215/40 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

29

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

7.0

£141

Buy Details

Price / Value

Observe S944

6.5

£112

Buy Details

Budget

WinGuard Sport 2 WU7

4.2

£90

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

215/40 R18 89 V .

£141

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

Upper-middle

Observe S944

215/40 R18 89 V XL

£112

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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

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1

Premium

PILOT ALPIN 5

'26#1

'26#1

'26#2

9.8

Price from

£173

Price from£173

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

Wear

100%

Gravel traction

100%

Sand traction

100%

+29

Wet safety

44%

Ice lateral guidance

33%

Price/value

8%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026225/45 R18#1(Exemplary)

2026225/55 R18#2(Exemplary)

2026245/45 R19#3(-)

2026235/45 R18#6(-)

2025225/40 R18#1(Exemplary)

2025275/35 R19#1(Outstanding)

2025245/45 R19#2(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#2(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V

B D 70dB

£173

mytyres.co.uk

£173

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£182

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

WinterContact TS 870 P

'26#1

'26#1

'26#2

9.3

Price from

£143

Price from£143

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%

Mud traction

91%

Rolling resistance

90%

+26

Gravel traction

46%

Sand traction

46%

Price/value

4%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026205/45 R17#1(Outstanding)

2026245/45 R19#2(-)

2026225/45 R18#4(Good)

2026235/45 R18#6(-)

2025235/50 R19#1(Exemplary)

2025215/55 R17#1(Outstanding)

2025215/55 R17#1(Good)

2025215/55 R17#3(Exemplary)

2025245/45 R19#5(Highly recommended)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V BSW XL

B C 71dB

£143

mytyres.co.uk

£143

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£161

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

UltraGrip Performance 3

'26#2

'26#3

'26#3

9.0

Price from

£208

Price from£208

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

#6

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#6 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Dry driving behavior

100%

Wet side guide

100%

Wear

95%

+27

Interior noise

62%

Rolling resistance

59%

Price/value

53%

Test results

2026235/60 R18#2(-)

2026225/45 R18#3(Exemplary)

2026225/45 R17#3(Highly recommended)

2026205/45 R17#3(Very good)

2026225/50 R17#3(Good)

2026225/55 R18#4(Good)

2026245/45 R19#5(Good)

2026185/65 R15#6(Satisfactory)

2026205/55 R16#6(-)

2026235/45 R18#9(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V XL EVR

C C 71dB

£208

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£208

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

UltraGrip Performance+

'25#2

'23#3

8.8

Expert summary

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

Recommended

#8

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#8 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Fuel efficiency

100%

Snow handling - objective

95%

Aquaplaning - cross

91%

+22

Price/value

53%

Dry handling

52%

Dry lane changing

51%

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

5

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

'26#8

'25#4

'25#5

8.7

Price from

£128

Price from£128

Expert summary

Hankook sneaked in between the traditional premium tyres again with its Icept Evo3. It excels in aquaplaning resistance, which is crucial for european winters.

Recommended

#10

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#10 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Aquaplaning - cross

97%

Gravel traction

91%

Snow handling - objective

83%

+19

Wet handling - objective

49%

Dry steering response

41%

Exterior noise

12%

Test results

2026225/45 R18#8(Satisfactory)

2025275/35 R19#4(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#5(Good)

2025225/40 R18#6(Good)

2025225/40 R18#14(-)

2024235/35 R19#4(Recommended)

2024245/45 R18#5(Exemplary)

2024235/35 R19#6(Good)

2023225/40 R18#4(Exemplary)

2023225/45 R18#4(Highly recommended)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V

B D 72dB

£128

mytyres.co.uk

£128

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£144

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Premium

Blizzak 6

'26#2

'26#4

8.4

Price from

£151

Price from£151

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

#13

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#13 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow safety

100%

Lateral guidance on snow

96%

Gravel traction

91%

+26

Dry braking

46%

Exterior noise

39%

Price/value

34%

Test results

2026225/45 R18#2(Exemplary)

2026205/55 R16#4(-)

2026205/45 R17#4(Good)

2026225/50 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2026235/60 R18#5(-)

2026245/45 R19#5(-)

2026225/55 R18#5(Good)

2026225/45 R17#5(Highly recommended)

2026245/45 R19#5(Good)

2026235/45 R18#14(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 W

B C 70dB

£151

mytyres.co.uk

£151

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£172

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Premium

Cinturato Winter 3

'26#1

'26#2

8.3

Price from

£148

Price from£148

Performance

Wet handling

100%

Wet braking

95%

Wet circle cornering

95%

+14

Snow cornering

59%

Snow braking

55%

Snow handling - objective

45%

Test results

2026225/45 R17#1(Highly recommended)

2026225/50 R17#1(Good)

2026205/55 R16#2(-)

2026225/55 R18#2(Exemplary)

2026225/45 R18#4(Good)

2026215/65 R17#6(-)

2025225/40 R18#9(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V

A C 72dB

£148

mytyres.co.uk

£148

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£223

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Upper-middle

WinterCraft WP52+

'26#6

'26#8

'26#11

8.0

Price from

£100

Price from£100

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

88%

Price/value

84%

+14

Aquaplaning - longitudal

46%

Exterior noise

42%

Aquaplaning - cross

31%

Test results

2026225/45 R17#6(Recommended)

