255/40 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

43

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

WinterContact TS 860S

7.6

£223

Buy Details

Price / Value

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

9.6

£147

Buy Details

Budget

WinGuard Sport 2 WU7

6.9

£86

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

PILOT ALPIN 5

255/40 R18 99 V

£213

Great price for a premium tyre

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

255/40 R18 99 V .

£147

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Premium

Blizzak LM-005

255/40 R18 99 H XLMO

£209

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

Pilot Alpin 5

'25#1

'25#1

'25#2

10.0

Price from

£183

Price from£183

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

Snow braking

100%

Dry braking

99%

Snow traction

95%

+7

Aquaplaning - longitudal

66%

Aquaplaning - cross

55%

Interior noise

47%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(Exemplary)

2025275/35 R19#1(Outstanding)

2025245/45 R19#2(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#2(-)

2024235/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2024245/45 R18#1(Exemplary)

2024235/35 R19#1(Test winner)

2023225/45 R18#1(Test winner)

View full review

Price variants (2)

255/40 R18 99 H XL MO

C B 73dB

£183

mytyres.co.uk

£183

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£226

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

255/40 R18 99 V

B D 70dB

£213

mytyres.co.uk

£213

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

UltraGrip Performance 3

'25#1

9.5

Price from

£180

Price from£180

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

#5

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#5 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Wet handling

89%

Wet circle cornering

87%

+7

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V XL EVR

C C 71dB

£180

mytyres.co.uk

£180

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£180

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Blizzak 6

'25#1

'25#2

'25#3

9.2

Price from

£170

Price from£170

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

Wet circle cornering

79%

Comfort

78%

Snow traction

76%

+6

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V XL Enliten / EV

B C 72dB

£170

mytyres.co.uk

£170

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

WinterContact TS 870 P

'25#1

9.4

Price from

£200

Price from£200

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

#7

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#7 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow braking

100%

Aquaplaning - cross

84%

Dry handling

83%

+7

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 H BSW

B C 71dB

£200

mytyres.co.uk

£200

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Premium

P Zero Winter 2

'25#3

'24#1

9.7

Price from

£185

Price from£185

Recommended

#3

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#3 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Wet braking

100%

Wet handling

100%

Wet circle cornering

100%

+4

Dry braking

58%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

11%

Aquaplaning - cross

11%

Test results

2025245/45 R19#3(Highly recommended)

2024235/35 R19#1(Test winner)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V P

A C 72dB

£185

mytyres.co.uk

£185

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Budget

Polaris 6

'25#2

'25#9

'25#10

8.3

Price from

£127

Price from£127

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

Comfort

100%

Exterior noise

100%

Snow traction

79%

+5

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(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V

C C 73dB

£127

mytyres.co.uk

£127

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£147

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept evo3 W330

'25#4

'25#5

'25#6

8.7

Price from

£147

Price from£147

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

#13

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#13 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Aquaplaning - cross

96%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

81%

Snow handling

76%

+6

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V

B D 73dB

£147

mytyres.co.uk

£147

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Upper-middle

WR Snowproof P

'25#8

'22#4

'22#13

7.5

Price from

£163

Price from£163

Performance

Dry braking

92%

Exterior noise

89%

Dry handling

67%

+5

Snow handling

18%

Aquaplaning - cross

4%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

3%

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V

B C 71dB

£163

mytyres.co.uk

£163

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

9

Budget

Premitra Snow WP6

'25#10

'25#19

'25#44

3.6

Price from

£133

Price from£133

Performance

Aquaplaning - longitudal

83%

Interior noise

80%

Exterior noise

74%

+6

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)

View full review

Price variants (1)

255/40 R18 99 V mfs XL£133

mytyres.co.uk

£133

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

255/40 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

92%

2. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

78%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

77%

4. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

71%

5. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

69%

6. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

65%

7. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

64%

8. Barum Polaris 6

62%

9. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

55%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

87%

2. Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3

76%

3. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

75%

4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

70%

5. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

70%

6. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

67%

7. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

67%

8. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

61%

9. Barum Polaris 6

51%

Snow

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

87%

2. Barum Polaris 6

74%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

73%

4. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

68%

5. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

68%

6. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

67%

7. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

66%

8. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

55%

9. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

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

See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance

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Cars with 255/40 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

197 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Dunlop SP WINTER SPORT 3D 3.5/5 (36)

Vredestein Wintrac Pro 4/5 (26)

Nokian WR A4 3.3/5 (23)

Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5 3.7/5 (20)

Falken EuroWinter HS01 3.7/5 (20)

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 3.2/5 (16)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 3.9/5 (16)

Yokohama BluEarth winter V905 3.8/5 (14)

Kumho WinterCraft WP71 2.6/5 (13)

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ 3.8/5 (13)

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

255/40 R18 — Also available in

Summer(97)All season(7)

Top brands in 255/40 R18

Did you know ...?

255/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 28 tyre models available, which can be compared to 225/50 R18, 235/50 R19, 225/45 R19. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (255mm), which means the sidewall height has 102 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 2077.22 mm, which is very similar to 255/35 R19(2076.91 mm), 255/45 R17(2077.54 mm), 255/30 R20(2076.59 mm), 215/65 R15(2075.02 mm), 305/25 R20(2075.02 mm), 195/65 R16(2073.14 mm), 225/40 R19(2081.62 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 255/40 R18: H(210km/h), T(190km/h), V(240km/h), W(270km/h), Y(300km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 95, 99. You can find 255/40 R18 on 14 car models - mainly .

There are 6 runflat variants available.