265/40 R18 - Best summer tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Summer

31

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

Sportcontact 7

10.0

£161

Buy Details

Price / Value

Ecsta PS71

8.6

£135

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

Ventus Evo

265/40 R18 101 Y .

£153

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

Upper-middle

Ecsta PS71

265/40 R18 101 Y .

£133

Best price in last 6 months Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Premium

Sportcontact 7

265/40 R18 101 Y

£161

Best price in last 6 months

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

SportContact 7

'26#1

'26#2

'26#3

10.0

Price from

£161

Price from£161

Expert summary

Our favorite every-day performance tyre that delivers fast laps on dry circuits while being safe for the daily commute, having won multiple tests in wet conditions. However, if you lean more towards comfort and low rolling resistance, the PremiumContact 7 might be a better choice.

Recommended

#1

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#1 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

97%

Dry braking

96%

Wet braking

93%

+3

Exterior noise

55%

Aquaplaning - cross

50%

Comfort

39%

Test results

2026255/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026225/40 R18#2(Highly recommended)

2026235/35 R19#3(Recommended)

2025245/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#1(Good)

2025225/40 R18#1(Very good)

2025295/30 R20#1(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#2(Highly recommended)

2024265/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2023235/35 R19#1(Outstanding)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£161

mytyres.co.uk

£161

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£201

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

Potenza Sport Evo

'26#1

'26#2

9.3

Price from

£181

Price from£181

Expert summary

The Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo is the successor to the multi-award-winning Potenza Sport, featuring ENLITEN Technology for enhanced performance. It delivers 5% shorter wet braking, 2% shorter dry braking, and 15% greater mileage compared to its predecessor, while achieving EU label A-grade wet grip.

Recommended

#13

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#13 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

96%

Dry braking

90%

Wet handling

79%

+3

Aquaplaning - longitudal

55%

Exterior noise

35%

Comfort

17%

Test results

2026205/45 R17#1(Outstanding)

2026235/35 R19#2(Highly recommended)

2026255/35 R19#2(Exemplary)

2026255/45 R19#2(Exemplary)

2026225/40 R18#3(Highly recommended)

2026245/45 R19#11(Good)

2026245/45 R19#11(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£181

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£181

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

mytyres.co.uk

£191

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Potenza Sport

'25#1

'25#2

8.7

Price from

£200

Price from£200

Expert summary

We really like the new Potenza Sport, as it’s more sporty and dynamic than the usual tyre in this category, but still perfectly usable and safe for everyday driving, which makes it unique. It’s rolling resistance, mileage and overall comfort are also on a good level, except for a slighty higher noise.

Performance

Wet handling

93%

Wet circle cornering

92%

Dry handling

81%

+4

Aquaplaning - cross

61%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

56%

Exterior noise

28%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#1(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Good)

2025225/45 R18#3(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#6(-)

2024225/55 R17#1(Exemplary)

2024235/55 R19#3(Good)

2024265/35 R19#4(Good)

2023225/40 R18#2(Outstanding)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£200

mytyres.co.uk

£200

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

Ventus Evo

'26#1

'26#2

9.9

Price from

£153

Price from£153

Expert summary

Hankook tyres are getting better with every new generation and the Ventus Evo is the latest evolution. It aims for the stars with excellent dry and wet handling, best-in-test wet braking and top aquaplaning speed, while producing very low exterior noise. The only notable weakness is higher rolling resistance. Still, it is a premium tyre for slightly less than a premium price.

Recommended

#2

2026

theTire Lab.comRecommended#2 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

100%

Dry handling

100%

Wet braking

99%

+2

Exterior noise

85%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

82%

Aquaplaning - cross

70%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026255/45 R19#1(Exemplary (test winner))

2026245/45 R19#2(-)

2026225/45 R17#3(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#3(-)

2025225/40 R18#5(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 71dB

£153

mytyres.co.uk

£153

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Premium

Ventus S1 evo3 K127

'25#4

'24#3

'23#1

8.1

Price from

£162

Price from£162

Expert summary

Hankook Ventus tyres are designed to offer a very sporty experience for affordable price, which is also the case for evo3. It’s also safe on wet and got short braking distances, the only drawback being lower mileage.

Performance

Wet braking

75%

Wet circle cornering

69%

Wet handling

67%

+4

Aquaplaning - longitudal

38%

Comfort

34%

Aquaplaning - cross

24%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2024225/45 R17#3(-)

2023225/45 R18#1(-)

2023225/40 R18#4(Recommended)

2023225/40 R18#6(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Highly recommended)

2023225/45 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2022245/45 R19#3(Very good)

2022225/45 R17#3(Recommended)

2022245/40 R19#3(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 73dB

£162

mytyres.co.uk

£162

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Upper-middle

Ecsta PS71

'25#4

'25#6

'25#13

8.6

Price from

£133

Price from£133

Expert summary

The Kumho Ecsta PS71 has been around for a while and keeps showing up well in tests. Strong aquaplaning resistance, short braking distances, and balanced handling across conditions make it a dependable choice. Comfort and noise are where it compromises.

Performance

Aquaplaning - longitudal

91%

Aquaplaning - cross

87%

Wet braking

64%

+3

Dry braking

49%

Exterior noise

27%

Interior noise

23%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(-)

2025225/40 R18#6(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#13(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#5(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Highly recommended)

2023225/45 R18#12(-)

2022255/35 R19#6(-)

2021225/50 R17#3(Good)

View full review

Price variants (2)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£135

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£135

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

mytyres.co.uk

£137

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£133

mytyres.co.uk

£133

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

265/40 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Continental SportContact 7

92%

2. Hankook Ventus Evo

91%

3. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

91%

4. Bridgestone Potenza Sport

81%

5. Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

77%

6. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

70%

7. Kumho Ecsta PS71

58%

8. Goodride Solmax 1

30%

Wet

1. Hankook Ventus Evo

84%

2. Continental SportContact 7

78%

3. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

77%

4. Bridgestone Potenza Sport

77%

5. Kumho Ecsta PS71

73%

6. Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

70%

7. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

62%

8. Goodride Solmax 1

37%

Comfort

1. Goodride Solmax 1

87%

2. Hankook Ventus Evo

84%

3. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

65%

4. Continental SportContact 7

56%

5. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

48%

6. Bridgestone Potenza Sport

39%

7. Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

38%

8. Kumho Ecsta PS71

38%

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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I'm looking for ...

Best tyres for EVs

Best dry-handling tyres

Best rain tyres

Best handling tyres

Quietest tyres

Most economical tyres

Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

1133 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 3.7/5 (123)

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 4.2/5 (122)

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 3.9/5 (122)

Bridgestone Potenza S001 3.1/5 (122)

Pirelli P ZERO 3/5 (122)

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 3.2/5 (122)

Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4.1/5 (122)

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 3.9/5 (120)

Bridgestone Potenza Sport 3.9/5 (91)

Kumho Ecsta PS71 3.7/5 (67)

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265/40 R18 — Also available in

Winter(6)

Top brands in 265/40 R18

Did you know ...?

265/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for summer tyres - there are 15 tyre models available, which can be compared to 195/70 R15, 195/45 R15, 205/50 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (265mm), which means the sidewall height has 106 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 2102.35 mm, which is very similar to 175/75 R16(2101.41 mm), 235/45 R18(2100.78 mm), 215/55 R17(2099.53 mm), 265/35 R19(2098.9 mm), 205/70 R15(2098.58 mm), 325/25 R20(2106.44 mm), 235/40 R19(2106.75 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for summer tyres in 265/40 R18: W(270km/h), Y(300km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 97, 101.