Continental, Bridgestone, and Kumho are among the best-rated summer tires in this year’s tests

As temperatures slowly rise and days become longer, it’s time to consider switching from winter to summer tires. Each year, several organizations test tires of various sizes, and we’ve reviewed these tests to provide a quick overview of the best options available this year.

We’ve seen many tests across different sizes, primarily focusing on touring tires in basic dimensions, such as the 205/55 R16 tested on a VW Golf or Opel Astra. Tests also included sportier sizes, like 265/35 R19 for the Mercedes Benz AMG GT. Additionally, the weighting of disciplines in these tests is becoming more varied, leading to fluctuating rankings for each tire. Before we start, just a quick note on how we made the list – we took all this year tire tests, filtered tires that has been tested at least twice and the sorted them by their average position. This of course disqualifies tires not tested this year and tires tested only once – for a complete list of available summer tires sorted by their rating in tests, check out our market overview.

An absolute winner is Continental’s PremiumContact 7, introduced in 2022. The sister of the excellent and more dry-focused SportContact 7, stands out in performance, comfort, and longevity, performing well in tests, including those emphasizing sustainability, like ADAC’s. The PremiumContact 7 is praised for its wet braking, handling, and aquaplaning resistance. Its drawbacks include higher rolling resistance compared to eco-oriented tires, and a premium price. It was featured in seven tests this year, winning five, with losses only to the Michelin Primacy 4+ and the Bridgestone we will get into now.

Bridgestone’s Potenza Sport, marketed as a UHP tire, shows little practical difference in driving behavior from the Continental but focuses on larger tire sizes, starting at 17 inches and primarily available for 20-inch wheels. While its mileage doesn’t match the Continental PremiumContact 7’s, it excels in sporty handling and has good rolling resistance for its category. It was highlighted in three tests, winning two Autobild tests (225/55 R17 and 235/55 R19 SUV, without wear testing) and placing fourth in Autobild’s Sportscars tire test (265/35 R19 front, 295/30 R20 rear), where the tire’s higher wear was considered in the dry handling category as it was visible after few laps of handling tests. Despite its higher wear rate, the Bridgestone remains one of the best tires available on the market.

Next, we have two contenders for the following position, each tested twice and averaging fourth place. The Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 SUV is an excellent choice for SUVs, offering a balance of price and performance. Conversely, the Kumho Ecsta HS52 was a surprise, providing balanced wet and dry performance, low price, good rolling resistance, and above-average mileage, making it an outstanding value despite its slightly higher noise.

In the premium tire category, we’ve already mentioned the Michelin Primacy 4+, which, despite its higher price, focuses mainly on rolling resistance, fuel-consumption and mileage.

The Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance 2 offers similar benefits at a lower cost and achieved higher mileage than the Michelin in Autobild tests—over 45,000 km. Both tires perform well in wet and dry conditions compared to regular touring tires.

Lastly, the Maxxis Victra Sport 5 stands out as the most economical option. While not as sporty as its name suggests, it offers excellent value, passing all tests with good safety margins for wet and dry conditions. It’s about 50% cheaper than the average premium tire.

There are many other options available, some of which we’ve covered in articles and videos about new summer tires for 2024 and last year’s tests. For a quick overview of the best options for your vehicle and current prices, visit our website and enter your tire size.