2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test

+The Continental WinterContact TS 870 P was the most consistent tyre in the wet, with the second-shortest wet braking and the second-fastest laps of the winter tyres on both the wet handling course and the wet circle. It shared the fastest dry handling of the winter tyres, was rated the most comfortable in the test, and was in the top four for snow traction, snow handling and the slalom.

−The Continental WinterContact TS 870 P was only mid-field for snow braking and dry braking, and its tread life and rolling resistance were both below average for this test. Combined with one of the highest prices, that makes it the most expensive tyre here per kilometre.

+The Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 was among the best tyres on snow, leading the slalom and finishing in the top three for snow braking, traction and handling. It had the second-shortest dry braking of the winter tyres, was third in wet braking, and lasted longer than any other tyre in the wear test.

−The Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 is the most expensive set in the test, and even with its long tread life it is among the costliest per kilometre. Its aquaplaning resistance was only average in a straight line and below average in curves.

+The Hankook Winter i*cept evo 4 had the fourth-shortest wet braking and was in the top four for dry braking and dry handling. It was among the most comfortable tyres, had the third-longest tread life and low rolling resistance, giving it the lowest running costs of the premium brands.

−The Hankook Winter i*cept evo 4 was only mid-field on the wet handling course and the wet circle. On snow it was upper mid-field for braking and traction, and below average for handling and the slalom.

+The Pirelli P Zero Winter 2 had the shortest wet braking in the test, shorter even than the summer reference, and was the fastest winter tyre on the wet handling course and the wet circle. On dry roads it shared the fastest handling of the winter tyres and had the third-shortest braking.

−The Pirelli P Zero Winter 2 was weaker on snow, below average for braking and traction, and it was among the earliest to aquaplane in both the straight-line and curved tests. It is also one of the most expensive sets, and among the costliest per kilometre.

+The Bridgestone Blizzak 6 was strong in the wet, in the top five of the winter tyres for wet braking, wet handling and the wet circle, and among the better tyres in curved aquaplaning. It was the fourth-fastest winter tyre on the dry handling course, had the second-lowest rolling resistance, and is the lightest tyre in the test.

−The Bridgestone Blizzak 6 was below average for snow braking, snow handling and dry braking, and among the louder tyres on the pass-by noise test. It is also one of the more expensive sets per kilometre.

+The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 was among the quickest winter tyres on the wet handling course and the wet circle, and in the top five for snow handling. It had the second-longest tread life in the test, was jointly the quietest ranked tyre on the pass-by noise test, and was among the most comfortable.

−The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 was only mid-field for snow braking, snow traction and both aquaplaning tests, and among the slower tyres on the dry handling course. It is one of the more expensive sets.

+The Kleber Krisalp HP3 was the strongest tyre on snow, with the most traction, a share of the fastest snow handling, the second-shortest snow braking and the third-best slalom. It was the best winter tyre in straight-line aquaplaning, among the better ones in curved aquaplaning, and has reasonable running costs.

−The Kleber Krisalp HP3 was below average on the wet handling course, among the slower tyres on the wet circle, and only mid-field for wet braking. Its dry handling was also below average.

+The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ had the shortest dry braking of any winter tyre and was in the top six for wet braking and dry handling. It was among the most comfortable tyres and, at a comparatively low price, one of the cheaper tyres to run per kilometre.

−The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ was among the longer stoppers on snow and mid-field for snow traction and handling. It was among the first to aquaplane in a straight line and slightly louder than average on the pass-by noise test.

+The Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ had the shortest snow braking in the test and shared the fastest snow handling with the Kleber. It was in the top five of the winter tyres for straight-line aquaplaning and was among the most comfortable.

−The Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ had the highest rolling resistance in the test and one of the shorter tread lives, making it expensive to run for its price. It was below average in the slalom and in curved aquaplaning, and mid-field on dry roads.

+The Barum Polaris 6 stopped among the shortest on snow and was second-best in the slalom. It was one of the quieter tyres on the pass-by noise test and mid-field for wet braking, and it is the lowest-placed tyre in the test to avoid a safety penalty.

