This years Auto Bild all season tyre test includes a summer, a winter, and the nine newest all season tyres, and tests them on dry, wet and snowy roads. Using a 195/65 R15 H tyre size, the tyres were tested on the now de facto tyre test car, the Golf 7.
The big surprise this year wasn't the summers poor performance in the snow, that's expected, but that an "all season tyre" out performed a pure winter tyre in the snow tests, and that the winter tyre outperformed all but the two best all season tyres in wet braking. The expected balance was restored during dry braking, with the winter placing mid pack at best, but the margin between a good winter and a good all season tyre are now almost non-existent.
Which is the best "All Season" tyre for the UK?
With the overall score weighted towards snow and wet performance for the German climate, it’s important those of us in the UK consider the wet and dry balance.
Looking at the overall braking distances, it seems the best overall “All Season” tyre is the Falken, closely followed by the winter.
If we look at just the dry and wet performance, the picture is slightly different. The summer tyre is the overall winner, stopping in 105.3 metres in total with the Falken in second at 111.4, but the Bridgestone jumps to third with a total of 112.3 metres and the winter ends in fourth with 114.9 metres. The test winning Goodyear places fifth, at 115 metres.
With the Falken and Bridgestone out performing the summer tyre in the snow by well over 200%, these are the tyres we’d be looking at for year round use in the UK, but there’s no escaping a dedicated summer and winter tyre setup is the optimum for year round safety and performance.
The Results
1st: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons | |
| Convincing all-season tires with well-balanced road performance on snowy and dry roads. Stable running in all weather conditions, high steering precision and a low pass-by noise. Slightly longer braking distances. Read Reviews |
2nd: Falken EUROALL SEASON AS200 | |
| A good all-rounder with good traction and short braking distances on snow. Comfortable steering feel, good grip and stable cornering on a wet road. Good comfort and the lowest noise emissions. Understeering in the dry. Read Reviews |
3rd: Uniroyal AllSeasonExpert | |
| The winter snow specialist with the properties of a full winter tire. Good aquaplaning. Understeering driving behavior on wet and dry roads, long dry stopping distances. Read Reviews |
4th: Bridgestone A001 | |
| Rain professional with dynamic sporting driving qualities on wet roads. Best safety margins when aquaplaning. Limited winter use with understeering handling and less traction than a full winter. Increased rolling resistance. Read Reviews |
5th: Vredestein Quatrac 3 | |
| Safe driving behavior with more stable cornering and good steering response on wet and dry roads, good comfort. Moderate aquaplaning performance, longer braking distances on wet and dry roads, increased rolling resistance. Read Reviews |
6th: Matador Adhessa Evo MP 61 | |
| Balanced handling on snow and dry roads. Good braking on snowy slopes. Only satisfactory wet qualities. Long dry stopping distances, an average comfort and fuel economy. Read Reviews |
7th: Hankook Optimo 4S | |
| Versatile with secure handling on snowy and dry roads, good aquaplaning safety. delayed steering response and driving behavior in wet conditions, long dry braking distances. Read Reviews |
8th: Kleber Quadraxer | |
| Balanced safe driving in winter, low rolling resistance. Weak performance in the wet, prolonged braking distances on wet and dry conditions. Low aquaplaning resistance. Read Reviews |
9th: Nexen N Priz 4S | |
| Good braking on snow, low pass-by noise. Lack of grip in the wet with considerably increased wet braking distances and poor aquaplaning resistance. High levels of understeer in the wet and dry handling tests. Read Reviews |
Best UUHP Tyres
Best All Season Tyres
Best Winter Tyres
