No one likes to hear it, but summer is coming to an end, and with colder months approaching, winter tyres are slowly becoming part of the conversation. As we do every year, we monitor all the professional tyre tests to help you navigate the market and choose the best option for your car without overpaying. Writing this at the end of August, it’s still too early for this season’s tests, but we’ll take a look at the results of the latest available tests, check out if there are any newcomers this year, and try to predict how they will rank based on previous models. So, letâs dive right in.
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GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3 – last yearâs newcomer
We will start with the new tyres – UltraGrip Performance 3 was introduced last year and it still managed to be featured in the tests, so we already know how it compares to the other tyres on the market – and itâs good. We have a total of 7 tests, in which it won one and then ranked among the best, oscillating between second and fifth place. All of the tests are R17 and bigger sizes, but Goodyear have added a bunch of new dimensions for this year, so there are an impressive 137 sizes available ranging from 14â to 22â – there is a great chance you can fit the UG3 to your vehicle.
And why would you want to do that? Well, itâs definitely one of the best tyres on the market, which shows how balanced itâs performance really is, while putting extra focus on snow performance, where it usually outshines even the best premium tyres.Tests also mention low noise and good mileage, which are important for winter tyres. In the tests where it didnât win, there is a pattern of tyres that have taken the top spots we will focus later on – namely Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005, Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330.
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
The Michelin PA5 currently tops our winter tire ranking for good reason â it won the majority of the tests it participated in. It is the most versatile tire on the market, excelling in both snow performance (even for spirited driving) and dry handling. But all this comes at a price, which is high even for premium tyres. If you want the best, this is the way, but if you donât want to pay extra, you get very similar performance from the other premium winter tyres on the list.
Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005
The Blizzak LM-005 is the wet specialist among the competitiors, which is something winter is mostly about in the European metropolitan areas. Itâs great at aquaplaning prevention, has got low rolling resistance and is highly valued in the tests, only major downside being shorter tread life.
Continental WinterContact TS 870
The Continental winter tyres were always the benchmark for winter tyres and the newest TS870 model is no different. Itâs second in out winter tyres ranking, just a few points below the Michelin, which can quickly change with the new tests coming this fall. Sometimes in this article, we mention a tyre is a specialist for something – when it comes to Continental, itâs always so well balanced that we canât even tell which discipline itâs the best in – itâs just great at everything, which is very well received in the tests. And itâs not as expensive as the Michelin. Won 10 tests and itâs quite probable itâs going to win more this year.
Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330
I feel like Iâm repeating myself, but Hankook tires have been quite unique in recent years. They consistently rank at the top of test result tables, yet their prices donât reflect that of premium tires, as they are typically much lower. Itâs great at aquaplaning, very well balanced and itâs got great traction on snow. When testers do identify drawbacks, they typically point to higher rolling noise and average dry braking performanceâminor trade-offs considering the significant cost savings.
The most affordable options – Kleber Krisalp HP3 and BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2
The Krisalp HP3 has been with us since 2017, but even in 2024, it still is able to compete with the current tyres. Itâs focused on snow performance with good aquaplaning resistance and low noise, with slight weaknesses on dry roads and in wet handling. If you wonder what Kleber is and why this small manufacturer has one of the best price/value ratios on the market, the answer is fairly simple – it’s a Michelin sub-brand, and as we established at the beginning, Michelin knows what they’re doing. This is the same for BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2, which is also part of the Michelin group. The tyre is essentially the same as the Krisalp HP3, so just buy whichever one is currently cheaper.
Conclusion
Winter is coming, as they say in Game of Thronesâbut this time, weâll be watching a different set of thrones: the ones in the winter tyre tests. In todayâs article, we have covered the best tyres from last year and we donât really expect the ranking to change dramatically this year, but of-course there are going to be couple of surprises. Meanwhile, donât forget that itâs always the best idea to check the tyres available in your dimension to compare the current prices and see what deal is the best, which is coincidentally something you can do effortlessly on our site. Thank you for your attention and see you in the winter!