225/50 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Great price for a premium tyre

UltraGrip Performance+

225/50 R18 99 V .

£181

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

225/50 R18 99 V

£139

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

WINTER SOTTOZERO Serie III

225/50 R18 99 H

£178

Upper-middle

Winterhawk 4

225/50 R18 99 V .

£123

Best price in last 6 months

WINTER SPORT 5

225/50 R18 99 V .

£195

Upper-middle

Observe S944

225/50 R18 95 W

£134

Best price in last 6 months

UltraGrip Performance+

225/50 R18 99 V

£204

UltraGrip Performance+

225/50 R18 99 V

£206

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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Premium

UltraGrip Performance 3

'25#1

'25#1

'25#1

9.5

Price from

£151

Price from£151

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.

theTire Lab.comRecommended#3 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Wet handling

89%

Wet circle cornering

87%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

74%

Comfort

69%

Interior noise

63%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(Good)

2025215/55 R17#1(Exemplary)

2025245/45 R19#1(Highly recommended)

2025215/55 R17#2(Good)

2025225/45 R17#2(-)

2025275/35 R19#3(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#3(-)

2025235/50 R19#4(Good)

2025225/40 R18#5(Good)

2024215/55 R17#1(Good)

Price variants (3)

225/50 R18 95 T

B C 72dB

£151

mytyres.co.uk

£151

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 95 H R0

B C 71dB

£162

mytyres.co.uk

£162

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V XL EVR

B B 71dB

£169

mytyres.co.uk

£169

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£184

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

Winter

'25#1

'25#2

9.6

Price from

£146

Price from£146

theTire Lab.comRecommended#5 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow traction

100%

Comfort

100%

Exterior noise

100%

Wet circle cornering

47%

Dry handling

42%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

26%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Exemplary)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 71dB

£146

mytyres.co.uk

£146

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£188

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

Alpin 7

'25#1

'25#3

8.5

Price from

£190

Price from£190

Expert summary

Michelin has unveiled the ALPIN 7 winter tyre, featuring an advanced tread design with additional sipes and an evolving tread pattern to maintain traction as the tyre wears. The new model aims to enhance braking and acceleration on snowy and wet roads while improving overall efficiency for a variety of vehicles. Unlike the Alpin 6, which was considered a bit overpriced for its performance, the Alpin 7 is expected to offer better value and address concerns in upcoming winter tests.

Performance

Comfort

84%

Exterior noise

83%

Snow handling

81%

Interior noise

57%

Wet circle cornering

55%

Wet braking

54%

Test results

2025215/65 R17#1(Very good)

2025215/55 R17#3(Very good)

2025235/50 R19#3(Exemplary)

2025225/45 R17#4(-)

2025215/55 R17#5(Good)

2025215/55 R17#6(Good)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V XL

B C 71dB

£190

mytyres.co.uk

£190

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

Blizzak 6

'25#1

'25#2

'25#3

9.2

Price from

£171

Price from£171

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.

theTire Lab.comRecommended#7 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

79%

Comfort

78%

Snow traction

76%

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)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V XL Enliten / EV

B C 70dB

£171

mytyres.co.uk

£171

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£203

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

UltraGrip Performance+

'25#2

'23#3

9.0

Price from

£180

Price from£180

Expert summary

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

theTire Lab.comRecommended#9 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow traction

91%

Aquaplaning - cross

90%

Snow handling

81%

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(-)

Price variants (3)

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 72dB

£180

mytyres.co.uk

£180

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V £204

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£204

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V runflat

C D 72dB

£181

mytyres.co.uk

£181

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£255

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

WinterContact TS 870 P

'25#1

9.4

Price from

£199

Price from£199

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.

theTire Lab.comRecommended#6 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Aquaplaning - cross

84%

Dry handling

83%

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)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V BSW XL

B C 71dB

£199

mytyres.co.uk

£199

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

Winter Sport 5

'25#4

'24#2

'24#4

8.6

Price from

£195

Price from£195

Expert summary

While being somehow dated as it was introduced back in 2015, it received some midlife updates and still holds up with the current models, at least in smaller dimensions. At the right price, it could be a great choice.

