2026 Motor Winter Tyre Test

Polish magazine Motor has tested nine winter tyres in 225/45 R17, a size fitted to cars such as the VW Golf, Skoda Octavia, Audi A3 and BMW 3 Series, using a Golf as the test car. The field covers every market segment: three premium tyres from Continental, Pirelli and Dunlop, three mid-range tyres from Kleber, Firestone and Nokian, and three budget options, the Debica Frigo HP2 from the Polish brand, the Chinese-made Mazzini Snow Leopard 2 and the Insa Turbo Pirineos Plus, a retread from Spain. Prices ranged from 244 to 612 zloty per tyre.

The Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 finished level on points and share the win, the Continental the best tyre on wet roads and the Pirelli the most rounded, with the best aquaplaning resistance and the quietest running. The Dunlop Winter was third and the Kleber Krisalp HP3 fourth, both recommended by Motor. The surprise was on snow, where the cheapest tyre in the test, the Mazzini, had the most traction and was the fastest round the handling course. On wet roads it fell far behind, along with the Insa Turbo retread, and Motor advises against both.

The tyres were bought from an online shop, run in on wet asphalt at a test centre in Germany, then tested on snow in Sweden before returning to Germany for the wet and dry tests. Rolling resistance was measured in a laboratory. This is our summary of the headline findings; for the full scoring and Motor's methodology, see the original test.

Snow

The Kleber stopped shortest on snow, with the Pirelli next, and less than 3 metres separated the whole field. The Nokian needed the longest distance.

The Mazzini had the most traction on snow, ahead of the Kleber and the Insa Turbo retread, while the Continental and Nokian had the least.

In the acceleration test from standstill to 20 km/h the Pirelli needed the shortest distance, with the Mazzini and Debica next. The Nokian was again the weakest.

The Mazzini was fastest round the snow handling course, ahead of the Kleber and Firestone. The Pirelli and Nokian were the slowest.

Wet

The wet tests changed the picture completely. The Continental stopped shortest, with the Dunlop and Pirelli next, while the budget tyres fell well behind: the Mazzini needed more than 14 metres further than the Continental, and the Insa Turbo retread around 22 metres further.

The Continental was also fastest round the wet handling course, ahead of the Pirelli and Dunlop, and the Mazzini and Insa Turbo were clearly the slowest.

On the wet circle the Continental and Pirelli held the most grip, and the Mazzini and Insa Turbo the least by a wide margin.

The Pirelli resisted straight-line aquaplaning longest, well ahead of the Kleber and Continental. The Insa Turbo and Mazzini were the first to float.

The Pirelli also kept the most grip in curved aquaplaning, with the Kleber next, while the Mazzini held far less than any other tyre.

Dry

The Dunlop stopped shortest on dry roads, just ahead of the Continental, Pirelli and Nokian, and the Insa Turbo needed the most distance.

The Nokian set the fastest dry lap, with the Continental and Pirelli a fraction behind, and the Mazzini was the slowest.

Motor's testers rated the Pirelli best for dry handling, with the Continental and Nokian close behind. The Mazzini and Insa Turbo were rated lowest.

Comfort

The Pirelli was the quietest tyre in the exterior noise measurement at 50 km/h, with the Continental and, perhaps surprisingly, the Mazzini next. The Insa Turbo was the loudest.

The Dunlop was rated the most comfortable, and the Insa Turbo the least.

Value

The Nokian had by far the lowest rolling resistance, with the Dunlop and Continental next. The Insa Turbo had the highest.

Results

The Continental WinterContact TS 870 and Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 share the win, with the Dunlop Winter third and the Kleber Krisalp HP3 a strong fourth at a much lower price. Motor's advice is that the premium tyres are the choice for the most demanding drivers, that the mid-range offers good value, and that buyers looking for a cheap tyre should avoid the Mazzini: the Polish Debica beat it clearly overall. Motor also advises against the Insa Turbo retread, which was good on snow but unsafe on wet roads. For the full data and methodology, see Motor's original test.

Joint 1^st

Continental WinterContact TS 870

225/45 R17

Motor Test Winner Zwycięzca testu

The Continental WinterContact TS 870 shares the win with the Pirelli. Its wet performance stands out, and it gives little away anywhere except on snow, where it was only mid-pack or below.

Dry99.6%

Wet98.8%

Snow94.7%

Comfort95.7%

Rolling Resistance88.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	2nd / 9	42.2 m	+0.20 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	2nd / 9	54 s	+0.10 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.9 Points	-0.10 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	1st / 9	45.4 m	Best in this discipline
Wet HandlingLower is better	1st / 9	83.5 s	Best in this discipline
Wet CircleHigher is better	1st / 9	0.791 g	Best in this discipline
Straight AquaHigher is better	3rd / 9	78.9 km/h	-7.00 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	3rd / 9	2.93 m/sec2	-0.30 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	7th / 9	29.5 m	+1.20 m
Snow TractionLower is better	7th / 9	9.02 m	+0.38 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	8th / 9	2393 N	-220.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	7th / 9	81.5 s	+2.60 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.5 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	2nd / 9	64.8 dB	+1.00 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	3rd / 9	8.41 kg/t	+0.95 kg/t

Production

4825

Origin

Slovakia

Shore

63

Price

612.00

Joint 1^st

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

225/45 R17

Motor Test Winner Zwycięzca testu

The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 shares the win with the Continental. It is the most rounded tyre in the test, with the best aquaplaning resistance and strong results on wet and dry roads.

