Comparison: Laufenn S Fit EQ vs. Hankook Ventus Prime 4 (2026)

This is where the comparison becomes critically important from a safety standpoint. The Hankook Ventus Prime 4's wet-braking score of 81.1 versus the Laufenn S Fit EQ's 72.7 represents a substantial deficit — but the wet handling and cornering gaps are even more telling: 84.7 versus 57.7 for wet handling, and 86.2 versus 56.0 for wet-circle cornering. These are not marginal statistical variations. A wet handling gap of 27 points reflects a fundamental difference in how much lateral grip each tyre generates on a soaked surface, which translates directly to the driver's ability to maintain control through a rain-slicked roundabout or sweeping corner.

The aquaplaning figures reinforce the picture: 74.4 for the Hankook versus 57.7 for the Laufenn. Aquaplaning resistance is largely a function of tread void ratio and the speed at which drainage channels can evacuate standing water; the S Fit EQ's architecture simply struggles to clear water fast enough at higher speeds, lowering the threshold at which the tyre begins to skim rather than bite. AutoBild 2022 did credit the Laufenn with "safe aquaplaning characteristics," suggesting it is not recklessly poor in normal rainfall, but the score differential versus the Ventus Prime 4 — nearly 17 points — indicates the Hankook provides a considerably larger safety buffer when standing water is involved. Aftonbladet's 2025 test similarly highlighted the VP4's hydroplaning resistance, wet grip, and wet handling as key strengths.

In heavy rain and on wet motorways, the Ventus Prime 4 is a substantially more reassuring companion. Its neutral, progressive breakaway on wet circuits has been highlighted by the AvD, ADAC, AutoBild, and Aftonbladet across multiple independent tests, consistently earning it places near the top of wet-performance rankings. The S Fit EQ carries materially higher risk in the exact conditions — an emergency stop in a sudden downpour, an unexpected flooded patch — where compound quality and tread design matter most. The ADAC 2026 did note that even the Ventus Prime 4 showed some weakness in wet performance relative to the very best in its test, but that criticism lands in a completely different tier to the Laufenn's wet shortcomings.

On dry roads, the comparison is more nuanced than the segment gap might suggest. The Hankook Ventus Prime 4 leads in dry braking with a score of 85.6, against the Laufenn S Fit EQ's 78.7 — a meaningful gap, but one that still leaves the Laufenn performing respectably for its price class. The Hankook's dry handling scores are more emphatic: 83.7 in subjective assessment and a remarkable 97.5 in objective testing, reflecting a tyre that feels planted, neutral, and progressive as grip builds towards its limit. AutoBild 2024 praised the Ventus Prime 4 specifically for "dynamic driving behaviour on wet and dry surfaces and short dry braking distances," and the AvD 2026 test confirmed solid dry handling. The S Fit EQ managed a dry handling score of 78.3, and AutoBild 2022 credited it with genuinely short dry braking distances — one of its few outright positives in a tough field.

What separates them more clearly is character at the limit. The Ventus Prime 4 offers a linearity through the steering that allows a driver to feel grip building progressively — it communicates well before breakaway arrives, giving confidence for lane changes, motorway exits taken at pace, and emergency avoidance manoeuvres. The S Fit EQ, while capable under moderate loads, lacks that progressive feedback. It is engineered to handle ordinary daily conditions competently, not to reward enthusiasm or offer reassurance in sudden-response scenarios. The AvD 2026 noted that the Ventus Prime 4's dry braking was actually below the test average — a mild caution — but in absolute terms, a score of 85.6 still outguns the Laufenn by a clear margin.

For the majority of dry-road use — motorway cruising, urban stop-start, routine cornering — the Laufenn's dry scores mean it is far from inadequate. The driver who rarely pushes near the traction limit on a warm summer's day will find the S Fit EQ entirely sufficient. But any situation demanding a sudden emergency stop from speed, a high-load lane change, or spirited driving on a flowing B-road will expose a meaningful gap in reserve capability. The Hankook simply has more to give when the driver needs it most.

Hankook markets the Ventus Prime 4 as a refined, comfort-oriented everyday tyre, and the numbers back this up: a comfort score of 80 versus the Laufenn's 62.7, and a noise score of 77.3 against 62.7. Real-world owners confirm the lab findings — multiple users with 5,000–10,000 km on the VP4 note how quiet and smooth it runs on mixed road surfaces, with AutoBild 2024 specifically listing quiet pass-by noise as a highlight. A Honda Civic owner summarised it bluntly after 8,000 km: "The Prime 4 is quiet and performs exemplary in dry and wet conditions — I would buy it again." The S Fit EQ drew no equivalent praise for refinement, and its noise score of 62.7 aligns with a tyre that becomes noticeable on longer motorway runs. One test even clocked the Hankook at 75.5 dB interior noise — flagged as the loudest in a Motor 2026 field — a reminder that even premium tyres aren't exempt from trade-offs, though this sits within normal parameters.

Rolling resistance tells a more complex story. The Ventus Prime 4 scores 75 to the Laufenn's 71.7 — a Hankook advantage — though some individual tests flagged higher rolling resistance as a weakness in specific size configurations, and Aftonbladet 2025 noted it explicitly. The VP4's EU fuel label is predominantly C-grade (about 52% of variants), with around 28% achieving a B — reasonable but not class-leading. The Laufenn's EU label data is absent from our records, making a precise comparison impossible, but its rolling resistance score of 71.7 suggests it offers no meaningful advantage here either.

The most decisive long-term cost factor is tread longevity. The Laufenn scores just 51 for mileage against the Hankook's 74.2 — a gap of over 23 points that translates to the VP4 lasting considerably longer in regular use. AutoBild flagged moderate mileage as a Laufenn weakness in both 2022 and 2024 testing; this is a consistent finding, not an anomaly. When the Laufenn's lower purchase price is divided over a shorter service life — and combined with no fuel economy advantage — the initial saving begins to erode. AutoBild 2024 called the Ventus Prime 4's price-to-performance ratio "very good," and our expert summary rates it as premium safety at an affordable price. On a cost-per-kilometre basis, the Hankook is likely the shrewder long-term investment for most drivers.