Good grip in snow, ice and wet conditions is especially important in the coming cold season. But which winter tire is the best? And which ones are better to stay away from? As every year, the German ADAC, together with the Swiss partner TCS and the Austrian ÖAMTC, tested the suitability of new winter tires in Ivalo, Finland – 16 tires for small cars in size 185/65 R15, such as the VW Polo, as well as a compact SUV in the style of the Skoda Karoq. 17 tires in size 215/60 R16.
Small car winter tires uncertain
The overall assessment of small car winter tires was mixed. The Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear Ultragrip 9+, Semperit Speed-Grip 5 and Michelin Alpin 6 perform well in all key criteria and come out on top.
Seven tires performed satisfactorily in midfield, while two winter tires, Snowdragon HP from Imperial and SW611 from Wanli, failed. They showed obvious weaknesses when braking on wet roads, classified as “inadequate” and “not recommended”. An example: Wanli’s test car speedometer was still showing 39 km/h while the best tire was braking at 80 km/h on wet roads. In the end, the braking distance was eleven meters longer! That’s why testers advise “Stay away from these two tire types”.
Good winter tires for compact SUVs
The size 215/60 R16 is popular for winter tires and fits many compact SUVs in the lower middle class, such as the Audi Q3, Skoda Karoq or VW T-Roc. After testing 17 winter tires of this size, experts came to a positive conclusion.
Only one tyre, the WM-SA2+ from Coopertires, has only been rated “adequate” and is therefore “only limitedly recommended”. It showed weakness on wear and tear and on dry roads, and did not perform satisfactorily on wet and snow. The four winter tires Continental WinterContact TS 870, Dunlop Wintersport 5, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+ and Michelin Alpin 6 performed much better. They received the coveted test grade “good” as they scored very well on all major criteria. The twelve SUV winter tires tested were at least “satisfactory”.
Should be at least “recommended”
Based on the test results, experts recommend purchasing only tires that have received at least the “recommended” rating in the main criteria of the main winter tire test (click here for detailed results).