2026245/45 R19#8(Good)

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)

215/40 R18 89 V

B D 72dB

£100

mytyres.co.uk

£100

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£119

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

9

Budget

Polaris 6

'26#7

'26#10

'26#11

7.9

Price from

£112

Price from£112

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

Price/value

100%

Snow acceleration

100%

Exterior noise

97%

+14

Dry handling - objective

31%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

29%

Wet handling - objective

28%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#7(-)

2026245/45 R19#10(Good)

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)

215/40 R18 89 V

C D 72dB

£112

mytyres.co.uk

£112

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

10

Budget

Speed-Grip 5

'26#12

'26#13

'25#11

7.9

Price from

£114

Price from£114

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%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

84%

Aquaplaning - cross

82%

+17

Wet handling

36%

Snow handling - objective

35%

Wet handling - objective

21%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#12(Good)

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V

C D 72dB

£114

mytyres.co.uk

£114

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£138

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

11

Upper-middle

WinterExpert

'25#5

'25#8

'25#12

7.9

Price from

£108

Price from£108

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%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#5(-)

2025225/40 R18#8(Good)

2025225/40 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(-)

2024205/55 R16#9(Good)

2023225/45 R18#11(-)

2023225/45 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2023205/60 R16#14(Satisfactory)

2022245/45 R19#7(Sufficient)

2022215/60 R16#14(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 V £108

mytyres.co.uk

£108

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£141

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

12

Premium

Wintrac Pro+

'26#2

'26#6

'26#8

7.4

Price from

£134

Price from£134

Performance

Dry circle cornering

100%

Wet circle cornering

88%

Wet handling - objective

84%

+27

Dry driving behavior

11%

Ice braking

0%

Ice traction

0%

Test results

2026215/55 R17#2(-)

2026245/45 R19#6(-)

2026245/45 R19#8(Good)

2026225/50 R17#10(Satisfactory)

2025235/50 R19#4(Good)

2025215/55 R17#4(Exemplary)

2025215/55 R17#4(Good)

2025215/55 R17#5(Very good)

2025245/45 R19#6(-)

2025275/35 R19#6(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

215/40 R18 89 Y £134

mytyres.co.uk

£134

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£150

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

13

Premium

Cinturato Winter 2

'25#6

'25#7

'25#8

7.0

Price from

£141

Price from£141

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)

215/40 R18 89 V

B C 71dB

£141

mytyres.co.uk

£141

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

215/40 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

93%

2. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

84%

3. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

79%

4. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

73%

5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

73%

6. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

71%

7. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

69%

8. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

68%

9. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

66%

10. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

65%

11. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

60%

12. Barum Polaris 6

58%

13. Barum Polaris 5

57%

14. Vredestein Wintrac Pro+

54%

15. Uniroyal WinterExpert

38%

Wet

1. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

91%

2. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

77%

3. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

75%

4. Vredestein Wintrac Pro+

74%

5. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

72%

6. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

71%

7. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

69%

8. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

67%

9. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

63%

10. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

60%

11. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

56%

12. Uniroyal WinterExpert

52%

13. Barum Polaris 6

51%

14. Barum Polaris 5

41%

15. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

29%

Snow

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

87%

2. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

74%

3. Barum Polaris 6

72%

4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

72%

5. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

70%

6. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

68%

7. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

68%

8. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

62%

9. Barum Polaris 5

61%

10. Uniroyal WinterExpert

58%

11. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

58%

12. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

57%

13. Vredestein Wintrac Pro+

54%

14. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

50%

15. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

29%

Comfort

1. Barum Polaris 6

97%

2. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

90%

3. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3

78%

4. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

73%

5. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

71%

6. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

67%

7. Semperit Speed-Grip 5

61%

8. Barum Polaris 5

55%

9. Uniroyal WinterExpert

55%

10. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

51%

11. Vredestein Wintrac Pro+

49%

12. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

44%

13. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

37%

14. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

31%

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

Compare tyres

Cars with 215/40 R18 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

148 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5 3.8/5 (28)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 4/5 (26)

Nexen WinGuard Sport 3.3/5 (23)

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ 3.8/5 (15)

Yokohama BluEarth winter V905 3.8/5 (14)

Barum Polaris 5 2.7/5 (14)

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3 3.9/5 (14)

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 3.1/5 (5)

Uniroyal WinterExpert 3.2/5 (5)

Toyo Snowprox S954 1.5/5 (4)

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

215/40 R18 — Also available in

Summer(75)All season(16)

Top brands in 215/40 R18

Did you know ...?

215/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 11 tyre models available, which can be compared to 170/80 R15, 165/70 R13, 325/30 R21. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (215mm), which means the sidewall height has 86 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 1976.69 mm, which is very similar to 245/35 R18(1975.12 mm), 195/70 R14(1974.81 mm), 180/55 R17(1978.58 mm), 185/60 R16(1974.18 mm), 245/40 R17(1972.29 mm), 205/60 R15(1969.78 mm), 225/50 R16(1983.6 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 215/40 R18: V(240km/h), W(270km/h), Y(300km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 89. You can find 215/40 R18 on 9 car models - mainly .

215/40 R18 is found on 9 vehicles: