205/65 R16 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

90

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

Blizzak LM-005

9.0

£140

Buy Details

Price / Value

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

8.7

£99

Buy Details

Budget

Speed-Grip 5

8.1

£89

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

ALPIN 5

205/65 R16 95 H

£127

Great price for a premium tyre

Upper-middle

Observe S944

205/65 R16 95 V

£86

Best price in last 6 months Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Premium

Blizzak LM-005

205/65 R16 95 H .

£140

Premium

VanContact Winter

205/65 R16 107 T

£141

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

WinterContact TS 870

'26#1

'26#1

'26#2

9.8

Price from

£124

Price from£124

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%

Test results

2026185/65 R15#1(Good)

2026205/55 R16#1(-)

2026225/50 R17#2(Good)

2026225/45 R17#4(Highly recommended)

2025225/45 R17#1(Test winner)

2024205/55 R16#1(Good)

2024205/55 R16#1(Exemplary)

2024205/55 R16#8(-)

2023225/45 R17#1(Test winner)

2023225/45 R17#1(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H EVc

B C 72dB

£124

mytyres.co.uk

£124

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£151

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Upper-middle

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

'26#3

'26#6

8.2

Price from

£88

Price from£88

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%

Test results

2026185/65 R15#3(Satisfactory)

2026205/55 R16#3(-)

2026225/50 R17#6(Satisfactory)

2025215/55 R17#2(Exemplary)

2025215/55 R17#4(Very good)

2024205/55 R16#4(Satisfactory)

2024215/55 R17#4(Recommended)

2024215/55 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#6(Good)

2024205/55 R16#14(-)

View full review

Price variants (3)

205/65 R16 95 H

B D 72dB

£88

mytyres.co.uk

£88

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£130

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R16 95 H

B D 72dB

£131

mytyres.co.uk

£131

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R16 95 H

B D 72dB

£116

mytyres.co.uk

£116

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Blizzak 6

'26#4

'26#5

'26#5

9.0

Price from

£112

Price from£112

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

Dry braking

49%

Exterior noise

44%

Price/value

34%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#4(-)

2026225/50 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2026225/45 R17#5(Highly recommended)

2026225/55 R18#5(Good)

2026245/45 R19#5(-)

2025235/50 R19#1(Test winner)

2025275/35 R19#2(Very good)

2025215/55 R17#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (2)

205/65 R16 95 H

B C 70dB

£128

mytyres.co.uk

£128

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R16 99 H

B C 70dB

£112

mytyres.co.uk

£112

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£152

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

Winter

'26#8

'25#1

7.6

Price from

£106

Price from£106

Performance

Snow traction

100%

Snow cornering

100%

Comfort

100%

+11

Interior noise

30%

Dry handling

26%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

23%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#8(-)

2026225/50 R17#8(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#1(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H

C C 71dB

£106

mytyres.co.uk

£106

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Upper-middle

WinterCraft WP52+

'26#6

'26#11

'26#12

8.1

Price from

£91

Price from£91

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%

Test results

2026225/45 R17#6(Recommended)

2026245/45 R19#11(-)

2026185/65 R15#12(Sufficient)

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2025225/40 R18#4(-)

2025215/55 R17#5(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H

B C 72dB

£91

mytyres.co.uk

£91

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£114

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Budget

Polaris 6

'26#7

'26#11

'25#2

7.8

Price from

£96

Price from£96

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

2026245/45 R19#7(-)

2026185/65 R15#11(Sufficient)

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H

C C 72dB

£96

mytyres.co.uk

£96

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Upper-middle

EuroWinter HS02

'26#7

'25#9

'24#7

6.5

Price from

£94

Price from£94

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%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#7(-)

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)

205/65 R16 95 H £94

mytyres.co.uk

£94

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Premium

Blizzak LM-005

'26#8

'24#1

'24#5

8.7

Price from

£140

Price from£140

Expert summary

A great winter tyre with balanced handling characteristics. Great in the wet, but slightly less durable than newer models.

Recommended

#11

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#11 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Wet side guide

100%

Wet braking

97%

Wet circle cornering

92%

+26

Mileage

40%

Snow safety

33%

Price/value

20%

Test results

2026185/65 R15#8(Sufficient)

2024215/55 R17#1(Test winner)

2024235/35 R19#5(Good)

2023235/55 R18#1(Highly recommended)

2023255/45 R20#1(Outstanding)

2023225/45 R18#1(Test winner)

2023225/45 R18#1(-)

2023225/40 R18#1(Very good)

2023225/45 R17#2(Recommended)

2023235/60 R18#3(Highly recommended)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H £140

mytyres.co.uk

£140

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

9

Upper-middle

Snowproof 2

'26#9

'25#7

'24#6

6.9

Price from

£104

Price from£104

Expert summary

The Snowproof 2 is the new version of the very popular first generation. As is usual for the nordic brand, It's great on snow while being more affordable than the premium brands.

