This is my second review of the tyres. I got these tyres last year and I felt confident driving in the wet even on mountainous roads in my small car. However, after the first rain of this season, I have had a few instances where I have lost traction or suffered from wheelspin. I am no longer feeling confident driving in these although they felt great last winter. Not sure whether this is due to the summer heat . I will be trying out a set of Dunlop Blue Response TG (although these are summer tyres, they seem to handle wet roads well).
Best Tyres for the Kia Motors Rio
Kia Motors Rio drivers have left 49 tyre reviews on Tyre Reviews, covering 740,071 miles of real world driving. Every tyre they rated is ranked below, so you can see what actually works on this car. The numbers include 2 Rio variants, listed further down.
- 49owner reviews
- 740,071 milescovered on them
- 41different tyres rated
- 72%average tyre score
The quick answer
| Season | Owners' pick | Owner rating | Our category test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Nexen N Blue HD Plus 7.6 | 74% from 5 reviews | Best Summer Tyres |
Highest weighted owner score from Kia Motors Rio drivers. Full rankings and the evidence behind them below.
The best rated tyres for the Kia Motors Rio
Rated only by drivers of this car. Each tyre needs at least 3 reviews from the Kia Motors Rio to be ranked; the order weights a tyre's score by how many reviews back it, so one glowing review cannot top a table.
Summer tyres
The highest rated tyre in the Summer category for the Kia Motors Rio is the Nexen N Blue HD Plus - 74% from 5 owner reviews across 179,360 miles.
| # | Tyre | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed | TR Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
74% | 5 | 179,360 miles | 7.6 |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
TR Score is the tyre's overall Tyre Reviews rating out of 10, built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre - not just the reviews from this car. The owner rating column is this car only.
The best rated tyres that fit the Kia Motors Rio
The rankings above can only speak for tyres a Kia Motors Rio driver has already reviewed. These are the highest rated tyres we hold that are actually manufactured in the sizes these drivers run - 185/65 R15, 195/55 R16, 205/45 R17 and 225/45 R17 - whether or not anyone here has fitted them yet. They are ranked on the TR Score, which is built from independent test results and every owner review of that tyre.
Summer tyres
Our highest rated tyre in the Summer category, in this car's sizes, is the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6, at 9.7 out of 10.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Rio reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
9.7 | 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 2 |
|
9.5 | 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 3 |
|
9.5 | 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
|
9.4 | 195/55 R16, 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 5 |
|
9.4 | 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
|
9.4 | 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Summer Tyres →
All Season tyres
No Kia Motors Rio driver has reviewed a tyre in the All Season category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 is our highest rated, at 9.6 out of 10.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Rio reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
9.6 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 3 |
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 4 |
|
9.5 | 185/65 R15, 195/55 R16, 225/45 R17 | 1 |
| 5 |
|
9.5 | 195/55 R16, 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best All Season Tyres → Test winner: Goodyear Vector All Season 4
Winter tyres
No Kia Motors Rio driver has reviewed a tyre in the Winter category yet. Of the ones made in this car's sizes, the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is our highest rated, at 9.5 out of 10.
| # | Tyre | TR Score | Made in | Kia Motors Rio reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 2 |
|
9.5 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 3 |
|
9.5 | 185/65 R15 | Be the first → |
| 4 |
|
9.4 | All your sizes | Be the first → |
| 5 |
|
9.4 | 195/55 R16, 205/45 R17, 225/45 R17 | Be the first → |
| 6 |
|
9.4 | 185/65 R15, 195/55 R16 | Be the first → |
Want test data as well as owner opinion? Best Winter Tyres → Test winner: Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
Fitment comes from each tyre's manufactured size list, and the sizes are the ones drivers reported when they reviewed. Check the size, load index and speed rating on your own doorplate before buying - a size a previous owner ran is not always the size your car left the factory on.
How long do tyres last on the Kia Motors Rio?
Across 14 end of life reviews from Kia Motors Rio drivers, a typical set of tyres was worn out after 26,100 miles. Half of all worn-out sets lasted between 12,000 miles and 39,500 miles.
Distances are self-reported by drivers whose review marked the set as worn out; figures are medians, so a single unusual report cannot move them.
Every tyre reviewed on the Kia Motors Rio
The complete record, including discontinued tyres and tyres with too few reviews to rank, ordered by the amount of evidence. A further 36 tyres have a single review each; they count toward the totals but are not listed.
| Tyre | Season | Owner rating | Reviews | Distance reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nexen N Blue HD Plus | Summer | 74% | 5 | 179,360 miles |
| Kleber Dynaxer HP4 | Summer | 90% | 2 | 5,000 miles |
| Continental Sport Contact 5 Replaced by Continental SportContact 7 | Summer | 76% | 2 | 22,383 miles |
| Vredestein Quatrac 5 Replaced by Vredestein Quatrac | All Season | 73% | 2 | 18,500 miles |
| Goodyear EfficientGrip Compact Replaced by Goodyear EfficientGrip Compact 2 | Summer | 65% | 2 | 66,100 miles |
Tyre sizes Kia Motors Rio drivers run
The sizes fitted in the reviews on this page. Each one links to the top rated tyres in that size, across every car.
