Motor magazine tested 9 summer tyres in size 225/45 R17, a fitment used on popular models such as the VW Golf, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Skoda Octavia. The test covered wet braking, dry braking, longitudinal and lateral aquaplaning, wet and dry lap times, wet circle grip, handling properties, comfort, exterior noise, and rolling resistance. Testing was carried out in late autumn at a facility in Texas, USA, where conditions matched a European summer. The test track surfaces were made with European materials and hold the relevant certifications. Prices ranged from 310 to 448 PLN per tyre.
Continental PremiumContact 7 and Pirelli Cinturato C3 share the top spot with identical overall scores of 197.2 out of 200 points, both earning strong results across wet and dry tests. The biggest surprise is the Hankook Ventus Evo K137, a mid-segment tyre that finished third overall with 196.4 points - just 0.8 behind the winners - and actually posted the best wet score in the entire test. Fellow mid-segment product Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 also performed well in fourth place. On the other end, premium tyres Michelin Primacy 5 and Bridgestone Turanza 6 disappointed, finishing fifth and eighth respectively, behind several cheaper mid-segment alternatives.
Dry
Pirelli stops shortest at 35.7 m, with Continental close behind at 36.0 m. The gap to last-placed Vredestein (39.3 m) is 3.6 m - a meaningful difference at 100 km/h.
Dry Braking
Spread: 3.60 M (10.1%)|Avg: 37.54 M
Dry braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Dry Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Continental sets the fastest dry lap at 73.4 s, with Pirelli just 0.2 s behind. Bridgestone is slowest at 76.2 s - nearly three seconds off the pace, which is a large gap on a 2450 m circuit.
Dry Handling
Spread: 2.80 s (3.8%)|Avg: 74.67 s
Dry handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
Continental PremiumContact 7
73.40 s
Pirelli Cinturato C3
73.60 s
Hankook Ventus Evo
74.20 s
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
74.20 s
Maxxis Premitra HP6
74.70 s
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
75.10 s
Michelin Primacy 5
75.20 s
Vredestein Ultrac plus
75.40 s
Bridgestone Turanza 6
76.20 s
Hankook earns the highest subjective handling score at 7.6 points, followed by Continental and Kumho on 7.4. There is a clear split between the top four and the rest - Michelin, Maxxis, Kleber, Bridgestone, and Vredestein all score below 6.6, suggesting a noticeable drop in steering precision and limit behaviour.
Subj. Dry Handling
Spread: 1.50 Points (19.7%)|Avg: 6.82 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score (Higher is better)
Hankook Ventus Evo
7.60 Points
Continental PremiumContact 7
7.40 Points
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
7.40 Points
Pirelli Cinturato C3
7.30 Points
Michelin Primacy 5
6.60 Points
Maxxis Premitra HP6
6.40 Points
Bridgestone Turanza 6
6.30 Points
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
6.30 Points
Vredestein Ultrac plus
6.10 Points
Wet
Hankook, Continental, and Pirelli are virtually tied at around 43.2-43.3 m, forming a clear lead group. The spread to last-placed Vredestein at 47.2 m is 4.0 m - a bigger gap than on dry tarmac, where differences in grip tend to be amplified by water on the surface.
Wet Braking
Spread: 4.00 M (9.3%)|Avg: 45.06 M
Wet braking in meters (100 - 0 km/h) (Lower is better)
Wet Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Continental dominates the wet lap, posting 69.4 s - over a second faster than second-placed Pirelli at 70.7 s. That is a large margin on a 1535 m track. Bridgestone is last at 75.2 s, consistent with its weaker wet grip shown in braking and circle tests.
Wet Handling
Spread: 5.80 s (8.4%)|Avg: 72.42 s
Wet handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
Continental PremiumContact 7
69.40 s
Pirelli Cinturato C3
70.70 s
Hankook Ventus Evo
70.90 s
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
71.00 s
Maxxis Premitra HP6
73.10 s
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
73.70 s
Vredestein Ultrac plus
73.80 s
Michelin Primacy 5
74.00 s
Bridgestone Turanza 6
75.20 s
Continental again leads on lateral grip in the wet circle test at 0.801 g, followed by Pirelli at 0.775 g. Michelin records the lowest value at 0.692 g - a surprising result for a premium tyre and one of the main reasons it finishes fifth overall despite decent aquaplaning resistance.
