A premium max-performance summer tyre with genuinely strong wet and dry grip and a sharp, confidence-building feel. Its big trade-off is longevity: many owners see very rapid wear, which can make it hard to justify at the price.
The Continental SportContact 5 feels like a proper premium UHP tyre when it's fresh: it delivers strong dry grip, secure wet grip and reassuring braking, backed up by a planted, accurate handling balance that suits fast road driving. It tends to inspire confidence at speed and in heavy rain, and when the tread is healthy it resists aquaplaning well. That dynamic 'all-rounder' character also comes through in comparative testing, where it regularly scored near the top for wet and dry performance and was often praised for its subjective driving feel.
Where the SportContact 5 most often disappoints is durability and day-to-day refinement. Tread life is the standout complaint by a large margin (often particularly on the front axle), with some also reporting uneven wear; as a result, value for money is frequently judged poor despite the premium badge. Noise is mixed but leans negative, and both tests and owners note it can be louder or feel harsher than the best alternatives-especially as it wears or on coarse surfaces. Finally, while it was class-leading in the mid-2010s, later comparisons suggest it has aged against newer UHP rivals; it still makes sense for drivers prioritising wet security and crisp responses over mileage and quietness.
The quick answer
Owners say71%from 228 owner reviews43% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesDry, ValueWetRelative to its rivals across every test we hold
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated September 2026.
Very good - Continental win more tests than any other brand in Europe, and this was apparent with the excellent SportContact 5 even though it has now been replaced by the newer PremiumContact 6.
How good is the Continental Sport Contact 5 in the wet?
Across the 3 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Continental Sport Contact 5 stops 1.2% longer than premium rivals and 0.7% longer than mid-range rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 64/100, and owners rate it 8.1/10 in the wet from 228 reviews.
How good is the Continental Sport Contact 5 in the dry?
Across the 3 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Continental Sport Contact 5 stops 0.3% shorter than premium rivals and 1.5% shorter than mid-range rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 81/100, and owners rate it 8.6/10 in the dry from 228 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Continental Sport Contact 5?
Across the 2 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Continental Sport Contact 5's rolling resistance is 4.3% lower than premium rivals and 8.1% lower than mid-range rivals.
How many miles does the Continental Sport Contact 5 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Continental Sport Contact 5 is expected to last around 15,896 miles (25,582 km).
What do owners say about the Continental Sport Contact 5?
Across 228 owner ratings the Continental Sport Contact 5 averages 71%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 8.6 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 5.1. 90 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 55% of owners score it 70% or better.
More questions about the Continental Sport Contact 5(10)
What is the Continental Sport Contact 5's EU tyre label rating?
Across its range, the Continental Sport Contact 5 most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, A for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Continental Sport Contact 5?
Owners rate the Continental Sport Contact 5 7.2 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 198 reviews.
How well do the Continental Sport Contact 5 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Continental Sport Contact 5 5.1 out of 10 for wear across 198 reviews. 90 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 8,784 miles.
Would owners buy the Continental Sport Contact 5 again?
43% of owners say they would buy the Continental Sport Contact 5 again, based on the 221 owner reviews that answered the question. 16% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Continental Sport Contact 5's tread life?
Of the 195 owner reviews analysed for the Continental Sport Contact 5, 141 mention tread life: 26 praise it (long-lasting) and 115 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "very disappointed with the wear on these tyres, 11500 miles (18000 km)". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Continental Sport Contact 5's dry grip?
Of the 195 owner reviews analysed for the Continental Sport Contact 5, 101 mention dry grip: 91 praise it (strong dry grip) and 10 criticise it (limited dry grip). Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Continental Sport Contact 5's wet grip?
Of the 195 owner reviews analysed for the Continental Sport Contact 5, 87 mention wet grip: 74 praise it (confident wet grip) and 13 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "great especially in the wet". Read those reviews
What does the Continental Sport Contact 5 replace?
Questions and Answers for the Continental Sport Contact 5
Is the sport contact 5 have good grip for the dessert sand?
