2021 Auto Bild All Season Tire Test

The 2021 Auto Bild all season tire test has tested sixteen of the best all season tires in the popular 225/50 R17 size.

Auto Bild are the European leaders in tire testing, and go to lengths with their tests no other publication can. Firstly, to select the sixteen all season tires in this test, they placed thirty two sets through a dry and wet braking test with the top sixteen qualifying, ensuring these sixteen are some of the very best on the market.

Secondly, Auto Bild contracted out a very expensive wear test, which consisted of 12,000 km for each set of tires in real world conditions, then extrapolated the data through to 1.6mm. This allows the testers to put the total mileage covered against the purchase price to work out which tire is best value. More on this later in the article.

This Test VS Tire Reviews Test

If you've already seen the 2021 Tire Reviews All Season Tire Test, you will find the results of this test familiar in parts, and surprising in others due to the different ranking of the tires across the two tests. As these differences can be confusing to tire shoppers, I'd like to talk about why these differences exist.

Firstly, the Auto Bild test uses a different scoring weight to Tire Reviews, and they convert results into points and then into a final point based grade. Unlike Tire Reviews, some of the calculations made are not public, so it's difficult to work out the exact reason each tire came where, but they do provide most of the raw data which is very useful.

Secondly, Auto Bild have tested and scored on more categories, including wear and the overall value of the tire which is an important criteria Tire Reviews does not.

Thirdly, the test conditions were different. This test used 225/50 R17 on a heavy RWD BMW 3 Series, and tested the dry and wet performance of the tires in warm summer conditions (22c+). Tire Reviews used 205/55 R16 on a lighter FWD VW Golf and tested the dry and wet performance of the tires at a cool 4c. Tire Reviews also snow tested the traditional way outdoors during winter, whereas Auto Bild used a much smaller indoor snow facility.

Lastly, the grip surfaces were different. Tire Reviews tested on a track with a surface grip similar to a new tarmac road. Auto Bild like to use low grip surfaces to expand the differences between the tires, especially in wet braking which can sometimes be artificially low.

The Differing Results

Now you understand the differences in testing, what are the differences in results?

There are four important changes between the two tests, the Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3 won this test instead of fifth in Tire Reviews, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 placed seventh here and won the Tire Reviews test, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 dropped from second in Tire Reviews to fourteenth in this test, and the Nokian SeasonProof scored well in this test overall.

The Goodyear result is easy to explain. In the Tire Reviews test, the 16" Goodyear struggled in wet braking at both temperatures tested. Had it not, it would have been one of the best tires on test (noted in the article), and in this test it performed as expected. It's difficult to understand why the Goodyear didn't perform well in the Tire Reviews wet braking tests without further testing, but from all the other testing the tire has done, it seems like that was the outlier.

The Michelin CrossClimate 2 was marked down for two reasons in Auto Bild. Firstly, it scored relatively poorly in wear, and when you calculate value based on purchase price it worked out to be one of the worst value tires on test - this is not something Tire Reviews scores on. Secondly, the French tire struggled in the wet in both tests, which might be down to the lower grip surfaces used, or a function of the vehicle and size combination.

The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2 lost a lot of points in this test due to the worst wet braking and wet handling in this test, compared to the Tire Reviews test where it had reasonable wet performance. This is harder to explain, but could again be a function of the low grip surface of the tracks or the tire size differences.

Finally, the Nokian SeasonProof actually had similar results between the tests, it just seems Auto Bild put a much higher weighting on snow performance than Tire Reviews does. Plus, the high wear and competitive purchase price made this tire the second best in terms of value on test, which is worth a lot of points promoting it in this test.

Conclusion

To conclude, there are differences in tire test results all the time, and I understand that it's frustrating for the customer especially when new tires like the CrossClimate 2 and SF2 have different results between the first big tests they feature in. 

In the incredibly complicated world of tire test, the goal of Tire Reviews has never been to say "our data is right, ignore everyone else", instead it is to give you as many data points as possible to allow you to make your own purchase decision. I still encourage you do that for future purchases.

The positive is there is a lot of synergies between tests too! The Continental AllSeasonContact performed well in both tests, as did the Vredestein product, and the third placed Hankook in this test also performed well in the Tire Reviews test last year.

Dry

As we've become accustomed to in all season tests, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 led the way in dry braking and dry handling, but this time some of the other all season tires had closed the gap.

