205/65 R17 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

13

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

WinterContact TS 860S

7.6

£176

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Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

WinterContact TS 870 P

'26#2

'25#1

'25#1

9.4

Price from

£147

Price from£147

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

#4

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#4 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Dry handling - objective

93%

Rolling resistance

92%

Mud traction

91%

+26

Gravel traction

46%

Sand traction

46%

Price/value

4%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#2(-)

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(-)

2024235/55 R18#2(Very good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R17 96 V BSW

B C 71dB

£147

mytyres.co.uk

£147

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£194

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

Winter

'26#8

'25#1

7.6

Price from

£132

Price from£132

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 R17 100 H

C C 71dB

£132

mytyres.co.uk

£132

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£160

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

'25#6

'25#7

'25#8

7.2

Price from

£166

Price from£166

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

Snow safety

100%

Snow handling

72%

Wet circle cornering

70%

+22

Dry steering response

13%

Safety

7%

Lateral guidance on snow

6%

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)

205/65 R17 100 H

B B 69dB

£166

mytyres.co.uk

£166

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£205

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Budget

Polaris 6

'26#7

'26#11

'25#2

7.8

Price from

£131

Price from£131

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 R17 100 H

C C 72dB

£131

mytyres.co.uk

£131

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£145

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Budget

Winguard Sport 3

'26#8

7.5

Price from

£89

Price from£89

Expert summary

The Nexen Winguard Sport 3 is an ultra-high-performance winter tyre manufactured in the Czech Republic. Launched initially in 79 sizes ranging from 16 to 22 inches, the model has an additional 66 sizes planned for future release. It is recognized for its design, innovation, functionality, and durability, having earned a Red Dot Design Award 2025.

Performance

Comfort

100%

Exterior noise

100%

Snow braking

86%

+12

Wet braking

21%

Snow handling

21%

Snow cornering

21%

Test results

2026225/45 R17#8(Recommended)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R17 100 V 4PR£89

mytyres.co.uk

£89

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R17 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

78%

2. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

65%

3. Barum Polaris 6

62%

4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

60%

5. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

6. Dunlop Winter

46%

Wet

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

70%

2. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

67%

3. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

63%

4. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

5. Dunlop Winter

55%

6. Barum Polaris 6

51%

Snow

1. Dunlop Winter

84%

2. Barum Polaris 6

74%

3. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

68%

4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

58%

5. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

55%

6. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

45%

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

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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

81 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Continental WinterContact TS 860 3.6/5 (47)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 4/5 (26)

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 3.1/5 (5)

Falken EuroWinter HS02 2.5/5 (3)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16156 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 R17 — Also available in

Summer(13)All season(15)

Top brands in 205/65 R17

Did you know ...?

205/65 R17 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 - 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 R17, which means it fits to a 17 inch/431.8mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 2193.77 mm, which is very similar to 275/30 R21(2194.09 mm), 225/65 R16(2195.66 mm), 195/75 R16(2195.66 mm), 155/70 R19(2197.86 mm), 275/35 R20(2200.69 mm), 225/70 R15(2186.55 mm), 265/45 R18(2185.61 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/65 R17: H(210km/h), R(170km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 96, 100.