December 23, 2022
As a summer tyre it's unlikely the Sportcontact 5 will offer any meaningful grip on sand.
Show all questions(6)
Hello! I’ve just bought an audi q3 40 tfsi quattro stronic with black line trim (sport suspension) with 40.000km and 3 years. Show moreHello! I’ve just bought an audi q3 40 tfsi quattro stronic with black line trim (sport suspension) with 40.000km and 3 years. Front tyres are hankook ventus s1 evo3 XL AO (coming from factory-3 years old) and rear tyres are continental sport contact 5 XL AO (new). With this configuration, ride is top notch with good roads but if it is in worse condition, suspension is too harsh and road noise is too high. What change do you advice me to do in front tyres to have more confort and less noise? Maybe goodyear? Is true thar there is no problem with quattro traction in changing tyres of only one axle? Thanks in advance!!! Show less
July 2, 2022
You didn't mention what wheel size you have but the SportContact 5 is a reasonably comfortable UHP tyre so it's unlikely you'll see a huge improvement in comfort without changing wheel sizes.
Is it safe to mix Continental Sport Contact 5 M0 and Continental SportContact5 on the front wheels of my Mercedes C220 cdi? Are they compatible?
October 21, 2016
While it is safe, it is not advised. Tyres should always be matching pairs across the axle, and there could be modifications to the structure or compound of the MO version of the Sport Contact 5.
Is there a difference between Continental SportContact5 and Sport Contact 5 M0
October 20, 2016
The MO version of the Sport Contact 5 has been specifically tweaked for Mercedes.
With run-flats, not necessary for a spare. If intending to change to non run-flats, does that mean I would require 5 wheels/tyres? Show moreWith run-flats, not necessary for a spare. If intending to change to non run-flats, does that mean I would require 5 wheels/tyres? If so, no location for the spare wheel. Show less
May 11, 2016
When switching from runflat tyres (in the case of Continental the SSR range) to non runflats, it is a good idea to get a space saver wheel for your boot. An alternative option is a compressor and tyre "slime", but these only temporarily fix very small punctures so aren't applicable in every deflation scenario.
What is difference between Continental SC-5 and SC-5 XL? I drive BMW F10 528i.
April 22, 2016
The XL denotes eXtra Load. The Sport Contact 5 XL will be a higher load rating than the non-XL tyre and designed to carry extra loads at higher tyre pressures.
Drivers generally describe the Continental Sport Contact 5 as a confidence-inspiring UHP tyre with strong dry and wet grip, sharp steering response, and secure braking-especially praised in rain and at speed. However, the dominant complaint is very fast wear (often on the front axle), which many feel makes it poor value despite the premium price. A smaller but recurring theme is increased road noise and a firmer/harsh ride as the tyre ages or on coarse surfaces.
What owners mention most counted across 195 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 228 ratings
Owner score71%
Dry Grip86%
Wet Grip81%
Road Feedback78%
Handling76%
Comfort72%
Wear51%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 54%
“I had them on my 2023 Audi A5 45 TFSI Quattro, but i didn't like them! The wear was awful and they were pretty noisy compared to the SportContact7. Also, the grip wasn't that great in dry conditions and i had an...”
“This tyre wore out within 1 year/less than 10,000kms, from modest city drying. Don't waste your money, its wasn't even that enjoyable, felt spongy and wore out like a pencil rubber. Such a bad experience, cant believe a...”
“The car is a Mercedes W212 E220 CDi estate. On local 20 mph streets the ride is very harsh whereas from 30 mph upwards it is quite normal, could be the car's suspension set-up though. My main beef is the very short...”
This tyre wore out within 1 year/less than 10,000kms, from modest city drying. Don't waste your money, its wasn't even that enjoyable, felt spongy and wore out like a pencil rubber. Such a bad experience, cant believe a German brand ranges a tyre like this.