Dry99.3%

Wet98.7%

Snow96.4%

Comfort96.4%

Rolling Resistance85.4%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	3rd / 9	42.5 m	+0.50 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	3rd / 9	54.1 s	+0.20 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	1st / 9	7 Points	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	3rd / 9	47 m	+1.60 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	2nd / 9	84.3 s	+0.80 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	2nd / 9	0.79 g	0.00 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	1st / 9	85.9 km/h	Best in this discipline
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	1st / 9	3.23 m/sec2	Best in this discipline
Snow BrakingLower is better	2nd / 9	28.8 m	+0.50 m
Snow TractionLower is better	1st / 9	8.64 m	Best in this discipline
Snow TractionHigher is better	6th / 9	2511 N	-102.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	8th / 9	83 s	+4.10 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.5 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	1st / 9	63.8 dB	Best in this discipline
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	5th / 9	8.74 kg/t	+1.28 kg/t

Production

4025

Origin

Romania

Shore

58

Price

594.00

3^rd

Dunlop Winter

225/45 R17

Motor Recommended Godna polecenia

The Dunlop Winter finished third and is recommended by Motor. It is a strong all-rounder on wet and dry roads with good comfort and efficiency, a little behind the winners on snow and in aquaplaning.

Dry98.8%

Wet94.5%

Snow96.6%

Comfort99.2%

Rolling Resistance89.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	1st / 9	42 m	Best in this discipline
Dry HandlingLower is better	6th / 9	54.4 s	+0.50 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	5th / 9	6.4 Points	-0.60 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	2nd / 9	46.8 m	+1.40 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	3rd / 9	85 s	+1.50 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	3rd / 9	0.756 g	-0.04 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	6th / 9	72.9 km/h	-13.00 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	7th / 9	2.37 m/sec2	-0.86 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	5th / 9	29.3 m	+1.00 m
Snow TractionLower is better	5th / 9	8.93 m	+0.29 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	5th / 9	2515 N	-98.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	6th / 9	81.3 s	+2.40 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	1st / 9	7 Points	Best in this discipline
NoiseLower is better	4th / 9	64.9 dB	+1.10 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	2nd / 9	8.34 kg/t	+0.88 kg/t

Production

3925

Origin

Serbia

Shore

61

Price

515.00

4^th

Kleber Krisalp HP3

225/45 R17

Motor Recommended Godna polecenia

The Kleber Krisalp HP3 finished fourth and is recommended by Motor. It is excellent on snow and resists aquaplaning well, which makes it strong value for money.

Dry97.2%

Wet92.4%

Snow99.5%

Comfort94.8%

Rolling Resistance84.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	5th / 9	43.8 m	+1.80 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	4th / 9	54.2 s	+0.30 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	4th / 9	6.5 Points	-0.50 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	5th / 9	50.4 m	+5.00 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	6th / 9	87.5 s	+4.00 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	6th / 9	0.723 g	-0.07 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	2nd / 9	79.1 km/h	-6.80 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	2nd / 9	3.02 m/sec2	-0.21 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	1st / 9	28.3 m	Best in this discipline
Snow TractionLower is better	4th / 9	8.91 m	+0.27 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	2nd / 9	2597 N	-16.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	2nd / 9	79.6 s	+0.70 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.5 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	6th / 9	65.9 dB	+2.10 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	6th / 9	8.81 kg/t	+1.35 kg/t

Production

1925

Origin

Poland

Shore

63

Price

419.00

5^th

Firestone Winterhawk 4

225/45 R17

The Firestone Winterhawk 4 finished fifth. It is a balanced mid-range tyre without a major weakness, but it is not among the leaders in any area either.

Dry96.1%

Wet93.2%

Snow95.8%

Comfort91.4%

Rolling Resistance85.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	6th / 9	44.6 m	+2.60 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	5th / 9	54.3 s	+0.40 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	6th / 9	6.3 Points	-0.70 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	4th / 9	48.7 m	+3.30 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	4th / 9	86.4 s	+2.90 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	4th / 9	0.739 g	-0.05 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	4th / 9	75.6 km/h	-10.30 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	6th / 9	2.69 m/sec2	-0.54 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	8th / 9	30.2 m	+1.90 m
Snow TractionLower is better	8th / 9	9.03 m	+0.39 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	7th / 9	2499 N	-114.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	3rd / 9	80.6 s	+1.70 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	7th / 9	6 Points	-1.00 Points
NoiseLower is better	5th / 9	65.7 dB	+1.90 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	4th / 9	8.69 kg/t	+1.23 kg/t

Production

2225

Origin

Italy

Shore

62

Price

417.00

6^th

Nokian Snowproof 2

225/45 R17

The Nokian Snowproof 2 finished sixth. It is efficient and very capable on dry roads, but its snow performance was the weakest in this test.