Wet Circle
Spread: 0.11 s (15.9%)|Avg: 0.74 s
Wet Circle Lap Time in seconds (Lower is better)
Michelin Primacy 5
0.69 s
Bridgestone Turanza 6
0.71 s
Vredestein Ultrac plus
0.71 s
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
0.71 s
Maxxis Premitra HP6
0.73 s
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
0.76 s
Hankook Ventus Evo
0.77 s
Pirelli Cinturato C3
0.78 s
Continental PremiumContact 7
0.80 s
Hankook resists straight-line aquaplaning best at 78.8 km/h, with Michelin and Pirelli close behind. Kumho is weakest at 71.4 km/h - a 7.4 km/h gap to the leader, which is significant given aquaplaning is a binary loss of control. Despite Continental's dominance elsewhere on wet surfaces, it sits mid-pack here at 74.9 km/h.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 7.40 Km/H (9.4%)|Avg: 74.96 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Hankook Ventus Evo
78.80 Km/H
Michelin Primacy 5
77.00 Km/H
Pirelli Cinturato C3
76.90 Km/H
Vredestein Ultrac plus
75.40 Km/H
Continental PremiumContact 7
74.90 Km/H
Maxxis Premitra HP6
74.60 Km/H
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
73.40 Km/H
Bridgestone Turanza 6
72.20 Km/H
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
71.40 Km/H
Continental and Hankook are almost identical at 3.85 and 3.84 m/s², leading the curved aquaplaning test. Kumho and Pirelli sit at the bottom, which is notable since Pirelli is otherwise one of the strongest wet performers - its tread pattern appears better suited to maintaining contact patch grip than clearing water on a curve.
Curved Aquaplaning
Spread: 0.53 m/sec2 (13.8%)|Avg: 3.64 m/sec2
Remaining lateral acceleration (Higher is better)
Continental PremiumContact 7
3.85 m/sec2
Hankook Ventus Evo
3.84 m/sec2
Vredestein Ultrac plus
3.76 m/sec2
Michelin Primacy 5
3.72 m/sec2
Maxxis Premitra HP6
3.68 m/sec2
Bridgestone Turanza 6
3.59 m/sec2
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
3.59 m/sec2
Pirelli Cinturato C3
3.42 m/sec2
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
3.32 m/sec2
Comfort
Continental, Michelin, and Kleber share the top comfort score at 6.9 points, while Kumho scores lowest at 6.1. The overall spread is narrow, suggesting no tyre in this test has a major comfort problem.
Subj. Comfort
Spread: 0.80 Points (11.6%)|Avg: 6.57 Points
Subjective Comfort Score (Higher is better)
Continental PremiumContact 7
6.90 Points
Michelin Primacy 5
6.90 Points
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
6.90 Points
Pirelli Cinturato C3
6.60 Points
Maxxis Premitra HP6
6.60 Points
Hankook Ventus Evo
6.50 Points
Vredestein Ultrac plus
6.40 Points
Bridgestone Turanza 6
6.20 Points
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
6.10 Points
Michelin is the quietest at 64.6 dB, with Bridgestone and Hankook just behind. Continental is loudest at 66.1 dB - a trade-off perhaps linked to the tread compound and pattern that gives it such strong wet grip. The total spread of 1.5 dB is small in absolute terms.
Noise
Spread: 1.50 dB (2.3%)|Avg: 65.22 dB
External noise in dB (Lower is better)
Michelin Primacy 5
64.60 dB
Bridgestone Turanza 6
64.70 dB
Hankook Ventus Evo
64.80 dB
Maxxis Premitra HP6
65.00 dB
Vredestein Ultrac plus
65.20 dB
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
65.20 dB
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
65.60 dB
Pirelli Cinturato C3
65.80 dB
Continental PremiumContact 7
66.10 dB
Value
Bridgestone records the lowest rolling resistance at 0.632, well clear of the field. Michelin is second at 0.700. Hankook sits last at 0.876 - roughly 39% higher than Bridgestone, which would translate to a noticeable difference in fuel consumption over a set of tyres' lifetime. The two best performers on rolling resistance (Bridgestone and Michelin) are also among the weakest on grip, suggesting these tyres may have been optimised more for efficiency than outright traction.
Rolling Resistance
Spread: 0.25 kg / t (39.7%)|Avg: 0.77 kg / t
Rolling resistance in kg t (Lower is better)
Bridgestone Turanza 6
0.63 kg / t
Michelin Primacy 5
0.70 kg / t
Maxxis Premitra HP6
0.76 kg / t
Vredestein Ultrac plus
0.76 kg / t
Kleber Dynaxer HP5
0.77 kg / t
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72
0.80 kg / t
Pirelli Cinturato C3
0.82 kg / t
Continental PremiumContact 7
0.83 kg / t
Hankook Ventus Evo
0.88 kg / t
19,000 km
£1.45/L
8.0 L/100km
--
Annual Difference
--
Lifetime Savings
--
Extra Fuel/Energy
--
Extra CO2
Estimates based on typical driving conditions. Rolling resistance accounts for approximately 20% of IC vehicle fuel consumption and 25% of EV energy consumption. Actual savings vary based on driving style, vehicle weight, road conditions, and tyre age. For comparative purposes only. Lifetime savings based on a 40,000km / 25,000 mile tread life.
Results
Continental and Pirelli share the win with 197.2 points each, both offering the strongest grip on dry and wet surfaces. Hankook is the standout value result, finishing third as a mid-segment tyre just 0.8 points behind the winners, while premium products Michelin and Bridgestone end up fifth and eighth - behind several cheaper alternatives.
The Continental PremiumContact 7 delivers strong performance across all tests on both wet and dry surfaces. It offers stable handling and very good grip in corners, with short braking distances regardless of conditions. It also scores highest for lateral aquaplaning resistance. The main weakness is average rolling resistance, which could affect fuel consumption.
The Pirelli Cinturato C3 matches Continental's overall score and shares the top position. It performs well on both dry and wet tarmac, providing precise steering response and short braking distances. Like the Continental, its rolling resistance is average rather than competitive.
The Hankook Ventus Evo K137 finishes on the podium with the second-highest point total. It is particularly strong on wet surfaces, winning both the longitudinal aquaplaning and wet braking tests. On dry tarmac it falls only slightly behind the two winners. As a mid-segment product, it demonstrates that cheaper tyres can compete directly with premium offerings. Rolling resistance is the highest in the test.
The Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 takes fourth place with a strong overall result. It loses ground to higher-ranked rivals on wet surfaces mainly due to below-average aquaplaning resistance. Otherwise, its performance across tests is consistently good. Rolling resistance is on the poor side.
The Michelin Primacy 5 finishes fifth, behind two mid-segment tyres, which is disappointing for a premium product. Its wet performance is uneven - aquaplaning resistance is good, but lateral grip on wet surfaces is the lowest in the test. Dry performance is average. On the positive side, it has low rolling resistance, produces the least noise at city speeds, and rides comfortably.
The Maxxis Premitra 6 loses just 0.4 points to the Michelin, which is a notable result for the cheapest tyre in the test. Its main strength is consistency - it finishes mid-pack in nearly every test without any weak spots. This means it is unlikely to surprise the driver in any conditions. Rolling resistance is at a good level.
The Kleber Dynaxer HP5 finishes just 0.2 points behind Maxxis with a similarly balanced profile. It scores at a steady level across all tests without any standout weakness, which gives a safe and predictable feel behind the wheel. Rolling resistance is decent and the price is competitive.
The Bridgestone Turanza 6 ends up in eighth place, which is a poor result for a premium tyre - its performance sits at the level of mid-segment products. It does not fail in any single test, maintaining adequate safety throughout, but it never leads either. Its standout feature is the best rolling resistance in the entire test, which may partly explain the lower grip levels.
The Vredestein Ultrac+ finishes last but still provides acceptable safety. Its wet performance is inconsistent - aquaplaning resistance is respectable, but lateral grip and wet braking distance are the weakest in the group. Dry performance is also below the rest of the field. Rolling resistance is at a reasonable level.
