The Pirelli PZero Nero is a summer performance tyre with generally strong dry grip and handling. Two tests praised wet braking, but owner wet-grip experiences are divided, and rolling resistance, noise and comfort bring reservations.
Dry grip is the clearest shared merit, with seventy-two favourable owner comments against seven criticisms and mostly positive dry handling. The two tests also praised braking and handling, including the shortest wet stopping distances in the 2013 Auto Bild test. It finished second of eight there and fourth of eight in the 2012 Auto Bild Sportscars comparison, making dry-road performance and the tested braking results its more encouraging aspects.
Wet-road experience is less consistent than those test assessments suggest: owners give thirty-four wet-grip criticisms against twenty-six favourable accounts. Noise and comfort complaints also contrast with praise in the 2013 test, although they come from minorities of owners. Rolling resistance was criticised in both tests. Tread life is divided, and mid-life and end-of-life accounts include both retained performance and grip loss. Its dry-road strengths therefore come with uncertainty about wet-road confidence, refinement and durability in everyday use.
The quick answer
Owners say68%from 141 owner reviews51% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesGenerally strong dry gripMostly favourable dry handlingWet grip divides ownersHigh rolling resistance in both testsSummarised from the tests and owner reviews
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 March 2025.
Based on test and owner data, the Pirelli PZero Nero is expected to last around 21,938 miles (35,306 km).
What treadwear rating and mileage warranty does the Pirelli PZero Nero have?
In the US, the Pirelli PZero Nero carries a UTQG treadwear grade of 220, with traction AA and temperature A. UTQG treadwear is relative: a tyre graded 400 lasted four times as long as the reference tyre, graded 100, on the government test course. Pirelli gives it no mileage warranty. New, it has 10/32" (7.9 mm) of tread.
What do owners say about the Pirelli PZero Nero?
Across 141 owner ratings the Pirelli PZero Nero averages 68%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 8.3 out of 10 and Comfort lowest at 6.4. 60 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 46% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Pirelli PZero Nero's EU tyre label rating?
Across its range, the Pirelli PZero Nero most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 72 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Pirelli PZero Nero?
Owners rate the Pirelli PZero Nero 6.4 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 122 reviews.
More questions about the Pirelli PZero Nero(6)
How well do the Pirelli PZero Nero wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Pirelli PZero Nero 6.7 out of 10 for wear across 122 reviews. 60 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 10,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Pirelli PZero Nero again?
51% of owners say they would buy the Pirelli PZero Nero again, based on the 138 owner reviews that answered the question. 22% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Pirelli PZero Nero's dry grip?
Of the 120 owner reviews analysed for the Pirelli PZero Nero, 79 mention dry grip: 72 praise it (strong dry grip) and 7 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "The dry traction is excellent". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Pirelli PZero Nero's wet grip?
Of the 120 owner reviews analysed for the Pirelli PZero Nero, 60 mention wet grip: 26 praise it (confident wet grip) and 34 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "Driving in the rain felt like I was on ice. No feel at all". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Pirelli PZero Nero's tread life?
Of the 120 owner reviews analysed for the Pirelli PZero Nero, 53 mention tread life: 30 praise it (long-lasting) and 23 criticise it (wears quickly). One owner wrote: "68000km on them now, and I think they still can go a little bit more". Read those reviews
What sizes does the Pirelli PZero Nero come in?
The Pirelli PZero Nero is available in 3 sizes, ranging from 205-215/40-45 R17.
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Dry grip is the clearest strength of the Pirelli PZero Nero, with seventy-two favourable comments against seven criticisms, and dry handling is also mostly liked. Wet grip is more divided, drawing thirty-four complaints against twenty-six positive accounts. Tread life varies considerably, with thirty favourable mentions and twenty-three criticisms, while noise concerns come from around one in six owners and comfort concerns from around one in ten. Mid-life and end-of-life reports include both retained performance and grip loss, without a consistent ageing pattern. The later reviews from two owners do not establish a shared wear-related trend. Across 122 reviews, the 66.4% average includes fifty-one positive scores, sixty-two neutral and nine below 40%.
What owners mention most counted across 120 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 141 ratings
Owner score68%
Dry Grip83%
Handling71%
Road Feedback71%
Wear67%
Wet Grip65%
Comfort64%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 69%
“Awesome tire, good overall they have given me plenty of grip, handling is good, can be a bit hard but thats expected for the size, can be noisy at times especially on high way drives and can slip when hitting wet...”
“I'm not one to rate the tires "handling or feedback - I drive normal, dont push any turns or acceleration - so best I not comment on this features - seem ok to me. My beef - 11k miles driving and dealership said I need...”
“Brilliant dry performance , at some expence to cold wet performance (not had any scary moments though) , I have had 3 sets now and quite like them, lasted 8000miles on front and about 16000 on the rear. Got me to work...”
I'm not one to rate the tires "handling or feedback - I drive normal, dont push any turns or acceleration - so best I not comment on this features - seem ok to me.