Dry99.2%

Wet91.9%

Snow90.8%

Comfort90.8%

Rolling Resistance100%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	4th / 9	42.6 m	+0.60 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	1st / 9	53.9 s	Best in this discipline
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.9 Points	-0.10 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	6th / 9	50.6 m	+5.20 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	5th / 9	87.3 s	+3.80 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	5th / 9	0.726 g	-0.07 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	5th / 9	75.3 km/h	-10.60 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	3rd / 9	2.93 m/sec2	-0.30 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	9th / 9	31 m	+2.70 m
Snow TractionLower is better	9th / 9	9.4 m	+0.76 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	9th / 9	2328 N	-285.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	9th / 9	85.6 s	+6.70 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	6th / 9	6.1 Points	-0.90 Points
NoiseLower is better	8th / 9	67.5 dB	+3.70 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	1st / 9	7.46 kg/t	Best in this discipline

Production

0325

Origin

Romania

Shore

70

Price

459.00

7^th

Debica Frigo HP2

225/45 R17

The Debica Frigo HP2 finished seventh, the best of the budget tyres by a clear margin. It is good on snow and acceptable on wet and dry roads.

Dry93.6%

Wet88.8%

Snow97.7%

Comfort94.3%

Rolling Resistance80.3%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	7th / 9	45.4 m	+3.40 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	8th / 9	55.1 s	+1.20 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	7th / 9	5.5 Points	-1.50 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	7th / 9	53 m	+7.60 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	7th / 9	89.4 s	+5.90 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	7th / 9	0.708 g	-0.08 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	7th / 9	71.5 km/h	-14.40 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	5th / 9	2.75 m/sec2	-0.48 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	3rd / 9	29 m	+0.70 m
Snow TractionLower is better	3rd / 9	8.85 m	+0.21 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	4th / 9	2564 N	-49.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	4th / 9	81 s	+2.10 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 9	6.5 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	7th / 9	66.7 dB	+2.90 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	7th / 9	9.29 kg/t	+1.83 kg/t

Production

3425

Origin

Germany

Shore

62

Price

397.00

8^th

Mazzini Snow Leopard 2

225/45 R17

The Mazzini Snowleopard 2 finished eighth. Its snow performance is excellent, but its wet grip is so poor that Motor advises buyers of cheap tyres to avoid it.

Dry91.9%

Wet76.7%

Snow99.3%

Comfort92.1%

Rolling Resistance79.5%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	8th / 9	45.9 m	+3.90 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	9th / 9	55.7 s	+1.80 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	9th / 9	4.9 Points	-2.10 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	8th / 9	59.7 m	+14.30 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	8th / 9	94.6 s	+11.10 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	8th / 9	0.605 g	-0.19 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	9th / 9	57.7 km/h	-28.20 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	9th / 9	1.33 m/sec2	-1.90 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	3rd / 9	29 m	+0.70 m
Snow TractionLower is better	2nd / 9	8.77 m	+0.13 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	1st / 9	2613 N	Best in this discipline
Snow HandlingLower is better	1st / 9	78.9 s	Best in this discipline
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	7th / 9	6 Points	-1.00 Points
NoiseLower is better	2nd / 9	64.8 dB	+1.00 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	8th / 9	9.39 kg/t	+1.93 kg/t

Production

1325

Origin

China

Shore

57

Price

244.00

9^th

Insa Turbo Pirineos+

225/45 R17

The Insa Turbo Pirineos Plus finished last. Motor considers it unsafe because of its wet performance and does not recommend it, despite its good results on snow.

Dry91.6%

Wet72.6%

Snow97.7%

Comfort88.9%

Rolling Resistance77.2%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (15)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tyres in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	9th / 9	47 m	+5.00 m
Dry HandlingLower is better	7th / 9	55 s	+1.10 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	8th / 9	5 Points	-2.00 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	9th / 9	67.4 m	+22.00 m
Wet HandlingLower is better	9th / 9	98.8 s	+15.30 s
Wet CircleHigher is better	9th / 9	0.53 g	-0.26 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	8th / 9	61.2 km/h	-24.70 km/h
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	8th / 9	2.2 m/sec2	-1.03 m/sec2
Snow BrakingLower is better	5th / 9	29.3 m	+1.00 m
Snow TractionLower is better	6th / 9	8.96 m	+0.32 m
Snow TractionHigher is better	3rd / 9	2590 N	-23.00 N
Snow HandlingLower is better	5th / 9	81.2 s	+2.30 s
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	9th / 9	5.9 Points	-1.10 Points
NoiseLower is better	9th / 9	68.3 dB	+4.50 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	9th / 9	9.66 kg/t	+2.20 kg/t

Production

4022

Origin

Spain

Shore

70

Price

311.00