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255/55 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter
86
Tyres

We recommend

Premium
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+
Goodyear

UltraGrip Performance+

8.8
£158
mytyres.co.uk
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Best tyres in tests (2026)

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

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1
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
ContinentalPremium
WinterContact TS 870 P
AUTOBILD'26#2SPORTSCARS'26#4REIFENTESTER'25#1
9.4
Price from£169
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
#5
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#5 Winter tires 2026
Performance
Rolling resistance
93%
Dry handling - objective
92%
Mud traction
91%
+26
Gravel traction
46%
Sand traction
46%
Price/value
4%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V XL
B B 72dB
£169
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£169
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£176
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
2
GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
GoodYearPremium
UltraGrip Performance 3
ADAC'26#3AVD'26#3SPORTSCARS'26#3
9.2
Price from£162
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
#8
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#8 Winter tires 2026
Performance
Dry driving behavior
100%
Wet side guide
100%
Wear
95%
+27
Interior noise
62%
Rolling resistance
60%
Price/value
53%
View full review
Price variants (2)
255/55 R18 109 H XL
B C 73dB
£162
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£162
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£194
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
255/55 R18 109 V
B C 73dB
£163
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£163
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£176
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
3
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
BridgestonePremium
Blizzak 6
SPORTSCARS'26#2AUTOEXPRESS'26#4AUTOBILD'26#5
9.1
Price from£168
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
Interior noise
49%
Exterior noise
42%
Price/value
34%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
B B 72dB
£168
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£168
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£170
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
4
GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+
GoodYearPremium
UltraGrip Performance+
AUTOMOTORSPORT'25#2ADAC'23#3ADAC'23#3
8.8
Price from£140
Expert summary
A typical premium tyre - very well balanced, great on all surfaces with low rolling resistance. Proven by many tests.
Recommended
#10
2026
theTire Lab.comRecommended#10 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%
View full review
Price variants (3)
255/55 R18 105 T Volkswagen
B B 73dB
£158
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£158
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£203
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
255/55 R18 105 T Volkswagen
B B 73dB
£140
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£140
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£179
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
255/55 R18 109 H
B B 72dB
£151
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£151
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£202
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
5
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005
BridgestonePremium
Blizzak LM-005
ADAC'26#8AUTOZEITUNG'24#1AUTOBILD'24#5
8.7
Price from£193
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%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V £193
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£193
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
6
Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X W330A
HankookUpper-middle
Winter i*cept evo3 X W330A
AUTOBILD'25#7STRAßENVERKEHR'24#5ARBO'23#2
8.5
Price from£156
Performance
Dry lane changing
100%
Price/value
100%
Snow braking
89%
+19
Exterior noise
24%
Interior noise
13%
Wet safety
0%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
B C 73dB
£156
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£156
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
7
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
PirelliPremium
Scorpion Winter 2
AUTOBILD'25#4STRAßENVERKEHR'24#4AUTOBILD'23#3
8.4
Price from£181
Expert summary
Winter-focused tyre that is enjoyable to drive on snow, while being safe on wet and dry.
Performance
Lateral guidance on snow
100%
Dry lane changing
100%
Interior noise
100%
+17
Aquaplaning - cross
47%
Price/value
33%
Rolling resistance
28%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V XL
A C 71dB
£181
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£181
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£185
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
8
Uniroyal WinterExpert
UniroyalUpper-middle
WinterExpert
AUTOBILD'25#5AUTOBILD'25#8ADAC'25#12
7.9
Price from£112
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%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V £112
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£112
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£148
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
9
Barum Polaris 6
BarumBudget
Polaris 6
AUTOBILD'26#7ADAC'26#11AUTOZURNAL'25#2
7.8
Price from£140
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%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
C C 73dB
£140
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£140
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
10
Ceat WinterDrive SUV
CeatBudget
WinterDrive SUV
AUTOZURNAL'25#3
7.8
Performance
Dry handling - objective
100%
Aquaplaning - longitudal
83%
Comfort
83%
+9
Dry handling
50%
Rolling resistance
50%
Wet circle cornering
0%
View full review
11
Nokian Snowproof 3P
NokianPremium
Snowproof 3P
SPORTSCARS'26#7
7.6
Price from£130
Expert summary
The Nokian Snowproof 3P is a premium winter tyre for Central European winter conditions. Nokian positions it around snow, slush, wet and dry-road safety, high-speed stability and XL availability for heavier cars.
Performance
Rolling resistance
91%
Exterior noise
91%
Snow traction
73%
+7
Comfort
27%
Wet handling - objective
9%
Dry handling - objective
0%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
A B 72dB
£130
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£130
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
12
Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro
FalkenUpper-middle
EuroWinter HS02 Pro
AUTOBILD'26#6ADAC'26#11AVD'26#11
6.4
Price from£140
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
Wet side guide
67%
Dry braking
65%
Wear
64%
+21
Gravel traction
18%
Mud traction
18%
Snow handling - objective
9%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
B D 68dB
£140
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£140
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
13
Firestone Winterhawk 4
FirestoneUpper-middle
Winterhawk 4
AUTOBILD'26#19AUTOBILD'25#7AUTOBILD'25#16
6.3
Price from£104
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
Lateral guidance on snow
95%
Ice braking
92%
Ice lateral guidance
82%
+24
Safety
19%
Dry braking
15%
Dry lane changing
14%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V
B C 71dB
£104
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£104
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
14
Matador MP93 Nordicca
MatadorBudget
MP93 Nordicca
AUTOBILD'26#8AUTOBILD'26#17ADAC'25#11
6.2
Expert summary
A cheap tyre from European manufacturer that is very snow-focused, while sacrificing performance on both dry and wet. It could be recommended as a cheap option for extreme climates with a lot of snow.
Performance
Ice braking
68%
Snow handling - objective
67%
Snow braking
65%
+14
Safety
19%
Wet handling
19%
Dry driving behavior
13%
View full review
15
Linglong Sport Master Winter
LinglongBudget
Sport Master Winter
ADAC'26#4AUTOBILD'26#7AVD'26#9
6.0
Performance
Dry driving behavior
67%
Price/value
63%
Dry handling - objective
62%
+22
Wet side guide
13%
Dry steering response
13%
Wet safety
11%
View full review
17
Kormoran SUV SNOW
Kormoran
SUV SNOW
AUTOZURNAL'25#5
4.1
Performance
Comfort
83%
Snow braking
83%
Snow acceleration
83%
+9
Rolling resistance
17%
Dry braking
0%
Dry handling
0%
View full review
18
Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
MaxxisBudget
Premitra Snow WP6
SPORTSCARS'26#10AUTOEXPRESS'26#10AUTOBILD'26#20
4.0
Price from£96
Performance
Safety
94%
Dry steering response
89%
Price/value
84%
+29
Mud traction
18%
Snow handling - objective
10%
Wet safety
0%
View full review
Price variants (1)
255/55 R18 109 V mfs XL£96
mytyres.co.uk
mytyres.co.uk
£96
In stock · Free shipping
Buy
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
£122
In stock · Free shipping
Buy