Kia Motors Rio variants, reviewed separately
These trims and body styles have pages of their own. Their reviews are already counted in the rankings above.
What Kia Motors Rio drivers say
The most recent owner reviews from this car, in their own words.
I do not have much experience with tyres. However, dry grip is good and wet grip is very good for the price (especially driving on mountain roads), but I wouldn't say it's the best (still exceptional for the price though). I have even tried it on light snowy days on uphill/downhill roads and it seems to handle that as well. I yet need to test it's longevity but so far the wear seems limited.
have had these tyres on the car (kia rio 2012) since 2019. so theyre 7 years old now. Wet grip was very bad since day one, wet braking is downright scary. Dry grip is not good, but its not awful either. the tyre is not predictable, so do not buy it if you have a spirited driving style. I honestly dont have much good to say about this tyre. It has been on the car year long, through 40C summers, through cold winters. snow grip is okay in the winter. Only very good thing about this tyre: i have been trying to erase the tread, by driving it as hard as possible on the hottest days of the summer, it is impossible to wear it down. buy this tyre if you dont care about grip, but want a long lasting tyre. after 7 years, there is NO dryrot. thats impressive. i just absolutely hate the grip levels of the tyre.
Dry Handling - the sidewalls are too soft in the altenzo and doesn't have stiff blocks in the tread. When you take a corner hard, you can feel the tyres bend and hear them screech. Comparatively the Linglongs can hold a lot more lateral Gs without squealing. For example 80kmph max on Altenzo before understeering while linglongs can do same corner 100kmph. One good thing about Altenzo, it will screech before starting to understeer while Ling longs won't make any noise before giving up. Dry Grip, definitely Ling Long are better.
Dry Braking - Linglongs definitely felt better during hard braking with less squirming from the car. Brunei roads are quite uneven but still people drive 100kmph+. Ling Longs clearly better at keeping car stable while steerable under hard braking. But nothing wrong with Altenzo as long as you are not speeding.
Wet Handling - I'm not suicidal enough to push hard in corners in the wet with chinese made tyres. Straight line though you still have the confidence to do 80kmph in the Altenzos and Linglongs but not more. Feedback (confidence) in the wet both are similar. Good enough for the law abiding citizen.
Wet Braking - No amount of redbull, midlife crisis or road rage will make me fully brake test in the wet. I wouldn't recommend you to either. Keep plenty of space with the vehicle in front. Same goes for Ling Longs.
Comfort - linglongs were very comfortable tyres. The brunei road tarmac is super rough and noisy. When I bought the car it had semi worn bridgestone (damn good they were!) But they were super noisy. The linglongs were quiet and the ride became soft too. But believe me or not altenzo is even more quiet and comfortable. Definitely recommended for people looking for a quiet and comfy ride who doesn't seek corner thrills.
Wear - it's too early to tell. Linglongs lasted 15000km but judging by how the Altenzos look after 2000km, I think they will last longer. But this is just a guess.
Overall - I can cautiously recommend this tyre to peeps who looking to just drive about in comfort for the lowest price and high durability(possibly). If you are looking to drive a bit sportier (in a rio really?) The linglongs are a better choice. But honestly speaking if you have the money, upgrade to mid range tyres like GT Radial or Kumho as they would probably be safer in the wet. Good luck! Hope this helps.
I would say on dry roads the grip is adequate, handling is okay, nothing special, but not dangerous. In the wet the braking is extremely long, handling leaves loads to be desired, traction is very bad..
I honestly cant reccomend these tyres, as for a slightly higher price you can get tyres which wont leave you terrified in the rain. They do grip a LOT better in the rain when they are warmed upm but i use this car as a city car so its not often i have a chance to get them to temperature. I do about 3k miles per season with this car, the tread is basically like new after 4 years.
Car is Kia Rio 1.4 CVVT 2012, which had bad handling characteristics to start off, these tyres dont help its case.
Drive a Kia Motors Rio?
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Where this data comes from
Every rating on this page was submitted by a driver through the review form on this site, naming the car, the tyre, the size and the distance covered. Reviews are checked by hand before publication, and the page rebuilds automatically as new ones arrive.
About the TR Score
The Tyre Reviews Score rates each tyre out of 10 using independent test results and the full body of owner reviews, so you can check a car-specific ranking against the wider evidence.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tyre Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tyres independently since 2007.

