Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 vs Pirelli Ice Zero 2
Across three shared tests, Pirelli took two overall wins and Nokian one. The pattern is clear: Pirelli leverages studded confidence and standout wet braking for a studded tire, while Nokian counters with calmer ice control, strong snow capability, better comfort, and lower fuel use in key measurements. The choice comes down to how often you face sheer ice and heavy rain versus mixed Nordic commuting with an emphasis on comfort and efficiency.
Test Results
Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been three tests which compare both tires directly!
| Tire | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 | one | |
| Pirelli Ice Zero 2 | two |
While it might look like the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 is better than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.
Key Strengths
- Calm, controllable limit behavior on ice and snow; excellent lateral grip on snow
- Lower fuel consumption in shared test and generally efficient rolling
- Quieter and more comfortable ride than the studded competitor
- Strong dry-road performance for a winter tire (wins in dry braking and subjective handling)
- Superior ice performance (notably shorter ice braking and stronger traction)
- Class-leading wet braking for a studded tire; best-in-group aquaplaning in shared data
- Precise steering with good stability in moose test scenarios
- Two overall test wins showing balanced performance for a studded option
Dry Braking
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one dry braking tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stopped the vehicle in 2.53% less distance than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Dry Braking: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one subj. dry handling tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 scored 11.11% more points than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 was better during one wet braking tests. On average the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 stopped the vehicle in 9.5% less distance than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Best In Wet Braking: Pirelli Ice Zero 2
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was 0.98% faster around a wet lap than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from two tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 and Pirelli Ice Zero 2 performed equally well in subj. wet handling tests.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Both tires performed equally well
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 was better during one straight aqua tests. On average the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 floated at a 16.62% higher speed than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Best In Straight Aqua: Pirelli Ice Zero 2
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Snow Braking
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one snow braking tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 stopped the vehicle in 0.8% less distance than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Snow Braking: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Snow Braking winner was calculated >>
Snow Traction
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 was better during one snow traction tests. On average the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 accelerated 1.67% faster than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Best In Snow Traction: Pirelli Ice Zero 2
See how the Snow Traction winner was calculated >>
Subj. Snow Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one subj. snow handling tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 scored 10% more points than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Subj. Snow Handling: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Subj. Snow Handling winner was calculated >>
Ice Braking
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 was better during one ice braking tests. On average the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 stopped the vehicle 13.15% shorter than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Best In Ice Braking: Pirelli Ice Zero 2
See how the Ice Braking winner was calculated >>
Ice Traction
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 was better during one ice traction tests. On average the Pirelli Ice Zero 2 accelerated 13.43% faster than the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Best In Ice Traction: Pirelli Ice Zero 2
See how the Ice Traction winner was calculated >>
Subj. Ice Handling
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 and Pirelli Ice Zero 2 performed equally well in subj. ice handling tests.
Best In Subj. Ice Handling: Both tires performed equally well
See how the Subj. Ice Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 and Pirelli Ice Zero 2 performed equally well in subj. comfort tests.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Both tires performed equally well
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Subj. Noise
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one subj. noise tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 scored 30% more points than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Subj. Noise: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Subj. Noise winner was calculated >>
Fuel Consumption
Looking at data from one tire tests, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was better during one fuel consumption tests. On average the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 used 2.84% less fuel than the Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
Best In Fuel Consumption: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
See how the Fuel Consumption winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tire Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 and Pirelli Ice Zero 2.
In total the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 has been reviewed 15 times and drivers have given the tire 85% overall.
The Pirelli Ice Zero 2 has been reviewed 3 times and drivers have given the tire 64% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5.
Conclusion
For mixed urban/suburban Nordic driving with lots of cleared roads, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 is the more pleasant daily tire. It's easier to control on ice, strong on snow, quieter, and returned better fuel consumption in shared data, while also winning dry braking and subjective dry handling once. Its weaknesses are meaningful: notably weaker aquaplaning and softer wet braking than the Pirelli, and slightly nervous stability compared with the very best friction peers. Net: Pirelli for maximum winter attack and wet stopping; Nokian for balanced, efficient, and calmer day-to-day winter use.
Key Differences
- Ice performance: Pirelli clearly ahead (≈13% better ice braking and traction in one test).
- Wet braking: Pirelli stops shorter (34.3 m vs 37.9 m).
- Aquaplaning: Pirelli markedly stronger (66.8 km/h vs 55.7 km/h).
- Control feel: Nokian is easier to manage at the limit on ice; Pirelli can oversteer.
- Comfort/noise: Nokian is quieter and more refined (10 vs 7 subjective noise points).
- Efficiency: Nokian showed lower fuel use (5.82 vs 5.99 l/100 km) though not always class-best.
Overall Winner: Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5
Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:
Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Pirelli Ice Zero 2 Top Comparisons
No other comparisons available for this tire.
Footnote
This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.
Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.