My beef - 11k miles driving and dealership said I need to replace tires. I told him how many miles I have & he was shocked. All 4 tires all down to 3/32 tread left. I was even more shocked that I now need $600 to replace the tires. Defect? Outsourced? Just turns out they suck?
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
Awesome tire, good overall they have given me plenty of grip, handling is good, can be a bit hard but thats expected for the size, can be noisy at times especially on high way drives and can slip when hitting wet patches breaking but overall very good durable tires had them for 3 years now and still going strong
Which tyres do you drive?
Researching the Pirelli PZero Nero? Rate the tyres you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
These came stock on my 2018 Mustang GT non-performance pack. I have to be honest here as they don't handle either cool or hot temps well at all. I understand I have a lot of torque going through a pretty small contact patch (255), but I don't rev it to but about 4k and less than 3/4 throttle max in ideal conditions. Ideal for these tires meaning between 70 and 90 degrees. Any colder than that and they really feel like rocks, any hotter and they are so greasy - I mean hunting for traction and squirming at up to 70mph. I have learned to be careful with them outside of these temps. I can understand cooler temps, but how greasy they are, especially at 100+ is really a no go for me. I would not recommend these tires if you have over 400hp - I won't buy them again.
For light weight Fiat Abarth 500, 180HP, I found these bit crap. During hard braking and cornering tyres are squealing. I feel more like floating, during hard driving its unstable. I found these very dangerous for my style of driving. Although for legal road driving it will be pretty fine, but not suitable for track. Michelin Pilot Exalto were much better.
These tires handle great considering my car weights about 4000 lbs or even more. They’re super responsive and grip at launch. These tires keep you straight on the path you want to go no sliding no nothing. I was driving home in the rain with no problems and felt in complete control of the car at all times. Highly recommend
Great tire very grippy not as good as michelins in the wet,my only problem is I only went 9k miles on them I do drive very spiritually so some were is down to my driving but I expected little more life considering the cost.
Decent quality made Tire for the money i paid for at the time; i think they are discontinued now...
It wear out fast here in the deep south where the asphalt is scorching hot, i know this was a concern when i bought it!
It takes pot holes, crumbling road imperfections well, very well made tire, side wall is great!
Installed new in October 2019. 98000 miles, now have 119000 miles on it.
Its quiet, it grips the road & handled well on all seasons.
I was amazed by the performance it provided me during a 15 miles black ice covered freeway while driving in -15F temperature in Nebraska also works great in light snow covered road at night during the winter with traction control in snow mode ON. Never missed a heart beat, I Love my RRS with Pirelli Nero.
Be aware this tires don't like ridding in heavy rain or deep water on this heavy SUV, aquaplaning bonanza; on my opinion the tread pattern/depth is not design for that, but is good for all the other stuff.
My car came with a set of P zero Nero tyres on and well lets say when they need replacing I will be getting something different. In the dry they are fine, the car goes where I want it, they are quite noisy and on poorer road surfaces not the most comfortable but they are low profile. In the dry you can be vigorous when cornering and they do have good dry road characteristics both under power and when breaking. Wear wise I have been quite impressed. However in the wet they are a handful on some road surfaces and will cause the car to wander and pull this is very off putting under breaking, where the car would break straight in the dry it becomes interesting in the wet. In the wet under power they can also cause the car to wander on some types of road surface. On good A road tarmac they are fine in the wet but on resurfaced B roads it becomes a lottery.
I can't comment on the wet grip because I tend not to take my 4C Spider out when it's wet or be a bit more cautious. I have given it fairly high scores based on my experience of driving the local roads in a spirited but not stupid pace and they give me a lot of confidence. It's easy to criticise a tyre when you are pushing it to the limit such as on track, but I always feel that the tyre has more than enough grip for my style of driving. The Alfa 4C steering set up from the factory was track focused and very twitchy on UK roads, some like it that way but a revised steering geometry makes a huge difference. I've heard that Michelin PS4 Sports are a good, and may be slightly better but I'm quite happy to stay with the Pirellis. On my 17inch/18inch wheels, the tyres fitted are the AR version not the ARR version which doesn't like low temperatures. I take my car out all year round so much better to have tyres on that are less susceptible to the cold.
I have this tyres for about 5k now and they are great, I drive a Suzuki Swift Sport from 2007 and if you know the car you'd know its made for cornering and county roads. They do great but not for the Price and the "name" of the tyre, it's a Good overall tyre but I wouldn't consider them as performance ty
Hey
Since I used this site to choose my tires, here is my review on Pirelli PZero Nero
I'm have them from 2 seasons now.
Great tires for summer ! great grip on dry and wet (not really great at fast cornering,but maybe I wanted to have a bit of split).
I drive mostly city,but been outside for few road trips,and they do great on highway.
Downside: u have to get use to them in wet conditions.
Did hit few potholes(since I can recall it,they were big) and no problem so far , no bubbles or flats.
Will buy them again,when their live is over.