Wet

Wet testing highlighted three brands as having good wet performance, Vredestein, Goodyear and Falken took the top three spots in both wet braking and wet handling.

The summer tire had a surprisingly large lead in the straight aquaplaning test. The curved aquaplaning data can be found in the results table below.

Snow

All three snow tests were led by Nokian, who have a strong history with excellent winter products. Michelin have improved on the snow performance of the CrossClimate+, with the CrossClimate 2 scoring well in all three tests, and Firestone and Continental also performed well in the winter conditions.

Environment

The Pirelli Cinturato SF2 had the lowest external noise on test in a group which was only split by 3db.

Of the leading tires overall, Michelin and Pirelli had very low rolling resistances.

Wear

The three charts below cover the calculated total tread life of the tire based on 15,000km on the road, then calculated down to 1.6mm, the purchase price of the tires in euros at the time of publication (this figure can vary between markets and times of year) and then the value of the tire, based on how many euros you pay in wear based every 1000 miles.

Michelin, long known for some of the best wear on test, seem to have dropped some mileage from the new CrossClimate 2, which could only finish mid pack with an estimated tread life of 40,000km. Instead, the Kumho Solus 4S HA32 proved to have the lowest wear of the group, calculated to cover over 54,000km with the Nokian SeasonProof in second at a very reasonable 51,000km.

Perhaps most impressively, given the high grip in nearly all tests, was the Goodyear Vector 4Season Gen-3 which promised to cover 50,000km, with it's main rivals from Continental and Hankook only expected to cover 43,000km and 34,000km respectively.

While the wear performance of the top tires on test were impressive, the difference in value was even more apparent, with the high priced Michelin one of the worst value tires on test with the group leading Kumho and Nexen products offering nearly half the price per kilometer travelled.

The Goodyear offered the best best value of the leading tires overall.