255/55 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Apollo Aspire XP Winter
83%
2. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P
79%
3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005
77%
4. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
71%
5. Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro
68%
6. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
66%
7. Vredestein Wintrac Pro
65%
8. Linglong Sport Master Winter
64%
9. Barum Polaris 6
62%
10. Viking WinTech
61%
11. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
55%
12. Uniroyal WinterExpert
38%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005
87%
2. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
77%
3. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
71%
4. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P
70%
5. Apollo Aspire XP Winter
69%
6. Vredestein Wintrac Pro
67%
7. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
61%
8. Uniroyal WinterExpert
52%
9. Barum Polaris 6
51%
10. Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro
50%
11. Viking WinTech
50%
12. LingLong Sport Master Winter
39%
13. Matador MP93 Nordicca
37%

Snow

1. Barum Polaris 6
74%
2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6
73%
3. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3
71%
4. Viking WinTech
67%
5. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P
67%
6. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005
66%
7. Uniroyal WinterExpert
58%
8. Vredestein Wintrac Pro
55%
9. Matador MP93 Nordicca
54%
10. Apollo Aspire XP Winter
49%
11. Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
45%
12. Linglong Sport Master Winter
43%
13. Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro
33%

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 255/55 R18 tyres

Q7 2009
Q7
2009
Tribeca 2008
Tribeca
2008
Cayenne 2007
Cayenne
2007
X5 2003
X5
2003

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

200 customer reviews for tyres in this size
Dunlop SP WINTER SPORT 3D 3.5/5 (37) Falken Eurowinter HS449 4/5 (36) Michelin Latitude Tour HP 3/5 (31) Continental WinterContact TS 870 P 4/5 (26) GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ 3.8/5 (15) Yokohama BluEarth winter V905 3.8/5 (14) GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3 3.9/5 (14) Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5 SUV 3.8/5 (12) Continental 4X4 WinterContact 3.8/5 (9) Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro 3.7/5 (6)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16158 Tyres205/55 R16141 Tyres225/55 R17128 Tyres215/60 R17126 Tyres225/45 R17123 Tyres0/0 R0118 Tyres225/50 R17115 Tyres215/60 R16113 Tyres

255/55 R18 — Also available in

Summer(125)All season(54)

Top brands in 255/55 R18

Bridgestone(2)GoodYear(2)Kormoran(1)Laufenn(1)Linglong(1)Matador(1)Michelin(1)Nokian(1)Apollo(1)Pirelli(1)

Did you know ...?

255/55 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 76 tyre models available, which can be compared to 165/70 R14, 215/55 R16, 215/50 R17. Let's break down the sizing - 55 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 55% of the tyre width (255mm), which means the sidewall height has 140.25 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 2317.55 mm, which is very similar to 255/50 R19(2317.24 mm), 255/60 R17(2317.87 mm), 255/45 R20(2316.92 mm), 255/65 R16(2318.18 mm), 255/40 R21(2316.61 mm), 255/70 R15(2318.5 mm), 235/65 R17(2316.3 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 255/55 R18: H(210km/h), Q(160km/h), R(170km/h), T(190km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 105, 109, 110, 117. You can find 255/55 R18 on 10 car models - mainly .

There are 6 runflat variants available.

255/55 R18 is found on 10 vehicles:

AudiAudi
Q7
BMWBMW
X5
Land RoverLand Rover
DiscoveryRange Rover Sport
Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz
M-KlasseR-KlasseGLE
PorschePorsche
Cayenne
SubaruSubaru
Tribeca
VolkswagenVolkswagen
Touareg

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