84%
Member
Initial Impressions
Skoda
235/45 R20
60,000 miles
Great performance for my Kodiaq RS, excellent grip and handling for a SUV. Exceeded wear expectations. Much better than Pirelli Scorpion verdes for performance however less K’s as expected
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
Premature chemical hardening," "Severe compound thermal degradation at 16,000 km," and "Inappropriate 100V standard load factory specification for heavy 1.9-ton SUVs in hot climates.
Which tyres do you drive?
Researching the Continental Sport Contact 5? Rate the tyres you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
A very good stock Sport tyre, they lasted way beyond expected (62000km/7 years), rotated at 30000km (usually at 20000Km but forgot).
The rears are perfect worn, the fronts have some dry rot in last months.
I've been driving smoothly, only push them ocasionally on curvy, mountain and B roads.
Very good handling in perfect roads, dry or wet, never failed, but too harsh besides that and scary on potholes, but it is a 40 profile and the car suspension is too hard too... I can feel everything on the road, anything, these tyres seem like a block.
A little noisy and too pointy for me, could be more predictable and progressive at the edge and smoother to my liking.
Hope the next ones will be Hankook Ventus Evo or Michelin Pilot Sport 5 (too expensive).
I have Megane GT. Use Sport Contact 5 from inicial buy of the car. Always secure in dry ir wet conditions, but wear is short... Never less... Still use the same. Very good tires
Used up my first set and now on my second set.
Due to the cars relatively uncommon tire sizing, 195/45R17, these are both OEM and best aftermarket fits for the car.
Surprisingly long lasting on a lightweight car, some more pronounced aquaplaning, but all in all a very good sporty road tire.
I found the tyre a little noisy compared with the last brand, I was very disappointed with the wear on these tyres, 11500 miles (18000 km) on exactly the same road surface as my last set of tyres of which I had 26,000k the continental is not a cheap tyre, it was recommended by Norauto in Lugo, Spain.
It is not a tyre i would recommend after this use, I am a careful driver 70 years of age, the vehicle has never been off road and it is used as my daily commute i do not exceed speed limits.
Very good sporty tire, with decent life span and consistent performance and behavior.
Strengths: Direct steering, brake distance, both hot and cold, handling, responsiveness to inputs. For the tire type, decent level of noise and vibration. Long lasting ~ 25 000km.
Weaknesses: Can be easily overwhelmed on acceleration, on wet roads, some snap loss of grip on bad pavement, tendency to track tarmac irregularities. Sidewall easily damaged on potholes and curbs.
The tyre grips very well on bends, and the car handles very stiffly. Grip on dry surfaces is very good, and slightly worse on wet surfaces.
Tyre wear is quite low; after 20,000 km, the tread is about 5 mm thick, which is probably due to the weight of the car.
On the C-Class W204 with 185 hp, this is a very good tire. It's particularly direct when steering and provides a good, safe driving feel, even at higher speeds. You get the feeling the car is glued to the road. The car handles like it's on rails. There are more comfortable tires, but few that offer such a pleasant driving experience. They are a perfect match for this car.
I had them on my 2023 Audi A5 45 TFSI Quattro, but i didn't like them!
The wear was awful and they were pretty noisy compared to the SportContact7.
Also, the grip wasn't that great in dry conditions and i had an insecure feeling at the wheel!
Have had them as standard fitment on my Kodiaq vRS. Owned a diesel for 4 years which I traded in for a petrol vRS. On the diesel which is heavier by I guess 65 kgs (at the front), the tyres lasted abt 26k kms and were down to 3mm. No track usage but driven spiritedly whenever possible. The grip is great, the breaking and feedback is great in both dry and wet. Inspires a lot of confidence to drive quick. Past the 4mm mark, the wet grip/handling starts getting compromised but can be fun aswell - the tail steps out easier. On the petrol too, the tyres have the same characteristics. Have used them on track. Down to 5mm now after 16k kms. I did feel the wear is on higher side but given the other characteristics, its an even trade-off. Cannot comment how it compares to other high performance tyres. Will probably try something else like Pilot Sport just to know the difference once the current set wears off.