#11

theTire Lab.comRecommended#11 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Comfort

83%

Aquaplaning - cross

82%

Snow traction

79%

Dry handling

48%

Dry braking

43%

Exterior noise

35%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2024215/55 R17#2(Good)

2024235/35 R19#4(Exemplary)

2024205/55 R16#5(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(Good)

2024205/55 R16#11(-)

2023205/60 R16#1(Good)

2023225/45 R17#4(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Good)

2023225/45 R18#15(-)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

C B 72dB

£195

mytyres.co.uk

£195

In stock · Free shipping

Budget

Polaris 6

'25#2

'25#9

'25#10

8.3

Price from

£121

Price from£121

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.

#14

theTire Lab.comRecommended#14 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Comfort

100%

Exterior noise

100%

Snow traction

79%

Dry handling

51%

Aquaplaning - cross

38%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

36%

Test results

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

C C 72dB

£121

mytyres.co.uk

£121

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£152

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

'25#4

'25#5

'25#6

8.7

Price from

£139

Price from£139

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.

#12

theTire Lab.comRecommended#12 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Aquaplaning - cross

96%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

81%

Snow handling

76%

Comfort

63%

Snow braking

50%

Exterior noise

14%

Test results

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)

2023225/45 R18#6(Good)

Price variants (2)

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 72dB

£139

mytyres.co.uk

£139

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£170

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 72dB

£171

mytyres.co.uk

£171

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

WinterExpert

'25#5

'25#8

'25#12

8.1

Price from

£153

Price from£153

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

Snow traction

67%

Wet circle cornering

63%

Aquaplaning - cross

61%

Dry handling

40%

Wet handling

37%

Dry braking

34%

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)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V mfs XL £153

mytyres.co.uk

£153

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£161

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

WR Snowproof P

'25#8

'22#4

'22#13

7.5

Price from

£173

Price from£173

Performance

Dry braking

92%

Exterior noise

89%

Dry handling

67%

Snow handling

18%

Aquaplaning - cross

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Test results

2025225/40 R18#8(Satisfactory)

2022225/45 R17#4(Recommended for economical driving)

2022215/55 R17#13(-)

2022215/55 R17#18(Satisfactory)

2021225/45 R17#5(-)

2021225/40 R18#7(-)

2021225/50 R17#13(Satisfactory)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 70dB

£173

mytyres.co.uk

£173

In stock · Free shipping

Premium

Cinturato Winter 3

'25#9

8.0

Price from

£208

Price from£208

Test results

2025225/40 R18#9(-)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

A B 72dB

£208

mytyres.co.uk

£208

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

Krisalp HP3

'25#7

'25#12

'25#14

8.0

Price from

£139

Price from£139

Expert summary

Old but gold, that is how we can pretty much describe the Krisalp HP3. It's a winter tyre that is great on snow for a good price, which is what the average driver is looking for. It's not a premium tyre, but you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Performance

Snow traction

88%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

84%

Snow handling

77%

Wet braking

53%

Wet handling

49%

Dry handling

31%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#7(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#12(-)

2025225/40 R18#14(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#8(Good)

2024205/55 R16#16(-)

2023225/45 R18#4(-)

2023205/60 R16#10(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#11(Satisfactory)

2022215/60 R16#7(Satisfactory)

2022225/45 R17#8(-)

Price variants (2)

225/50 R18 99 H £139

mytyres.co.uk

£139

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V £171

mytyres.co.uk

£171

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£189

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

Eurowinter HS02 Pro

'25#9

'25#20

6.6

Price from

£136

Price from£136

Expert summary

EuroWinter HS02 is very good and quite sporty on dry and wet, but lacks some performance on the snow which is the reason for the not so good test results. Weaknesses in aquaplaning and rolling resistance doesn't help either.

