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Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus

Kumho Tyres Premium Touring Winter

The Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus is a Premium Touring Winter tyre designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

6.4
Tyre Reviews Score Based on Professional Tests
Medium Confidence View Breakdown
Dry Grip
93%
Wet Grip
93%
Road Feedback
93%
Handling
93%
Wear
75%
Comfort
85%
Buy again
100%
Snow Grip
90%
Ice Grip
83%
4 Reviews
89% Average
13,000 miles driven
1 Tests (avg: 3rd)
Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus

Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus

Winter Mid-Range
BETA
6.4 / 10
Based on Professional Tests · Medium Confidence · Updated 30 Jan 2026

The Tyre Reviews Score is the most comprehensive tyre scoring system available. It aggregates professional test data from multiple independent publications, user reviews, and consistency analysis using Bayesian statistical methods, weighted normalisation, and recency-adjusted scoring to produce a single, reliable performance rating.

Learn more about our methodology
Category Scores
Snow
80.3
1.5x / 4 tests
Wet
80.2
2x / 5 tests
Value
78
0.38x / 3 tests
Dry
70.6
1.2x / 2 tests
Comfort
61.9
0.29x / 2 tests
Cross-Category Performance

Cross-category scores are derived metrics that combine data from multiple test disciplines to evaluate real-world performance characteristics.

Handling
79.3
3 tests
Braking
78.6
3 tests
Traction
75
1 test
Score Components
Professional Tests
Weight: 80%
Tests: 1
Publications: 1
Period: 2025
User Reviews
Weight: 15%
Reviews: 4
Avg Rating: 89.3%
Min Required: 5
Consistency
Weight: 5%
Score Std Dev: 0.46
History Points: 6
Methodology & Configuration
Scoring Process
  1. Collect Test Data: Gather results from professional tyre tests across multiple publications. Minimum 1 test(s) required.
  2. Normalize Positions: Convert test positions to percentile scores using exponential weighting (factor: 1.2).
  3. Apply Recency Weighting: More recent tests are weighted higher with a decay rate of 0.95.
  4. Incorporate User Reviews: Factor in user review data (minimum 5 reviews). Weight: 15%.
  5. Bayesian Smoothing: Apply Bayesian prior (score: 7, weight: 1.5) to prevent extreme scores with limited data.
  6. Calculate Final Score: Combine all components using normalization factor of 1.1. Max score with limited data: 9.5.
Component Weights
Test Data
80%
User Reviews
15%
Consistency
5%
All Configuration Parameters
ParameterValueDescription
safety_weight 0.7 Weight multiplier for safety-related metrics
performance_weight 0.55 Weight multiplier for performance metrics
comfort_weight 0.4 Weight multiplier for comfort metrics
value_weight 0.45 Weight multiplier for value-for-money metrics
user_reviews_weight 0.15 How much user reviews contribute to the final score
test_data_weight 0.8 How much professional test data contributes to the final score
consistency_weight 0.05 How much score consistency contributes to the final score
recency_decay_rate 0.95 Rate at which older test results lose influence (higher = slower decay)
min_test_count 1 Minimum number of professional tests required
min_review_count 5 Minimum number of user reviews required
score_version 1.8 Current version of the scoring algorithm
score_normalization_factor 1.1 Factor used to normalize raw scores to the 0-10 scale
confidence_factor_weight 0.2 How much data confidence affects the final score
position_penalty_weight 0.2 Penalty applied for poor test positions
gap_penalty_threshold 8 Score gap (%) that triggers additional penalties
min_metrics_count 2 Minimum number of test metrics needed per test
limited_data_threshold 2 Number of tests below which data is considered limited
single_test_penalty 0.1 Score multiplier when only one test is available
critical_metric_penalty 0.7 Penalty for poor performance on critical safety metrics
critical_metric_threshold 70 Score below which a critical metric penalty applies
position_exponential_factor 1.2 Exponent used to amplify position-based scoring
position_exponential_threshold 0.9 Position percentile below which exponential scoring applies
gap_multiplier_critical 3 Multiplier for critical gap penalties
max_category_weight 2 Maximum weight any single category can have
max_score_limited_data 9.5 Score cap when data is limited
bayesian_prior_weight 1.5 Weight of the Bayesian prior in smoothing
bayesian_prior_score 7 Prior score used for Bayesian smoothing
evidence_test_multiplier 1.9 Multiplier for test evidence in confidence calculation
evidence_metric_divisor 3 Divisor for metric count in evidence calculation
evidence_review_divisor 10 Divisor for review count in evidence calculation
Data Sources
TestPublicationDateSizePositionMetrics
2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test Auto Bild 2025 225/40 R18 3/22 16 metrics
All Tests
View Test Results
1
Tests
3rd
Average
3rd
Best
3rd
Worst
Latest Tyre Test Results
2025 Autobild Winter Tyre Test
225/40 R18 • 2025
3rd/22
The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ delivers a remarkable combination of performance and value, earning its place as a price-performance winner. This Korean tyre impresses particularly on snow with strong grip and confident handling, while also performing admirably on wet roads. Its standout feature is the W-speed rating (270 km/h), making it suitable for high-performance compact sports cars that might occasionally be driven at higher speeds. The tyre maintains balanced characteristics across all conditions without any major weaknesses, though it's slightly less sharp in dry handling compared to the most sporty options. At approximately €430 per set, it represents exceptional value, offering near-premium performance at a mid-range price. This makes it an ideal choice for budget-conscious drivers who refuse to compromise significantly on safety and performance during winter.