Performance

Aquaplaning - cross

96%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

86%

Wet circle cornering

73%

+9

Comfort

30%

Exterior noise

28%

Snow traction

23%

Test results

2026185/65 R15#9(Sufficient)

2025215/55 R17#7(Good)

2024205/55 R16#6(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#27(-)

2023235/55 R18#4(Recommended)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H XL

B D 69dB

£104

mytyres.co.uk

£104

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

10

Premium

Wintrac

'26#10

'24#10

'24#11

6.6

Price from

£101

Price from£101

Performance

Wet handling - objective

100%

Ice braking

96%

Dry braking

94%

+22

Comfort

31%

Mileage

23%

Snow handling - objective

22%

Test results

2026185/65 R15#10(Sufficient)

2024205/55 R16#10(Sufficient)

2024205/55 R16#11(Good)

2024205/55 R16#17(-)

2023205/60 R16#13(Satisfactory)

2022225/45 R19#5(-)

2022185/65 R15#6(Satisfactory)

2022215/60 R16#10(Satisfactory)

2021195/55 R16#3(Very good)

2021205/55 R16#4(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H £101

mytyres.co.uk

£101

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£133

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

11

Budget

Speed-Grip 5

'26#13

'25#11

'25#14

8.0

Price from

£89

Price from£89

Expert summary

We really like the new Speed-Grip 5 - it's not expensive, it's very good on snow and on top of that, it's got very low rolling resistance. What it lacks compared to the premium tyres is better wet performance, but given it's price it's definitely recommendable.

Performance

Interior noise

100%

Dry handling - objective

88%

Aquaplaning - cross

84%

+17

Wet handling

36%

Wet handling - objective

25%

Snow handling - objective

25%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#13(-)

2025225/40 R18#11(Good)

2025225/40 R18#14(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#15(-)

2024205/55 R16#3(Exemplary)

2024215/55 R17#4(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#6(-)

2023225/45 R17#6(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#16(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#19(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R16 95 H

C B 72dB

£89

mytyres.co.uk

£89

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£128

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R16 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Vredestein Wintrac

80%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870

78%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

77%

4. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

73%

5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

72%

6. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

69%

7. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

67%

8. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

67%

9. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

66%

10. Linglong Sport Master Winter

64%

11. Barum Polaris 6

62%

12. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

13. Nokian Snowproof 2

54%

14. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

51%

15. Dunlop Winter

46%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

87%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870

84%

3. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

73%

4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

71%

5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

69%

6. Vredestein Wintrac

68%

7. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

67%

8. Nokian Snowproof 2

65%

9. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

59%

10. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

58%

11. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

12. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

56%

13. Dunlop Winter

55%

14. Barum Polaris 6

51%

15. Linglong Sport Master Winter

39%

Snow

1. Dunlop Winter

84%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870

77%

3. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

76%

4. Barum Polaris 6

74%

5. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

72%

6. Nokian Snowproof 2

70%

7. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

70%

8. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

66%

9. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

65%

10. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

57%

11. Vredestein Wintrac

51%

12. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

50%

13. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

45%

14. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

44%

15. Linglong Sport Master Winter

43%

Comfort

1. Barum Polaris 6

96%

2. Dunlop Winter

96%

3. Continental WinterContact TS 870

79%

4. Nokian Snowproof 2

75%

5. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

68%

6. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

64%

7. Vredestein Wintrac

62%

8. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

60%

9. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

60%

10. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

49%

11. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

49%

12. Linglong Sport Master Winter

43%

13. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

41%

14. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

37%

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 205/65 R16 tyres

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

227 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Continental WinterContact TS 860 3.6/5 (47)

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 3.9/5 (46)

Falken Eurowinter HS449 4/5 (36)

Michelin Alpin 5 3.7/5 (28)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 3.7/5 (24)

Falken EuroWinter HS01 3.7/5 (21)

Goodyear UltraGrip 8 Performance 3.3/5 (14)

Uniroyal SNOW MAX 2 2.2/5 (4)

Continental VancoWinter 2 2/5 (4)

Continental VanContact Winter 2.3/5 (3)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16158 Tyres 205/55 R16141 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

205/65 R16 — Also available in

Summer(102)All season(37)

Top brands in 205/65 R16

Did you know ...?

205/65 R16 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 40 tyre models available, which can be compared to 215/65 R15, 195/70 R15, 195/50 R15. Let's break down the sizing - 65 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 65% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 133.25 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 2113.98 mm, which is very similar to 275/30 R20(2114.29 mm), 235/35 R20(2112.72 mm), 215/50 R18(2111.78 mm), 200/60 R17(2110.52 mm), 275/35 R19(2120.89 mm), 235/40 R19(2106.75 mm), 325/25 R20(2106.44 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/65 R16: C(km/h), H(210km/h), R(170km/h), T(190km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 95, 99, 103, 105, 107, 110. You can find 205/65 R16 on 17 car models - mainly .