A highly capable Nordic friction winter tyre that shines when roads turn properly icy and snow-covered, while staying impressively quiet and comfortable. Its main caveat is clear: aquaplaning resistance can lag behind key rivals in the same studless class.
The quick answer
Owners say85%from 17 owner reviews88% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesSnow, ValueWet, ComfortRelative 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 October 2026.
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 finished fourth of the five Nordic friction tyres. It is a pleasant, grippy Nordic friction tyre for ice and snow, let down mainly by its aquaplaning resistance.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 in the wet?
Across the 7 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stops 4% longer than premium rivals, 2% shorter than mid-range rivals and 1.3% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews wet score of 33/100, and owners rate it 7.7/10 in the wet from 17 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 in the dry?
Across the 7 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stops 0.7% shorter than premium rivals, 1.8% shorter than mid-range rivals and 2.8% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews dry score of 56/100, and owners rate it 8.3/10 in the dry from 17 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 in the snow?
Across the 9 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stops 1.9% shorter than premium rivals, 6.3% shorter than mid-range rivals and 2.4% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 9 snow-traction tests, it is 2.5% better than premium rivals, 6.8% better than mid-range rivals and 5.4% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews snow score of 88/100, and owners rate it 9/10 in the snow from 17 reviews.
How good is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 on ice?
Across the 7 ice-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stops 2.6% longer than premium rivals, 20.8% longer than mid-range rivals and 9.7% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 7 ice-traction tests, it is 4.5% worse than premium rivals, 27.4% worse than mid-range rivals and 10.6% better than budget rivals. It has a Tyre Reviews ice score of 81/100, and owners rate it 8.5/10 on ice from 17 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5?
Across the 2 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5's rolling resistance is 5.2% lower than premium rivals, 9.2% lower than mid-range rivals and 26% lower than budget rivals.
More questions about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5(8)
What do owners say about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5?
Across 17 owner ratings the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 averages 85%. Owners rate Snow Grip highest at 9 out of 10 and Wet Grip lowest at 7.7. 3 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 93% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5's EU tyre label rating?
Across its range, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 most commonly carries EU label ratings of B for fuel efficiency, D for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5?
Owners rate the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 8.9 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 14 reviews.
How well do the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 8.3 out of 10 for wear across 14 reviews. 3 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 3,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 again?
88% of owners say they would buy the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 again, based on the 16 owner reviews that answered the question. 69% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5's snow traction?
Of the 14 owner reviews analysed for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, 9 mention snow traction: 8 praise it (strong snow traction) and 1 criticise it (weak snow traction). One owner wrote: "One of the best tyres for nordic weathers. I felt very safe and confident when using these tires". Read those reviews
What does the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 replace?
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is the successor to the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 in Nokian's range.
What sizes does the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 come in?
The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is available in 66 sizes, ranging from 155-275/35-70 R14-20.
Questions and Answers for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Sorry, we don't currently have any questions and answers for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5. Why not submit a question to our tyre experts using the form below!
Drivers largely praise the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 for exceptional winter capability, with standout grip and braking on snow and strong confidence on ice, plus a very quiet and comfortable ride. A minority report weaknesses in wet conditions and aquaplaning resistance, and some note slush performance can be shaky around 0°C. Overall sentiment is strongly positive, with most users finding it a top-tier studless winter tyre for harsh climates.
What owners mention most counted across 14 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 17 ratings
Owner score85%
Snow Grip90%
Comfort89%
Road Feedback87%
Handling86%
Ice Grip85%
Wear83%
Dry Grip83%
Wet Grip77%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 97%
“One of the best tyres for nordic weathers. I felt very safe and confident when using these tires. Drive according to the weather and traffic rhythm. Speed limits and keep your distance when driving. Excellent tires!”
“Its the worst tire i have ever bought, i spent 1600$ my 3 tries burst in 1 year just because of a small pothole this tire even cannot handle it. I everytime my tire get burst i was below 40km speed. I will suggest you...”
Good Tires in almost all conditions. Feels better in try and wet than previous version r2 or r3. Good on wear. Could be better on ice and snow braking. Continental vikingcontact 7 feels better on ice and snow braking.
I’ve used this tyre for the current winter season, and it has performed much better than I expected. I live in Sweden in an area with a lot of variation in winter weather – everything from heavy snow to very slippery ice, as well as dry and rainy days.
In dry conditions the tyre responds well and provides a smooth driving experience. My previous winter tyre experience is mainly with studded tyres, and the comfort difference is huge. These feel much smoother and very quiet. I’m using a relatively small size, 195/65R15, which from what I understand is Nokian’s sweet spot. In larger sizes they seem to get outperformed by some competitors in terms of noise.
The main disappointment, although still acceptable compared to my past experiences, is the wet handling. The tyre can feel nervous in the wet, and aquaplaning resistance is not great – it doesn’t take much rain or very high speeds before it starts to lose stability. But again, it’s a winter tyre, and I’ve had worse experiences, especially with studded tyres.