Results

View Results as a single table and adjust the score weighting

1st: Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen 3
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: C/B/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 9th +4.3 M 89.74% Dry Handling 13th -1.7 Km/H 98.13% Wet Braking 2nd +0.7 M 98.62% Wet Handling 3rd -2.2 Km/H 97.15% Wet Circle 9th +0.57 s 95.61% Straight Aqua 2nd -1 Km/H 98.95% Curved Aquaplaning 1st 100% Snow Braking 4th +1.3 M 95.17% Snow Traction 6th -185 N 93.84% Snow Handling 5th -0.7 Km/H 98.33% Noise 10th +1.2 dB 98.34% Wear 3rd -4069 Km 92.54% Value 8th +3.66 Price/1000 66.73% Price 14th +170 69.37% Rolling Resistance 10th +1.13 kg / t 86.32% Test winner with convincing performance in any weather, dynamic handling, short wet braking distances, very good aquaplaning resistance, very low wear, good value for money. None mentioned. Read Reviews    Buy from £125.88
2nd: Continental AllSeasonContact
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: B/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 13th +4.7 M 88.89% Dry Handling 11th -1.5 Km/H 98.35% Wet Braking 9th +3 M 94.34% Wet Handling 8th -3.7 Km/H 95.21% Wet Circle 4th +0.4 s 96.88% Straight Aqua 3rd -1.6 Km/H 98.31% Curved Aquaplaning 5th -0.37 m/sec2 87.87% Snow Braking 2nd +0.5 M 98.08% Snow Traction 12th -337 N 88.78% Snow Handling 2nd -0.6 Km/H 98.57% Noise 13th +1.5 dB 97.93% Wear 7th -10975 Km 79.87% Value 14th +6.78 Price/1000 51.98% Price 15th +230 62.6% Rolling Resistance 5th +0.53 kg / t 93.08% Convincing all round performance with good winter qualities, precise steering behavior, best safety reserves at aquaplaning, good ride comfort, low rolling resistance. High price. Read Reviews    Buy from £118.69
3rd: Hankook Kinergy 4S2
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: C/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 4th +2.7 M 93.3% Dry Handling 6th -0.9 Km/H 99.01% Wet Braking 5th +2.3 M 95.6% Wet Handling 4th -2.4 Km/H 96.9% Wet Circle 2nd +0.25 s 98.03% Straight Aqua 5th -2.5 Km/H 97.37% Curved Aquaplaning 8th -0.51 m/sec2 83.28% Snow Braking 11th +1.8 M 93.43% Snow Traction 8th -198 N 93.41% Snow Handling 9th -1.3 Km/H 96.9% Noise 11th +1.4 dB 98.07% Wear 14th -19829 Km 63.63% Value 9th +5.49 Price/1000 57.21% Price 5th +60 86.52% Rolling Resistance 9th +1.11 kg / t 86.53% Good all season tires with balanced driving characteristics, stable wet and dry handling, short snow and wet braking, good aquaplaning resistance, well priced. Limited mileage. Read Reviews    Buy from £102.99
4th: Vredestein Quatrac Pro
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: E/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 10th +4.4 M 89.52% Dry Handling 6th -0.9 Km/H 99.01% Wet Braking 1st 100% Wet Handling 1st 100% Wet Circle 1st 100% Straight Aqua 9th -4.2 Km/H 95.57% Curved Aquaplaning 6th -0.4 m/sec2 86.89% Snow Braking 13th +2.4 M 91.43% Snow Traction 10th -288 N 90.41% Snow Handling 7th -1.1 Km/H 97.37% Noise 2nd +0.3 dB 99.58% Wear 15th -19924 Km 63.46% Value 12th +6.24 Price/1000 54.05% Price 8th +85 81.91% Rolling Resistance 15th +2.06 kg / t 77.58% Wet specialist with dynamic handling and short braking distances on wet roads, good comfort. Limited mileage, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews    Buy from £107.99
5th: Nokian SeasonProof
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: C/B/69	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 5th +3.8 M 90.82% Dry Handling 14th -2.1 Km/H 97.69% Wet Braking 10th +3.5 M 93.46% Wet Handling 12th -5 Km/H 93.53% Wet Circle 8th +0.49 s 96.2% Straight Aqua 11th -4.4 Km/H 95.36% Curved Aquaplaning 4th -0.35 m/sec2 88.52% Snow Braking 1st 100% Snow Traction 1st 100% Snow Handling 1st 100% Noise 3rd +0.4 dB 99.44% Wear 2nd -3198 Km 94.13% Value 3rd +1.82 Price/1000 80.13% Price 8th +85 81.91% Rolling Resistance 11th +1.44 kg / t 83.2% Winter specialist with convincing driving characteristics on snow, low wear, good price to performance ratio. Understeer in the dry and wet. Read Reviews    Buy from £106.19
