If your daily is an S3, GTI, A 35 or i30 N and you swap to real winters, this is your size. Auto Bild just ran its big 225/40 R18 winter test and, as usual, started with a massive field and a ruthless cut. Here’s the story behind the scores—methods, quirks, and the little details that actually change what you buy.
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The format—why only 20 make the show
Auto Bild bought 51 tyres off retail shelves, then let the braking distance decide who’s even allowed into the “main test.” The qualifier is pure safety: add wet-brake distance to snow-brake distance, throw out everyone who needs too many meters, and carry the top-20 into the finals. In 2025, Dunlop Winter (★93) led the brake-off by a hair, with Michelin’s Pilot Alpin 5 and Goodyear’s UGP 3 right there—Falken was the last tyre to sneak in.
Method note: Auto Bild’s qualifier measures wet braking (historically from 80 km/h) and snow braking (from 50 km/h); that speed protocol is documented in their recent test write-ups and hasn’t changed.
Where, with what, and how they measured
Finals ran on snow in Arvidsjaur (Sweden) and on wet/dry at Contidrom (Wietze, Germany)—all on a BMW M135i xDrive (300 PS). Multiple runs per discipline, satellite data logging, controlled tyre temps/pressures, and standardized noise & wear rigs for the cost chapter. This is as lab-clean as a car test gets without leaving the road.
The weighting that drives the rankings
Auto Bild keeps the lens on real winter safety: Snow 30% + Wet 30% + Dry 20% + Costs 20% (costs = wear, price/-km, rolling resistance). That balance is why a rain ace can jump places even if it’s only “good” on snow—and why a snow rocket with mediocre wet grip won’t win.
Personalities at the sharp end (translated from test-speak)
- Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — overall winner (1.1) The classic “does everything right” all-rounder and notably quiet. If you hate compromises, this is the benchmark—at a premium price.
- Dunlop Winter (★93) — runner-up (1.2) A snow machine with strong traction and lateral grip; terrific value, just a touch longer on dry braking than the very best.
- Bridgestone Blizzak 6 (★91) — very strong (1.3) Dry-road precision for people who drive; also at the very top of the mileage charts. Slightly less convincing in wet cornering.
- Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ (★87) — value surprise (1.3) The “how is it this good at this price?” tyre—confident on snow and wet, only a bit calmer on dry handling. (W-rated to 270 km/h in this size.)
- Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 — rain specialist (1.4) Consistently among the very best in wet disciplines, with top-tier wear performance; just not the crispest in the dry.
…and then the “good” pack you’ll see discounted: Hankook i*Cept evo 3 (snow expert, great value, slightly longer wet stops), Continental TS 870 P (balanced, but not the shortest in the wet), Uniroyal WinterExpert (★79) (solid all-round, frugal), Barum Polaris 6 (★83) (budget hero, strong on dry/snow, weaker in the wet), Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 (★65) (grips brilliantly in rain, but too vague in dry handling for enthusiasts).
Wet vs. snow: the classic winter trade-off
Two takeaways repeat across sizes and years:
- Snow kings aren’t always rain kings. Strong snow brands/2nd brands (Kleber, BFGoodrich) crushed the snowy stuff in the qualifier, yet Auto Bild’s wet-track data tends to reward balanced compounds/tread—hence Goodyear’s climb in the final mix.
- Summer-tyre precision is not the goal, but… a few models (Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental) get impressively close on dry handling for a winter pattern. If you care about steering feel on cold/dry days, shortlist those.
Noise & comfort (because you hear your tyres every day)
Auto Bild explicitly praises the Pilot Alpin 5 for low pass-by noise; that matches what we typically see for Michelin’s winter lines. If cabin hush matters to you, that’s an easy win—even before you look at the lap charts.
The “costs” chapter: where cheap gets expensive
Auto Bild measures wear on a dedicated rig and combines it with purchase price and rolling resistance for a €/km view. Ceat WinterDrive (★64) shines here on price-per-kilometre; Hankook also lands high on value; Bridgestone (and in parts Goodyear) post standout mileage; Falken wears quicker in this size, which punishes long-term cost. If you commute a lot, this chapter can shuffle your top-3.
Who this size is really for
225/40 R18 is hot-hatch default. If you’re in a GTI/S3/A35/i30 N, the headline choice is simple:
- want the safest spread across all weather with minimal cabin noise → Michelin PA5;
- ski-trip grip and price sensitivity → Dunlop or Kumho;
- sporty steering and longevity on cold/dry tarmac → Bridgestone, with Continental close behind;
- rain-obsessed or live in slush country → Goodyear.
Method box (for fellow tyre nerds)
- Vehicle: BMW M135i xDrive (300 PS)
- Venues: Snow in Arvidsjaur; wet/dry at Contidrom Wietze
- Scoring: Snow 30% · Wet 30% · Dry 20% · Costs 20%
- Qualifier: Sum of wet + snow stop distances; only top-20 advance
- Speeds (typical AB protocol): wet from 80 km/h, snow from 50 km/h
Sources: Auto Bild’s 225/40 R18 winter test (published 9 Oct 2025) and the separate 2025 qualifying results; plus their standard weighting and braking-speed notes from recent editions.