In proper winter conditions the tyre really shines. Ice braking is not noticeably worse than my previous studded tyres, and the snow performance is outstanding – the best I’ve ever experienced. On icy roads with a layer of snow, the handling is very confidence‑inspiring. Even at fairly high speeds it’s hard to challenge the tyre; it may feel a bit nervous at the limit, but the grip is definitely there.
Overall, the winter performance is exceptional. For someone living in an area with harsh winters, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is definitely a tyre worth buying.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
The tires are comfortable and quiet on both dry and snowy roads, have excellent traction in snowy and slushy conditions, but they seem to severely lack smooth ice traction - especially in braking. I live in dry and cold North American/Canadian winter conditions and my experience matches the recent feedback that the compound was changed to improve wet performance at the cost of ice performance. I purchased these tires as dry snowy and icy conditions are common, so those were my first criteria. I've had to change my winter driving habits drastically when it comes to stopping and pretend that I'm using poor performing all seasons. I'm not sure if it's the weight of my hybrid SUV or just the tires, but I expect to lock up and slide through any stop sign when there is smooth ice involved. Overall good tires for the winter except for that one disappointing (and very important) aspect.
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New to the tire for this winter season - that said I am highly satisfied with the purchase comparing its use to our other two cars this winter it is the car chosen for when the roads are challenging. Wear is an N/A as we havent had it long enough. Cold dry grip seems just fine, noise level is elevated but who cares when you feel as secure as one does driving in the snow and wintery conditions. Our other cars travel north and well as to the south of North America (aka Florida) so we'll be looking forward to new all weather tires to compare it against as All weather set vs. Summer/Winter set.
Its the worst tire i have ever bought, i spent 1600$ my 3 tries burst in 1 year just because of a small pothole this tire even cannot handle it. I everytime my tire get burst i was below 40km speed. I will suggest you guys don’t buy this tire..
One of the best tyres for nordic weathers. I felt very safe and confident when using these tires. Drive according to the weather and traffic rhythm. Speed limits and keep your distance when driving. Excellent tires!
For now the best winter tyres I have owned. Fuel consumption matches the summer tyres or do better.
Drove 8500km in cold conditions. You notice that the tyres are not made for dry asfalt or rain. But they are nordic winter tyres...
Went to the Nordkapp in northern Norway 72⁰ north. And on icy conditions the are great. Many times I was surprised how much traction the tyres gave!
But there were also a few times that I was surprised I was sliding. It happens during moments there was slush on the road and I was sliding on al four wheels with 65/70km/h. Not ideal, going downhill in a corner.
On a other moment when the road was fully covered with a layer of fresh ice the tyres could not handle it either. But I think spike tires on that moment was the only option. The way back we used on the same stretch of road tyre chains.
In general the tyres gave a surprised amount of grip during the whole trip. But during temperatures around 0 with still snow/slush on the road the tyres where not in their element, and you have to take it easy.
About the wear of the tyres, I don't really know yet. I used them about 8500km. But I saw on the front tyres the inside was a little bit cupped, I don't know if it has to do with the alignment with the car, or with the load of the car, or the normal wear. But that is what I have seen yet.
They are the worst winter tires I have ever owned. This coming from a person who has owned Nolan’s for decades. Loose snow is frightening and I need to replace them even though almost new.
Tyre Reviews Replies
This generally does not match independent test results and others users experiences. We'd suggest checking pressures and alignment or giving them another run in different snow conditions. If they are still bad you should contact Nokian.
Rear wheel drive BMW. Staggered Wheel set up. 1000mi. Chicago winter. At highway speeds in the dry (we’ll say over 80mph @ 40°f) it’s down right scary. I don’t feel like I get good traction and the car wanders a bit. At wide curves in the dry, the traction control light comes on and then when I straighten out the LSD kicks in and it has a lateral jolt. Oh, and when there’s strong winds… white knuckling it all the way to work. I took the car back to the shop because I thought it might be tire rub but they said everything was clean and then rebalanced. It’s been quite a winter this year-seemingly every winter scenario imaginable So that being said, in city driving with 4-5 in of snow @ -15° to 20°f under 45mph the tires are simply AMAZING! Remember, this is a rear wheel drive, very “torquey” car. Slush and cold rain it handled well. I might be so bold to say the tires handled better at 20° than at 40°f. The only winters I have to compare it with are Pirelli Sotozero 3, which handled great on the highway but not in the slush or snow. I truly wanted to love this tire particularly since they were really hard to come by in my area but on the highway it falls short.
Tested in the northern Estonian climate with heavy snow and -20°C cold. Fantastic tires! Handling in both snow and ice is a whole new level. Recommend!
91%
Member
Skoda
205/55 R16
2,000 miles
Mostly Country Roads
Average
I replaced continental TS870 with these hakka r5. Ice&snow = perfect driving experience, so if you would like to improve trip in these condition I highly recomend!!!
Fantastic on ice and snow. Communicative, responsive, fun and lots of grip. The comfort level on ice and snow is superb. On dry roads the comfort is good but maybe not superb (have been driving quite little on dry roads with R5s)
Tyre Reviews Replies