The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 is a studded winter tyre chiefly praised by owners for snow and ice grip. Bare-road handling draws mixed views, and its sole independent test found substantial ice-grip losses in an eight-year-old used example.
Owners favour the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 for snowy and icy winters: all six reviews score above 70%, with four drivers praising snow traction and four ice grip. Two also like snow cornering. Bare-road views are less settled, with one finding it nervous and another describing predictable handling but weak dry and wet braking. Reports over several winters differ too: one driver retained studs with little tread wear after three winters, while another noticed reduced snow and ice grip in the third.
The sole independent comparison assessed a lightly used, eight-year-old example, so it cannot settle the model's ability when new. In Vi Bilagare's 2023 studded test it finished last of eight, with ice braking and traction 49% and 56% behind the best. That contrasts with owners' praise for ice grip, but the age distinction matters. The same example led dry braking and rolling resistance, and remained communicative at the icy limit; snow traction was third, but handling last. Its ice losses warrant caution about aged examples without establishing a universal rate of deterioration.
The quick answer
Owners say88%from 7 owner reviews100% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesDry, ValueSnow, IceRelative 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 January 2025.
How do eight-year-old tyres with a reasonable tread depth hold up? A tyre is said to improve on dry asphalt as it wears, something we can confirm. The used tyre shows the lowest consumption and best stopping distance on dry roads. The rubber also performs reasonably well on wet roads with an acceptable braking distance and is not far behind in cornering grip.
Snow grip is also not far off from the new tyres.
The major downside is a clear deterioration in ice grip. However, in icy corners, it communicates well with the driver about where the grip limit is and remains easy to handle under pressure. In fact, it holds up well compared to the budget tyre even on ice.
Investing in quality pays off for many years to come.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 in the wet?
Across the 1 wet-braking test it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 stops 0.6% longer than premium rivals, 2% shorter than mid-range rivals and 5.5% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 50/100, and owners rate it 7.9/10 in the wet from 7 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 in the dry?
Across the 1 dry-braking test it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 stops 3.4% shorter than premium rivals, 4.9% shorter than mid-range rivals and 3% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 89/100, and owners rate it 8.3/10 in the dry from 7 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 in the snow?
Across the 1 snow-braking test it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 stops 0.5% longer than premium rivals, 1.2% longer than mid-range rivals and 2% longer than budget rivals. Across the 1 snow-traction test, it is level with premium rivals, 0.3% better than mid-range rivals and 0.6% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews snow score of 31/100, and owners rate it 9.8/10 in the snow from 7 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 on ice?
Across the 1 ice-braking test it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 stops 29.2% longer than premium rivals, 39.1% longer than mid-range rivals and 10.9% longer than budget rivals. Across the 1 ice-traction test, it is 33.6% worse than premium rivals, 41.4% worse than mid-range rivals and 15% worse than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews ice score of 14/100, and owners rate it 10/10 on ice from 7 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8?
Across the 1 test measuring rolling resistance, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8's rolling resistance is 7.1% lower than premium rivals, 6% lower than mid-range rivals and 4.7% lower than budget rivals.
More questions about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8(6)
What treadwear rating and mileage warranty does the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 have?
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 has no UTQG treadwear grade: winter and light-truck sizes are exempt. Nokian gives it no mileage warranty.
What do owners say about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8?
Across 7 owner ratings the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 averages 88%. Owners rate Ice Grip highest at 10 out of 10 and Wet Grip lowest at 7.9. 3 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 100% of owners score it 70% or better.
How comfortable and quiet are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8?
Owners rate the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 8 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 6 reviews.
How well do the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 8.4 out of 10 for wear across 6 reviews. 3 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 13,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 again?
100% of owners say they would buy the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 again, based on the 6 owner reviews that answered the question. 83% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
Questions and Answers for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8
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Owners chiefly value the Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 for snow and ice grip, with all six reviews scoring above 70%. Four drivers praise each of those qualities, and two also like its behaviour when cornering on snow. Bare-road impressions are less settled: one driver finds it nervous on dry and wet roads, while another calls its handling predictable but criticises braking on both surfaces. Later-life experience is limited and mixed, with one driver reporting little tread wear and retained studs after three winters, but another noticing reduced snow and ice grip in the third winter. These individual accounts do not establish a shared ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 6 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 7 ratings
Owner score88%
Ice Grip100%
Snow Grip98%
Handling89%
Road Feedback84%
Wear84%
Dry Grip83%
Comfort80%
Wet Grip79%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 87%
“so many studs it makes the tire a little flinchy on dry / wet roads but it is a winter tire, drive it carefully on bara road and save the studs for winter when it is ice and snow thats a hole other ballgame it is...”
“Excellent tyres for snowy and icy conditions. Braking on dry or wet tarmac is not best, but it is normal considered the amound of studs, altought handling on tarmac is predictable and safe. Wear rate of these tyres are...”
First 2 winters they were amazing ( Approx. 20,000k per winter) 3rd winter noticeable reduction in grip on ice and snow.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
87%
Member
Skoda
205/55 R16
15,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average
so many studs it makes the tire a little flinchy on dry / wet roads but it is a winter tire, drive it carefully on bara road and save the studs for winter
when it is ice and snow thats a hole other ballgame it is absolutely wonderfull on winter roads top notch and i live in Sweden where we have long winters yes i will buy again always drive on nokia earlier this yeas i trie goodyear ... god on bare roads not it the same league in snow or icy roads
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Im currently in Northern Alberta where the cold and ice are Kings during our harsh winter. I just set up my Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 on my Audi S3 and it is unbelievable how much traction and control you have eith these tires. I really recommand to any one who wish to enjoy winter no matter the weather!
Excellent tyres for snowy and icy conditions.
Braking on dry or wet tarmac is not best, but it is normal considered the amound of studs, altought handling on tarmac is predictable and safe.
Wear rate of these tyres are incredible, I have had those three winters for now under car without ABS or traction control and none of the studs have been escaped or worn out! Rubber has worn from 8mm (brand new) to 6mm.
simply the best spiked tyre for arctic conditions in the north of norway sweden and finland. on snow they are excellent on par with goodyear ultra arctics and the older hakka 7's but on wind blown ice they are the best by far, stopping distance and cornering allows pretty much road maximums to be maintained once the temperature is below -7'c warmer than that all have to be a little cautious as the ice is soft wet and treacherous, these performed beatifully even to the coldest I drove the in at -47'c although it is worth checking your pressures as they can feel a bit soft as the gasses shrink....dont destroy them on too much under inflation. most in the north drive these across the 3 northern countries if they can.
