Pirelli Launches the Scorpion Winter 3, Its New Winter Tire for SUVs

Pirelli launches the Scorpion Winter 3 for SUVs

Pirelli has officially launched the Scorpion Winter 3, the third generation of its winter tire for SUVs and crossovers. It replaces the Scorpion Winter 2, which itself followed the original Scorpion Winter. Pirelli's argument is that SUVs are heavy and tall enough to need a winter tire built specifically for them rather than a car tire in bigger sizes, and that the new design keeps its snow and wet grip as the tread wears. The tire is already on the EU label database and has already been through one independent magazine test, so the formal launch arrives with some outside evidence to judge it against.

Positioning

The Scorpion Winter 3 is the last piece of a winter range Pirelli has renewed over the past two years. The Cinturato Winter 3 covers mainstream cars and smaller crossovers, the P Zero Winter 2 covers high-performance cars, and the Scorpion Winter 3 takes the SUV and larger crossover market in 18 to 22 inch rim sizes. It is a European-style winter tire, carrying the three-peak mountain snowflake mark, not a studded or Nordic ice tire. Pirelli also points out that the Scorpion line has a long list of original equipment fitments, so expect to see marked versions of this tire on new premium SUVs.

Key technical changes

• Contact patch designed for weight. Pirelli says development started from how the tire behaves under heavy loads. The contact patch was reshaped to smooth out pressure peaks, which the company says helps both mileage and even wear, and keeps the number of biting edges in contact with the road roughly constant as the tread wears down.
• SUV-specific carcass. The internal structure is designed for high vehicle weights, according to Pirelli, rather than shared with the car tire.
• Tread pattern borrowed from the Cinturato Winter 3. The zigzag central groove, Pirelli's Snow Keeper Teeth (small features in the grooves that hold on to snow, because snow grips best against snow) and a high void ratio for snow and aquaplaning all come from the car tire.
• Stiffer blocks, tuned siping. To cope with the extra load, Pirelli says the tread blocks are stiffer than on a car tire, for handling and wear, and the density of the sipes has been chosen to avoid giving away too much dry-road precision.
• Compound from the P Zero Winter 2. The tread compound uses polymers developed for the performance winter tire, including what Pirelli calls Dual-Core Polymer, plus plasticisers that it says widen the temperature window in which the compound works.
• Simulation and Lapland testing. Pirelli says much of the development was done in simulation and on driving simulators, with physical testing at its Sottozero Center proving ground in Swedish Lapland, which has indoor facilities for year-round snow and ice work.

Manufacturer performance claims

Pirelli says every replacement size available at launch is graded A for wet grip on the EU tire label, with noise split between class A (a quarter of sizes) and class B (the rest). The EU label data we hold for 28 sizes agrees on wet grip, with external noise of 71 to 72 dB. Rolling resistance, which Pirelli does not mention, is graded B or C. For electric and plug-in hybrid SUVs there is an Elect version, and Pirelli repeats its claim that Elect technology can add up to 10% of range, but that figure comes from a 2022 comparison of summer Scorpion tires on a Volkswagen ID.4, not from this winter tire.

Pirelli's broader claim is that the Scorpion Winter 3 removes the usual trade-off between snow, wet and dry performance. Here there is some independent evidence. The tire won the 2026 Al Volante winter tire test, six tires in 235/60 R18 on an Alfa Romeo Stelvio, ahead of the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, Nokian Snowproof 3P, Michelin Alpin 7 and Bridgestone Blizzak 6. It had the shortest wet braking distance and was second only to the Goodyear on snow. It did not win by being best everywhere, though. It was mid-field for dry braking, had the second highest rolling resistance in the group, and did not lead either aquaplaning test. Its margin over the Goodyear was very small. That is one test, in one size, so it is a good start rather than a settled verdict.

The predecessor is useful context. The Scorpion Winter 2 was a solid but rarely class-leading tire in independent tests: 3rd in the 2023 Auto Bild SUV test, 4th in both the 2024 Auto Strassenverkehr and 2025 Auto Bild SUV tests, and 6th of 9 in our own 2023 SUV winter test. The tread design the new tire borrows has a better record: the Cinturato Winter 3 won the 2026 ADAC winter tire test, as Pirelli points out.

Sizes and availability

• Pirelli says the range launches with 30 sizes from 18 to 22 inches. The EU label database currently lists 28, from 225 to 315 mm wide with profiles from 30 to 60, in V and W speed ratings.
• Elect (for EVs and plug-in hybrids), PNCS (a foam liner inside the tire to cut cabin noise) and Seal Inside (puncture sealant) versions are offered in selected sizes.
• Pirelli is positioning the tire for the European winter season, including Italy's winter equipment requirement that starts on 15 November.

What it means for drivers

For owners of mid-size and large SUVs in Europe, the Scorpion Winter 3 is now Pirelli's default winter choice, and the early evidence suggests a real step up from the Scorpion Winter 2, particularly in the wet. One magazine win does not make a class leader, and the test also showed a tire that is better rounded than it is dominant, with rolling resistance a weak spot. We will test how Pirelli's claims hold up against the best SUV winter tires once we have run it through our own testing.