Performance

Dry braking

74%

Exterior noise

73%

Dry handling

61%

Snow traction

30%

Aquaplaning - cross

30%

Snow handling

27%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#9(Good)

2025235/50 R19#9(Sufficient)

2025225/40 R18#20(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#20(-)

2024235/55 R18#8(Good)

2024245/45 R18#10(Satisfactory)

2023255/45 R20#7(Satisfactory)

2023225/60 R18#7(Satisfactory)

2023225/40 R18#9(Satisfactory)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

B D 68dB

£136

mytyres.co.uk

£136

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

G-FORCE WINTER 2

'25#11

'25#12

'24#10

8.2

Price from

£170

Price from£170

Expert summary

G-Force Winter 2 is our favorite budget winter tyre. It's great on snow and offers good safety on all surfaces, which is no surprise as BFGoodrich is a part of the Michelin group.

Performance

Snow traction

94%

Snow handling

90%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

89%

Wet handling

44%

Wet circle cornering

39%

Dry handling

35%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#11(-)

2025225/40 R18#12(Good)

2024205/55 R16#10(Good)

2024205/55 R16#13(-)

2023225/45 R18#4(Good)

2023225/45 R18#5(-)

2023205/60 R16#8(Satisfactory)

2022185/65 R15#5(Satisfactory)

2022215/55 R17#6(-)

2022215/55 R17#9(Good)

Price variants (2)

225/50 R18 99 H XL£170

mytyres.co.uk

£170

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V XL£182

mytyres.co.uk

£182

In stock · Free shipping

Budget

Speed-Grip 5

'25#11

'25#14

'25#15

8.0

Price from

£131

Price from£131

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 - cross

84%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

82%

Wet circle cornering

45%

Snow traction

40%

Wet handling

36%

Test results

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(-)

2022185/65 R15#3(Good)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

C C 72dB

£131

mytyres.co.uk

£131

In stock · Free shipping

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£167

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

Winterhawk 4

'25#7

'25#16

'25#18

6.3

Price from

£123

Price from£123

Expert summary

The Winterhawk 4 is a tyre with mixed ratings as there are tests where the tyre was not recommended. Common criticisms include longer braking distances and significant understeer

Performance

Exterior noise

81%

Snow handling

80%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

76%

Comfort

44%

Dry handling

28%

Dry braking

15%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#7(-)

2025225/40 R18#16(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#18(Sufficient)

2024205/55 R16#10(-)

2024215/55 R17#10(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#18(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#6(-)

2023205/60 R16#7(Good)

2023225/60 R18#9(Not recommended)

2023225/45 R18#20(Not recommended)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V

B C 71dB

£123

mytyres.co.uk

£123

In stock · Free shipping

Upper-middle

BluEarth Winter V906

'25#8

'25#28

'24#8

5.5

Price from

£114

Price from£114

Performance

Wet circle cornering

88%

Dry braking

84%

Dry handling

78%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

39%

Snow handling

14%

Snow traction

Test results

2025245/45 R19#8(-)

2025225/40 R18#28(-)

2024215/55 R17#8(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#19(-)

2024205/55 R16#20(Satisfactory)

2022215/55 R17#30(-)

Price variants (2)

225/50 R18 95 V

B D 71dB

£114

mytyres.co.uk

£114

In stock · Free shipping

225/50 R18 99 V

B D 71dB

£125

mytyres.co.uk

£125

In stock · Free shipping

Budget

Premitra Snow WP6

'25#10

'25#19

'25#44

3.6

Price from

£116

Price from£116

Performance

Aquaplaning - longitudal

83%

Interior noise

80%

Exterior noise

74%

Wet braking

37%

Snow traction

29%

Snow handling

27%

Test results

2025245/45 R19#10(-)

2025225/40 R18#19(Sufficient)

2025225/40 R18#44(-)

2024245/45 R18#11(Satisfactory)

2024215/55 R17#13(Sufficient)

2024205/55 R16#41(-)

2023225/45 R18#34(-)

2022225/45 R17#6(-)

2022185/65 R15#8(Satisfactory)

2022245/40 R19#8(Satisfactory)

Price variants (1)

225/50 R18 99 V XL£116

mytyres.co.uk

£116

In stock · Free shipping