Summer Passenger Car Tyre Tests

The ACE Auto Club Europa has published the first summer tyre test of 2026, kicking off this year's test season. Ten tyres in the 225/40 R18 size were tested across wet and dry braking, aquaplaning resistance, handling on both surfaces, rolling resistance, and exterior noise.

The 2025 evo tyre test evaluated nine ultra-high performance tyres in the 235/35 R19 size. The field comprised eight premium brand offerings alongside one budget and used an AWD BMW 135i X-Drive.

Below is the data from the Die-Reifen summer performance tyre test which tested eight popular summer tyres in 225/40 R18 using a VW Golf GTI.

It's the second test for the new Pirelli P Zero PZ5, and the second win! This years Auto Express summer tyre test has tested nine popular summer tyres in 225/40 R18, with some rather interesting results.

Tire Rack are on a mission this year to test more tyres than anyone has before, which is very exciting. Their summer performance tyre test has tested eleven of the most popular tyres in 275/35 R19 using their new BMW M2 test vehicle.

In this test I will finally compare the new Hoosier TrackAttack Pro to the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R and the Bridgestone Potenza RE71RS on a track AND autocross course.

Autobild Sports have tested seven premium and budget offerings in a staggered fitment of 245/35 R20 front and 295/30 R20 rear. Using a Lotus Emira as their test vehicle, Auto Bild Sportscars put these high-performance tyres through their paces across dry and wet conditions to determine which delivers the best balance for demanding sports car applications.

There's a new tyre on the market aiming to be the best of the best performance summer tyres. The Pirelli P Zero PZ5 is designed to take on the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Continental SportContact 7, Bridgestone Potenza Sport, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 and more, but can the latest UUHP summer tyre on the market really move the game on in both handling AND grip? There's only one way to find out - testing!

To find out if the new PZ5 is as good as Pirelli claim, I have tested it against all the tyres mentioned above, and the Falken Azenis FK520 and a budget tyre. I've put all seven sets of tyres through dry and wet testing, and I've looked into the noise, comfort and rolling resistance levels of each set of tyres to ensure you have all the information needed to make the correct purchase decision. 

Autobild Sports Cars tests are usually nice and simple. Fast car, the best of the UUHP tyres, put them together and see what's best.

Thankfully, in the strange year of 2025 testing, Autobild have kept that formula and tested eight performance summer tyres in 245/35 R19 using an Audi TTS.

As this is a nice and simple test, we'll let the data do the talking.

Every year there's a tyre test that makes me stop and wonder how they got to their conclusion, and this year that award goes to the UTAC / Aftonbladet summer tyre test.

As a bit of scene setting, Aftonbladet is a Scandinavian newspaper, so UTAC, who performed the testing, focused on the cold weather ability of the tyres, which is something I love. However, they did make some interesting statements, and ended up with some interesting findings. In total they tested 14 tyres, 10 summer and 4 European spec all season tyres, all in 225/45 R17.

German publication AutoBild has tested eight summer tyres in the 215/55 R18 size specifically aimed at electric vehicles. The test aimed to find tyres that could achieve the difficult balance between energy efficiency (for maximum EV range) and safety performance.

AutoBild evaluated models from premium manufacturers like Continental, Goodyear and Michelin alongside offerings from mid-range brands including Falken, Firestone and Yokohama, plus budget option Goodride. Interestingly, only two tyres in the test - the Hankook iON evo and Falken e.Ziex - were specifically designed as EV tyres, while others were standard tyres that manufacturers claim are also suitable for electric vehicles.

In their latest tyre test, Motor magazine has taken a unique approach to evaluating summer tyres, focusing on models that combine energy efficiency with high performance. The test specifically targeted tyres with the lowest rolling resistance ratings, examining whether fuel-saving characteristics would compromise grip and safety features.

The testing team selected seven tyres in the popular 205/55 R16 size, a dimension commonly found on vehicles ranging from the Audi A3 to the Volvo V70. Six of the tested models carried the EU label's top "A" rating for both rolling resistance and wet grip, while the seventh tyre (Prinx XLAB Comfort EV) featured an "A" rating for rolling resistance but a "B" for wet grip.

Auto Motor Und Sport always pushes traditional tyre testing in new directions, and this years summer tyre test has a new twist - sustainability. The test focused on the 215/55 R17 size, suitable for midsize sedans, station wagons, and compact SUVs, with particular attention paid to tyres achieving at least a "B" rating for rolling resistance on the EU tyre label.

The 2025 Sport Auto UUHP tyre test is the first to test the new Falken Azenis RS820!

The test used a G series BMW M4 with 275/35 R19 front and 285/30 R20 rear tyre sizes. Sport Auto evaluated four performance tyres: Continental SportContact 7, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S, Falken Azenis RS 820, and the BMW OE-marked Pirelli P Zero (PZ4*). Testing covered wet and dry braking, handling, aquaplaning resistance, and rolling resistance.

Finnish magazine Moottori tested eight mid-range summer tyres in size 205/55 R16. They ran the tyres through wet and dry braking tests, handling circuits, aquaplaning resistance, and measured noise levels and rolling resistance. The test showed clear differences in grip levels, with Nokian's Hakka Blue 3 taking the top spot over BF Goodrich Advantage DT1 and Hankook Ventus Prime 4.

Following on from the 52 set braking shootout, the full Autobild summer tyre test has taken the best twenty tyres to the full set of testing, with some interesting highlights!

There are two interesting stories. Firstly, is the rise of the Chinese tyres, with both Linglong and Sailun performing really well in the grip tests. Does this mean Chinese tyres are now fighting with the premium manufacturers? Well, sort of.

There's a new comfort bias summer tyre to market, the Pirelli Cinturato C3! To see how good the new tyre really is, I've tested it against some of its key rivals from Michelin and Continental. I've also added some new tyres I've not tested before. 

As usual, all the tyres in this test will be tested in the dry and wet, and I'll be assessing the comfort, noise, and rolling resistance (energy use) of the tyres to give you a complete overview of which tyre is best.

The 2025 Auto Zeitung summer tyre test has tested ten ultra high performance 225/45 R18 patterns in the dry and wet, and this year included wear!

The wear test has added some interesting highlights, which we'll discuss below.

The 2025 ADAC summer tyre test has been published, and it follows this years trend of testing in the sporty 225/40 R18 tyre size!

As always with ADAC they sadly don't give us all the data for the test, but they do give us some interesting insights, including wear, and they do a great job summarising each tyres performance overall.

In the world of high-performance tyres, Hoosier has long been a name synonymous with speed and grip. Recently, we had the opportunity to put three of their top offerings to the test at the BMW driving school, using an M4 GT4 race car as our platform. The tyres in question? The Hoosier R7, a medium compound Hoosier slick, and the new Hoosier Track Attack Pro. Each brought its own unique characteristics to the track, and the results were nothing short of impressive.