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175/50 R15 Tyres

Everything we know about the 175/50 R15 tyre size: 3 owner reviews covering 98,000 miles of driving, and EU label data for the tyres you can actually buy in it.

  • 3owner reviews
  • 98,000 milescovered on them
  • 42tyres made in this size
175/50 R15 To scale, mm
Ø 556 175 88 15" 88

175/50 R15 EU tyre label data

EU label values are declared for each individual size, so the figures here are exact for 175/50 R15 rather than a range across a model. 29 tyres carry label data in this size. The most common load index is 75 (up to 387 kg per tyre). Speed ratings on offer: V (240 km/h), H (210 km/h). 4 tyres in this size carry the 3PMSF severe snow marking.

A Best wet grip

3 tyres in this size hold the top EU wet grip rating, class A. The highest scoring on Tyre Reviews:

67dB Quietest tyres

The quietest 175/50 R15 tyres are labelled at 67 dB external noise:

Label values come from the EU EPREL database and apply to the EU market versions of each tyre. Wet grip and rolling resistance run from class A (best) to E; noise is the measured drive-by figure. A good label is a floor, not a verdict - the tests and owner ratings above tell you far more.

What does 175/50 R15 mean?

A 175/50 R15 tyre is 175 mm wide, its sidewall is 50% of that width (88 mm) tall, and it fits a 15 inch wheel. That gives an overall diameter of roughly 556 mm.

Section width175 mm
Sidewall height88 mm
Rim diameter15" (381 mm)
Overall diameter≈ 556 mm
Circumference≈ 1,747 mm
Revolutions per km≈ 572
Revolutions per mile≈ 921

Also written as

175/50R15 175/50 ZR15 175-50-15 175 50 15

Figures are calculated from the nominal size. A loaded, rolling tyre runs a few percent smaller, and true widths vary slightly between makes.

Comparing two sizes? Use the tyre size calculator →

What cars use 175/50 R15 tyres?

The cars most often running this size in our owner reviews. Each links to the best rated tyres for that exact car.

Kia Motors Picanto 3 reviews in this size

What drivers say about their 175/50 R15 tyres

The most recent owner reviews fitted in this size, in their own words.

64%
Kumho Ecowing ES31 175/50 R15 Kia Motors Picanto 40,000 miles January 11, 2026
Great grip in the dry, decent grip in the wet, poor grip when cold & wet.
Could be a great tyre but I've never got my money out of them since they have extreme uneven wear.

I've had 2 sets and both were subject to extreme wear on the outer edges of the front tyres. This is despite multiple alignment checks from different companies that showed alignment to be spot on.

Other than that they perform well, but I won't be buying them again.
81%
Kumho Winter Craft WP51 175/50 R15 Kia Motors Picanto 3,000 miles February 27, 2017
These do not seem to perform any better than my pirelli summer tyres. I have 2 cars and have been grip testing these in the wet in a car park by going in a circle and they seemed to have the same level of grip as the summer tyres. Temperature was about 4 degrees. They seem to cause a bit of noise and you can hear the grip noise change when accelerating or braking vs rolling. They are pretty good. But I get the impression that they will not be great in the snow as I have a 1 litre car and in the wet its fairly easy to get a tiny bit of wheel spin if pulling away fast.

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Where this data comes from

Owner ratings are submitted through the review form on this site, naming the tyre, the size and the distance covered, and are checked by hand before publication. Test results come from independent published tyre tests indexed by size, and label values from the EU EPREL database.

About the TR Score

The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.

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Who does the testing

Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.

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