5th: Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: C/C/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 12th +4.6 M 89.1% Dry Handling 2nd -0.3 Km/H 99.67% Wet Braking 3rd +0.8 M 98.43% Wet Handling 2nd -1.6 Km/H 97.93% Wet Circle 7th +0.48 s 96.28% Straight Aqua 12th -4.5 Km/H 95.26% Curved Aquaplaning 7th -0.43 m/sec2 85.9% Snow Braking 5th +1.4 M 94.81% Snow Traction 5th -171 N 94.31% Snow Handling 13th -1.7 Km/H 95.94% Noise 13th +1.5 dB 97.93% Wear 5th -8512 Km 84.39% Value 4th +2.11 Price/1000 77.67% Price 4th +50 88.51% Rolling Resistance 16th +2.31 kg / t 75.53% Good traction and short braking distances in the snow, dynamic wet and dry handling, short wet braking distances, low wear. Understeering snow handling, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews    Buy from £108.99
7th: Michelin CrossClimate 2
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: B/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 1st 100% Dry Handling 1st 100% Wet Braking 11th +3.9 M 92.76% Wet Handling 12th -5 Km/H 93.53% Wet Circle 11th +0.68 s 94.81% Straight Aqua 4th -1.8 Km/H 98.1% Curved Aquaplaning 9th -0.53 m/sec2 82.62% Snow Braking 5th +1.4 M 94.81% Snow Traction 2nd -8 N 99.73% Snow Handling 2nd -0.6 Km/H 98.57% Noise 8th +0.9 dB 98.75% Wear 9th -14117 Km 74.11% Value 15th +8.38 Price/1000 46.69% Price 16th +250 60.63% Rolling Resistance 2nd +0.04 kg / t 99.44% Dry specialist with safe snow qualities, dynamic handling, good aquaplaning resistance, low rolling resistance. Understeer in the wet, high price level. Read Reviews    Buy from £126.69
8th: Maxxis Premitra All Season AP3
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: C/B/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 2nd +0.8 M 97.92% Dry Handling 5th -0.8 Km/H 99.12% Wet Braking 15th +4.7 M 91.41% Wet Handling 10th -4.6 Km/H 94.05% Wet Circle 10th +0.67 s 94.88% Straight Aqua 6th -3.3 Km/H 96.52% Curved Aquaplaning 11th -0.56 m/sec2 81.64% Snow Braking 8th +1.6 M 94.12% Snow Traction 4th -136 N 95.47% Snow Handling 6th -0.9 Km/H 97.85% Noise 4th +0.5 dB 99.3% Wear 12th -16208 Km 70.27% Value 5th +2.97 Price/1000 71.19% Price 2nd +10 97.47% Rolling Resistance 12th +1.47 kg / t 82.91% Good cornering and high traction in the snow, short snow braking, low noise, cheap purchase price. Average in the wet, average mileage. Read Reviews    Buy from £100.89
9th: Dunlop Sport All Season
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: B/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 8th +4.1 M 90.17% Dry Handling 4th -0.6 Km/H 99.34% Wet Braking 4th +1.4 M 97.28% Wet Handling 6th -2.8 Km/H 96.38% Wet Circle 6th +0.46 s 96.43% Straight Aqua 1st 100% Curved Aquaplaning 1st 100% Snow Braking 14th +2.6 M 90.78% Snow Traction 6th -185 N 93.84% Snow Handling 16th -2.3 Km/H 94.51% Noise 16th +2.2 dB 97% Wear 11th -15360 Km 71.83% Value 10th +5.68 Price/1000 56.37% Price 11th +115 77% Rolling Resistance 4th +0.49 kg / t 93.57% New all season tire with good performance and dynamic driving in the dry and wet. Lots of understeer in the snow, average mileage. Read Reviews    Buy from £121.19
9th: Bridgestone Weather Control A005 EVO
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: C/A/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 5th +3.8 M 90.82% Dry Handling 2nd -0.3 Km/H 99.67% Wet Braking 7th +2.9 M 94.52% Wet Handling 5th -2.6 Km/H 96.64% Wet Circle 4th +0.4 s 96.88% Straight Aqua 15th -6.3 Km/H 93.36% Curved Aquaplaning 15th -0.85 m/sec2 72.13% Snow Braking 12th +2 M 92.75% Snow Traction 9th -220 N 92.67% Snow Handling 12th -1.6 Km/H 96.18% Noise 9th +1 dB 98.61% Wear 13th -17946 Km 67.09% Value 13th +6.33 Price/1000 53.69% Price 12th +125 75.49% Rolling Resistance 6th +0.86 kg / t 89.24% Sporty dynamic dry handling, good traction and short braking on ice and snow, stable wet handling. Understeer snow handling, poor wear. Read Reviews    Buy from £111.19
11th: Viking FourTech