−The Barum Polaris 6 was below average for snow traction and handling, had the slowest lap of the ranked tyres on the wet circle, and was slow on the wet handling course. It was among the longer stoppers on dry roads and had one of the highest rolling resistances.

+The BFGoodrich g-Force Winter 2 was strong on snow, with almost the most traction, joint third-shortest braking and top-six handling. It was the second-best winter tyre in curved aquaplaning and among the better ones in a straight line, and it has low rolling resistance.

−The BFGoodrich g-Force Winter 2 was among the slowest on the dry handling course, which earned it a safety penalty, and it was below average on the wet handling course and the wet circle.

+The Giti GitiWinter W2 was third-best of the winter tyres in curved aquaplaning and among the better ones in a straight line, and shared the fourth-shortest dry braking. It had the fourth-longest tread life, making it one of the cheaper tyres to run.

−The Giti GitiWinter W2 was among the weakest tyres on snow, near the bottom for braking, traction and handling, and below average in wet braking, which brought a safety penalty. It also has one of the highest rolling resistances.

+The Semperit Speed-Grip 5 was the second-best winter tyre in straight-line aquaplaning and shared fourth place in the slalom. It was mid-field for snow braking and snow handling.

−The Semperit Speed-Grip 5 shared the longest dry braking of the ranked tyres with the Lassa, which brought a safety penalty. It had the second-lowest snow traction, was slow on the wet handling course and the wet circle, and was among the louder tyres.

+The Viking WinTech NewGen had the lowest rolling resistance in the test, was jointly the quietest ranked tyre on the pass-by noise test, and had good snow traction. It is also one of the cheapest sets.

−The Viking WinTech NewGen had the shortest tread life in the test, so its low price only gives mid-field running costs. It was among the slowest on the wet handling course and the wet circle, the weakest ranked tyre in curved aquaplaning, and was rated the least comfortable.

+The Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6 was the best winter tyre in curved aquaplaning and third-best in a straight line, and it shared the third-shortest snow braking. As one of the two cheapest sets with average tread life, it is the cheapest tyre in the test to run per kilometre.

−The Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6 had the longest wet braking of the ranked tyres, which earned a safety penalty, and was below average for snow handling and ride comfort.

+The Firestone Winterhawk 4 shared fourth place in the slalom, was upper mid-field for snow braking and traction, and had low rolling resistance.

−The Firestone Winterhawk 4 had the slowest dry handling of the ranked tyres and the second-longest wet braking, both of which drew a safety penalty. It was also the earliest of the ranked tyres to aquaplane in a straight line and below average in curves.

+The GT Radial WinterPro 2 Sport shared the sixth-shortest dry braking and was upper mid-field on the wet circle. As one of the two cheapest sets, it is the second-cheapest tyre in the test to run per kilometre.

−The GT Radial WinterPro 2 Sport had the slowest snow handling of the ranked tyres and below-average wet braking, which drew a safety penalty, and it was below average for snow braking and traction. It also had one of the shorter tread lives and was rated among the least comfortable.

+The Matador MP93 Nordicca had the fifth-longest tread life and, at a low price, is the fourth-cheapest tyre to run per kilometre. It was among the quieter tyres on the pass-by noise test.

−The Matador MP93 Nordicca had the least snow traction of the ranked tyres and was among the weakest on wet roads, with long wet braking and slow laps on the wet handling course and the wet circle, which earned it a safety penalty.

+The Petlas Snowmaster 2 Sport had the third-lowest rolling resistance, and as one of the cheapest sets it is the third-cheapest tyre to run per kilometre. It was upper mid-field on the wet circle and in dry handling.

−The Petlas Snowmaster 2 Sport was the slowest ranked tyre on the wet handling course and below average for wet braking, which earned a safety penalty. It was last of the ranked tyres in the slalom, below average in the other snow tests, and among the louder tyres.

+The Lassa Competus Winter 2+ was upper mid-field for dry handling and mid-field in the wet, with average results for wet handling, the wet circle and both aquaplaning tests.

−The Lassa Competus Winter 2+ had the longest snow braking of the ranked tyres and shared the longest dry braking with the Semperit, both of which earned a safety penalty. It was also the loudest ranked tyre on the pass-by noise test and one of the shortest-lasting.