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Top 3 Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus Reviews

Given 87% while driving a BMW 320d touring (205/55 R16) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
Best deal ever!
Tyres are premium feel, Class A wet grip, drive like a german tyre on a BMW Touring 320D. Made in Korea.
The only other Class A wet grip tyre is Bridgestone, with $55 more per tyre.

Kumho is the top-brand of the corporation, the budget version is Marshall.
Ask a question | Helpful 232
October 24, 2025
Given 85% while driving a BMW 530i (245/45 R18) on a combination of roads for 1,000 average miles
Mounted these this season on my BMW 530i xDrive, and after a few hundred kilometers of mixed driving, including mountain roads with tight hairpins, wet tarmac, and temperatures between 3–5°C, I’m genuinely impressed. With all driver aids turned off, the grip was annoyingly good; no matter how much I tried to unsettle the car, it simply stuck to the road.

Coming from Continental run-flats, the comfort improvement is immediately noticeable. The ride feels more compliant, and surprisingly, the road noise is minimal barely distinguishable from my summer Michelin Primacy 3s. That was an unexpected bonus.

As for fuel consumption, I can’t make a direct comparison since my winter setup is 245/45 R18 all around, while summer is 245 front / 275 rear on 19-inch wheels. Still, the overall consumption seems similar.

So far, the WP52+ have been flawless in all conditions tested wet grip, handling, comfort, and noise are top-notch. I’ll post an update once I’ve had the chance to test them on snow and ice, but as it stands, Kumho really nailed it with this tire.
Ask a question | Helpful 165
November 11, 2025
Given 100% while driving a MG HS (225/55 R19) on a combination of roads for 5,000 average miles
Comparing the brands like Continental, Bridgestone, Hankook, Michelin, we are very impressed by the progression of Kumho. The wp52+ tested in France in the Vosges and in the city is impressive. Tire and report quality price incomparable.
Ask a question | Helpful 120
November 19, 2025
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Latest Kumho WinterCraft WP52 plus Reviews

Given 87% while driving a Volvo V60 T6 AWD (235/45 R17) on mostly country roads for 5,000 average miles
Great tyres for the cost, transforms car in winter with great grip, water shedding and ride comfort
Ask a question | Helpful 97
December 24, 2025