Barum Polaris 5

41%

Snow

1. Barum Polaris 6

74%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

73%

3. Barum Polaris 5

61%

4. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

47%

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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Customer reviews

11 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Barum Polaris 5 2.5/5 (11)

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

205/45 R18 — Also available in

Summer(8)All season(4)

Top brands in 205/45 R18

Did you know ...?

205/45 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 2 tyre models available, which can be compared to 155/60 R15, 170/60 R17, 160/60 R14. Let's break down the sizing - 45 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 45% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 92.25 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 2015.96 mm, which is very similar to 265/30 R19(2015.65 mm), 190/55 R17(2013.13 mm), 265/35 R18(2019.1 mm), 215/55 R16(2019.73 mm), 195/60 R16(2011.88 mm), 180/65 R16(2011.88 mm), 225/35 R19(2010.93 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/45 R18: H(210km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 90.