Continental PremiumContact 7 vs Vredestein Ultrac plus
Across three major 2026 comparisons (Motor, a 2026 “best summer tyres” group test, and ADAC), the PremiumContact 7 repeatedly finishes at the very top (1st in all three), while the Ultrac+ places in the bottom half to last (9/9, 10/13, 12/16). The consistent theme is that the Continental builds its advantage in the wet-where touring tyres earn their keep-while Vredestein counters mainly with efficiency metrics like rolling resistance, plus slightly lower noise and good straight-line aquaplaning.
Test Results
Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been three tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Continental PremiumContact 7 | three |
While it might look like the Continental PremiumContact 7 is better than the Vredestein Ultrac plus purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.
Key Strengths
- Class-leading wet performance: faster wet handling (e.g., 67.7 s vs 71.86 s) and shorter wet braking by ~8-11% across tests
- Stronger dry safety margins: ~3.3 m shorter dry braking in 225/45 R17 (36.03 m vs 39.33 m) and quicker dry laps
- Robust aquaplaning and lateral grip: wins curved aquaplaning in all shared results and leads wet circle/lateral grip metrics
- Excellent longevity/environmental showing in ADAC: 44,700 km vs 30,600 km wear (+46%) and lower abrasion (69 vs 97 mg/km/t)
- Lower rolling resistance in both 225/45 R17 tests (~8-9% advantage), supporting fuel/energy efficiency
- Slightly lower measured noise in both 225/45 R17 tests (e.g., 65.2 dB vs 66.1 dB in Motor)
- Good straight-line aquaplaning results, narrowly beating the Continental in two tests (~0.6-0.7%)
- Generally acceptable baseline safety for normal driving, with decent aquaplaning/handling stability noted despite weaker braking
Dry Braking
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during three dry braking tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 stopped the vehicle in 6.06% less distance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Dry Braking: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [s]
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during two dry handling [s] tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 was 2.15% faster around a lap than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Dry Handling [s]: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during two subj. dry handling tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 scored 12.82% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during three wet braking tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 stopped the vehicle in 9.14% less distance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Braking: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking - Concrete
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one wet braking - concrete tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 stopped the vehicle in 11.65% less distance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Braking - Concrete: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Wet Braking - Concrete winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during two wet handling [s] tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 was 5.88% faster around a wet lap than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 scored 9.3% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 had 11.25% higher lateral wet grip than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Circle: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during two straight aqua tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus floated at a 0.26% higher speed than the Continental PremiumContact 7.
Best In Straight Aqua: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during three curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 slipped out at a 3.42% higher speed than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during two subj. comfort tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 scored 7.25% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during two noise tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus measured 1.01% quieter than the Continental PremiumContact 7.
Best In Noise: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Wear
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one wear tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 is predicted to cover 31.54% miles before reaching 1.6mm than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wear: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Wear winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during two rolling resistance tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus had a 8.21% lower rolling resistance than the Continental PremiumContact 7.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 used 3.57% less fuel than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Abrasion
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Continental PremiumContact 7 was better during one abrasion tests. On average the Continental PremiumContact 7 emitted 28.87% less particle wear matter than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Abrasion: Continental PremiumContact 7
See how the Abrasion winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Continental PremiumContact 7 and Vredestein Ultrac plus.
In total the Continental PremiumContact 7 has been reviewed 52 times and drivers have given the tyre 82% overall.
The Vredestein Ultrac plus has been reviewed 5 times and drivers have given the tyre 80% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Continental PremiumContact 7.
They are much quieter than All Season Pirellis, the noise is mainly a low hum, which is nicer to the ear than the alternatives.
I feel more comfortable when cornering at speed with them. Been driving some forest/field roads and they held up nicely. The tread doesn't seem as deep as other brands, will update how things are looking after 10k km.
Conclusion
The Vredestein Ultrac+ is harder to justify if you drive in frequent rain, push on B-roads, or care about consistent grip under load. Its better points are efficiency and refinement: it repeatedly posts lower rolling resistance (about 8-9% better in the 225/45 R17 tests) and slightly lower measured noise, and it edges straight-line aquaplaning by a tiny margin in two tests (~0.6-0.7%). But the trade-off is meaningful: weaker wet braking and lateral wet grip, and test notes calling out understeer and quick overheating when driven hard. The practical takeaway: PremiumContact 7 is the safer, higher-performing “buy and forget” touring choice; Ultrac+ only makes sense when you're prioritising low resistance and acceptable, not class-leading, grip.
Key Differences
- Overall ranking gap is consistent and large: PremiumContact 7 is 1st in all three shared tests, while Ultrac+ is 9/9, 10/13 and 12/16
- Wet braking is the biggest real-world safety separator: Continental is ~8-11% shorter (e.g., 27.73 m vs 30.2 m; 30.1 m vs 33.9 m)
- Wet cornering/lateral grip advantage for Continental: better wet handling times (up to ~6% quicker) and stronger wet circle performance (e.g., 0.801 vs 0.711 in Motor)
- Dry braking and handling also favour Continental: ~8.4% shorter dry braking in 225/45 R17 and higher subjective dry handling scores
- Efficiency/refinement tilt to Vredestein: lower rolling resistance (~8-9% better) and slightly lower noise in the 225/45 R17 tests
- Longevity and environmental metrics heavily favour Continental in ADAC: 44,700 km vs 30,600 km wear and notably lower abrasion (69 vs 97 mg/km/t)
Overall Winner: Continental PremiumContact 7
Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Continental PremiumContact 7 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:
Vredestein Ultrac plus Top Comparisons
Footnote
This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.
Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.
Discussion
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