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: E/C/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 15th +5.9 M 86.44% Dry Handling 12th -1.6 Km/H 98.24% Wet Braking 6th +2.6 M 95.06% Wet Handling 11th -4.7 Km/H 93.92% Wet Circle 15th +0.88 s 93.38% Straight Aqua 8th -3.6 Km/H 96.21% Curved Aquaplaning 3rd -0.06 m/sec2 98.03% Snow Braking 3rd +1.2 M 95.52% Snow Traction 16th -513 N 82.92% Snow Handling 9th -1.3 Km/H 96.9% Noise 11th +1.4 dB 98.07% Wear 8th -12278 Km 77.48% Value 7th +3.55 Price/1000 67.4% Price 6th +75 83.7% Rolling Resistance 1st 100% Short snow braking, good aquaplaning safety, short wet braking, low rolling resistance. Average snow traction, understeer in the wet, long dry braking. Read Reviews    Buy from £137.90
12th: Kumho Solus 4S HA32
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: C/B/72	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 7th +3.9 M 90.6% Dry Handling 8th -1.1 Km/H 98.79% Wet Braking 14th +4.4 M 91.91% Wet Handling 14th -6 Km/H 92.24% Wet Circle 13th +0.7 s 94.66% Straight Aqua 13th -5.1 Km/H 94.63% Curved Aquaplaning 13th -0.69 m/sec2 77.38% Snow Braking 7th +1.5 M 94.46% Snow Traction 13th -372 N 87.61% Snow Handling 11th -1.4 Km/H 96.66% Noise 6th +0.8 dB 98.89% Wear 1st 100% Value 1st 100% Price 3rd +15 96.25% Rolling Resistance 8th +1.07 kg / t 86.95% Dynamic dry handling, lowest wear in test. Average wet grip, understeer in the snow. Read Reviews    Buy from £100.69
13th: Firestone MultiSeason Gen 02
225/50 R17 98V EU Label: C/B/71	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 14th +4.8 M 88.68% Dry Handling 9th -1.2 Km/H 98.68% Wet Braking 13th +4.1 M 92.42% Wet Handling 9th -4.4 Km/H 94.31% Wet Circle 11th +0.68 s 94.81% Straight Aqua 16th -9.9 Km/H 89.57% Curved Aquaplaning 16th -1.12 m/sec2 63.28% Snow Braking 8th +1.6 M 94.12% Snow Traction 3rd -87 N 97.1% Snow Handling 2nd -0.6 Km/H 98.57% Noise 15th +2 dB 97.26% Wear 6th -9703 Km 82.2% Value 6th +3.03 Price/1000 70.78% Price 7th +80 82.8% Rolling Resistance 7th +1 kg / t 87.7% Good traction and short braking distances in the snow, stable dry and snow handling, low wear. Very low aquaplaning resistance, average grip in the wet. Read Reviews    Buy from £118.43
14th: Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF2
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: B/B/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 3rd +2.6 M 93.53% Dry Handling 9th -1.2 Km/H 98.68% Wet Braking 16th +6 M 89.29% Wet Handling 16th -6.7 Km/H 91.33% Wet Circle 16th +0.89 s 93.31% Straight Aqua 7th -3.4 Km/H 96.42% Curved Aquaplaning 14th -0.77 m/sec2 74.75% Snow Braking 15th +2.9 M 89.82% Snow Traction 11th -312 N 89.61% Snow Handling 7th -1.1 Km/H 97.37% Noise 1st 100% Wear 10th -14461 Km 73.48% Value 11th +5.76 Price/1000 56.03% Price 13th +140 73.33% Rolling Resistance 3rd +0.38 kg / t 94.94% Dynamic handling and short braking distances in the snow and on dry roads, low rolling resistance. Long wet braking. Read Reviews    Buy from £124.19
15th: Nexen N Blue 4 Season
225/50 R17 94V EU Label: E/B/69	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 10th +4.4 M 89.52% Dry Handling 16th -3.9 Km/H 95.72% Wet Braking 12th +4 M 92.59% Wet Handling 15th -6.4 Km/H 91.72% Wet Circle 14th +0.78 s 94.09% Straight Aqua 10th -4.3 Km/H 95.47% Curved Aquaplaning 12th -0.61 m/sec2 80% Snow Braking 16th +4.8 M 84.21% Snow Traction 15th -500 N 83.35% Snow Handling 15th -2.2 Km/H 94.75% Noise 6th +0.8 dB 98.89% Wear 4th -7745 Km 85.8% Value 2nd +0.89 Price/1000 89.19% Price 1st 100% Rolling Resistance 13th +1.66 kg / t 81.11% Low wear, short dry braking distances, cheap price. Average winter performance, high understeer in the wet, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews    Buy from £91.29
16th: Giti GitiAllSeason AS1
225/50 R17 98W EU Label: C/B/70	Test # Difference % Dry Braking 15th +5.9 M 86.44% Dry Handling 15th -2.2 Km/H 97.59% Wet Braking 7th +2.9 M 94.52% Wet Handling 7th -3.1 Km/H 95.99% Wet Circle 3rd +0.36 s 97.18% Straight Aqua 14th -6.2 Km/H 93.47% Curved Aquaplaning 9th -0.53 m/sec2 82.62% Snow Braking 10th +1.7 M 93.77% Snow Traction 14th -440 N 85.35% Snow Handling 14th -2 Km/H 95.23% Noise 4th +0.5 dB 99.3% Wear 16th -23850 Km 56.26% Value 16th +8.63 Price/1000 45.96% Price 10th +105 78.57% Rolling Resistance 14th +1.68 kg / t 80.93% Short snow and wet braking distances, good comfort, low noise. Weak lateral grip in the dry and on snow, limited mileage, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews