For its 2025 winter tyre test, German publication Auto Bild Sportscars evaluated twelve winter tyres in the popular SUV size of 235/50 R 19. The test also included a reference summer tyre and an all-season tyre to provide broader context. All tyres were fitted to an Audi Q3 Sportback 45 TFSI quattro with 245 PS. The cold weather tests on snow and ice were conducted in Vidsel, Sweden , while the wet and dry performance evaluations took place at Bridgestone's test facility in Aprilia, Italy.
The test results showed a clear performance gap between the premium manufacturers and the budget brands. Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, and Goodyear all earned the top "vorbildlich" (exemplary) rating, showcasing consistently high performance across all conditions. The Bridgestone Blizzak 6 was highlighted as a snow expert with excellent traction and the Continental WinterContact TS 870 P was noted as a sovereign all-rounder with the sportiest handling in dry conditions. The Michelin Alpin 7 proved to be a rolling resistance champion with short braking distances on snow , while the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 was called a "snow king" for its strong winter capabilities.
Further down the rankings, several tyres exhibited inconsistent performance, excelling in some areas while showing significant weaknesses in others. The Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV was named the "aquaplaning champion" due to its outstanding ability to clear standing water , yet it delivered the weakest traction on snow. The Vredestein Wintrac Pro was a "wet specialist" with the shortest braking distances in the rain among the winter tyres , but it also had the highest rolling resistance, which would negatively impact fuel consumption. Conversely, the Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2 demonstrated sporty handling on snow and was very fast in the wet handling circuit , but it was comparatively slow in the dry handling test. The budget Superia Bluewin UHP 3 performed adequately on snow and dry roads , but was deemed "highly dangerous" in the wet due to its unpredictability and catastrophically long braking distances. The testers recommended the Vredestein or Hankook as good value alternatives to the premium brands.
Reference Tyre Performance
The inclusion of summer and all-season tyres clearly demonstrated the performance trade-offs inherent in tyre design. As expected, the summer tyre was completely unsuitable in winter conditions, with extremely long braking distances and minimal traction on snow. However, on dry and wet pavement, it set the benchmark for handling and braking, stopping from 100 km/h in the wet 2.5 meters shorter than the best winter tyre.
Using the Bridgestone Turanza AllSeason 6 as the reference all season was partiaulary interesting as it is often one of the most summer feeling all season tyres. On snow, its braking and traction capabilities were better than the summer tyre but weaker than most of the dedicated winter tyres. In the dry, it performed very well, with braking and handling results that were better than many of the winter tyres. In wet conditions, its braking distance was competitive , though its performance on the wet skidpad was described as surprisingly modest.
Dry
Dry Braking
Dry Braking
Dry braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Reference Summer Ref
37.70 M
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
40.00 M
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
40.30 M
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
40.80 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
41.20 M
Michelin Alpin 7
41.40 M
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
42.20 M
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
43.60 M
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
43.80 M
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
43.80 M
Giti GitiWinterW2
44.70 M
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
45.30 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
45.60 M
Dry Handling
Dry Handling
Dry Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Reference Summer Ref
118.90 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
118.10 Km/H
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
118.10 Km/H
Michelin Alpin 7
117.80 Km/H
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
117.70 Km/H
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
117.60 Km/H
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
117.50 Km/H
Giti GitiWinterW2
117.30 Km/H
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
117.20 Km/H
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
117.00 Km/H
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
116.30 Km/H
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
116.20 Km/H
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
116.00 Km/H
Wet
Wet Braking
Wet Braking
Wet braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Reference Summer Ref
44.80 M
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
47.30 M
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
49.70 M
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
49.80 M
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
49.80 M
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
50.00 M
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
51.10 M
Giti GitiWinterW2
51.30 M
Michelin Alpin 7
51.40 M
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
51.40 M
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
53.90 M
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
54.20 M
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
64.50 M
Wet Handling
Wet Handling
Wet Handling Average Speed (Higher is better)
Reference Summer Ref
79.00 Km/H
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
78.90 Km/H
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
78.70 Km/H
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
78.70 Km/H
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
78.30 Km/H
Michelin Alpin 7
78.30 Km/H
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
78.00 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
77.80 Km/H
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
77.60 Km/H
Giti GitiWinterW2
77.30 Km/H
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
77.10 Km/H
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
76.60 Km/H
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
72.80 Km/H
Wet Circle
Wet Circle
Wet Circle Lap Time in seconds (Lower is better)
Reference Summer Ref
14.90 s
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
15.20 s
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
15.30 s
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
15.30 s
Michelin Alpin 7
15.40 s
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
15.50 s
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
15.60 s
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
15.80 s
Giti GitiWinterW2
15.90 s
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
15.90 s
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
16.00 s
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
16.00 s
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
16.60 s
Straight Aqua
Straight Aqua
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
79.70 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
79.00 Km/H
Michelin Alpin 7
77.10 Km/H
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
77.00 Km/H
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
76.80 Km/H
Reference Summer Ref
76.60 Km/H
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
76.10 Km/H
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
76.10 Km/H
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
75.90 Km/H
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
73.10 Km/H
Giti GitiWinterW2
72.80 Km/H
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
67.40 Km/H
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
61.20 Km/H
Curved Aquaplaning
Curved Aquaplaning
Remaining lateral acceleration (Higher is better)
Reference Summer Ref
3.33 m/sec2
Nokian Snowproof 2 SUV
3.00 m/sec2
Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 Ref
2.84 m/sec2
Vredestein Wintrac Pro plus
2.84 m/sec2
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
2.75 m/sec2
Hankook Winter i cept evo 3 X
2.67 m/sec2
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
2.65 m/sec2
Michelin Alpin 7
2.56 m/sec2
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
2.49 m/sec2
Pirelli Scorpion Winter 2
2.41 m/sec2
Giti GitiWinterW2
2.27 m/sec2
Superia Bluewin UHP 3
2.11 m/sec2
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
2.04 m/sec2
Snow
Snow Braking
Snow Braking
Snow braking in meters (50 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
The BRIDGESTONE Blizzak 6 presents as a top-tier snow expert, lauded for delivering the best traction and exemplary side grip on wintery road surfaces. This competence in harsh conditions does not come at the expense of performance elsewhere; it is described as a well-balanced tyre with high-level capabilities on both wet and dry pavement. While it performs admirably across the board, it only just misses achieving the very top results in the wet-weather disciplines, solidifying its position as a leading, versatile winter tyre.
The CONTINENTAL WinterContact TS 870 P is characterized as a sovereign all-rounder, but its standout feature is having the sportiest and most responsive handling on dry roads—a surprising feat for a winter specialist. The text notes that winter tyres are often tortured by dry handling tests at higher temperatures, but the Continental handles these challenges surprisingly well. This strong all-weather capability makes it a versatile choice, though its primary trade-offs are a slightly diminished performance in aquaplaning resistance compared to the leaders and a high purchase price.
The MICHELIN Alpin 7 distinguishes itself as the champion of low rolling resistance, indicating superior fuel or energy efficiency. This efficiency is paired with strong safety credentials, as it impresses in all weather conditions by providing short braking distances on both snow and wet surfaces. The testers note its braking performance on snow is particularly masterful, stopping significantly shorter than many rivals. Its main vulnerability was identified during the curved aquaplaning test, where it tends to lose grip and float up earlier than the best competitors when cornering in deep water.
Praised as the "king of the snow," the GOODYEAR UltraGrip Performance 3 delivers particularly strong and reliable winter driving characteristics, excelling in tests for handling, traction, and side grip on snow-covered roads. This focus on winter capability does result in some compromises. While testers noted it was "richtig schnell" (really fast) during the wet handling circuit, it showed comparative weakness in other wet disciplines, specifically in its resistance to aquaplaning and its braking distances on wet surfaces.
The PIRELLI Scorpion Winter 2 is a snow dynamics specialist that provides sporty handling on wintery roads. Its most praised attribute is its "überragender Seitenführung auf Schnee" (outstanding side grip on snow), which is critical for safety in sudden avoidance maneuvers. It is also described as being "richtig schnell" (really fast) on the wet handling course. This sporty nature fades on dry pavement, however, where the testers note it "lässt mächtig Boden liegen" (loses significant ground) and has limited dynamic potential. It also shows a weakness in resisting aquaplaning on curves.
The VREDESTEIN Wintrac Pro is highlighted as a wet-weather specialist, offered at an attractive price point. Its performance during the wet braking test was described as "besonders sicher" (particularly safe), and it was also among the fastest on the wet handling circuit. This focus on wet-road safety and performance comes with a significant drawback: it produced the highest rolling resistance of all tyres tested, which would translate to increased fuel or energy consumption over its lifetime.
The HANKOOK Winter i*cept evo x is described as a competent all-rounder, delivering well-rounded and good performance across all tested weather conditions without any major failings. It serves as a reliable jack-of-all-trades that can handle snow, wet, and dry disciplines competently. Its main compromises are noted to be slight deficits when braking on dry surfaces and producing the loudest pass-by noise of all the candidates in the test.
As the test's undisputed aquaplaning champion, the NOKIAN Snowproof 2 SUV offers the highest safety reserves when driving through standing water. Testers noted it "verdrängt Wasser besonders gut" (displaces water particularly well) and was confidently in the lead in both straight and curved aquaplaning tests. This specialization comes at a significant cost to its other abilities. The tyre "enttäuscht" (disappointed) with the weakest snow traction in the group and exhibited long braking distances and less-than-sporty handling on dry roads.
The FALKEN Eurowinter HS02 Pro is presented as a "snow talent" that also manages to provide good performance on dry roads, all for an affordable price. However, its capabilities are severely compromised on wet surfaces, where it showed generally weaker performance. Testers described its straight aquaplaning resistance as "bereits kritisch" (already critical) and noted its weakness in both wet handling and curved aquaplaning tests.
The GITI Winter W2 suffers from a lack of predictability, which is its primary flaw. This was most apparent on snow, where its driving behavior was described as difficult to assess, a characteristic clearly reflected in its poor handling and slalom results. While its summary mentions respectable performance in some areas, its poor side grip on snow and unforeseeable reactions make it a challenging tyre to drive confidently, especially in winter conditions.
The SUPERIA Bluewin UHP 3 is a budget-priced tyre with respectable performance on snow and in the dry, but it is deemed "brandgefährlich" (extremely dangerous) in wet conditions. Testers found it to be "unberechenbar" (unpredictable) on the wet handling course, with the vehicle's rear end breaking away abruptly during load changes. Its performance when encountering standing water was called "schlichtweg eine Katastrophe" (simply a catastrophe), and its dangerously long wet braking distances led to the tyre being rated as "not recommended".
