Barum Polaris 3 vs Taurus Winter 601
In the 3 independent tests that ran both tires, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the Winter 601 not once.
Performance profile
Their shared tests recorded too few of the same measurements to chart, so the chart shows what owners rate each tire on every question.
Where owners rate each higher
Polaris 3
Winter 601
Point at or tap any spoke for both tires' figures.
Owners rate the Polaris 3 86% from 18 reviews and the Winter 601 59% from 7. Each spoke is one question owners answer out of 10; reviews are vetted by hand before publication.
Head to head in 3 tests, 2015 to 2018
Each row is one published test in which both tires ran on the same car, in the same size, on the same day. The line is the whole field, winner on the left.
| Test | Polaris 3 | Field | Winter 601 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 51 Winter Tire Shootout | P12 of 52 | P46 of 52 | |
| 2017 50 Winter Tire Shoot Out | P13 of 50 | P43 of 50 | |
| 2015 Winter Tire Market Overview | P9 of 51 | P38 of 51 |
Polaris 3 vs Winter 601: your questions
Is the Barum Polaris 3 or the Taurus Winter 601 the better tire?
In the 3 independent tests that ran both tires, the Barum Polaris 3 finished ahead 3 times and the Winter 601 not once. On the Tire Reviews Score, which weighs every test and review we hold, the Polaris 3 scores 7.2 and the Winter 601 6.5 out of 10.
Which is quieter and more comfortable?
Owners rate comfort 8.6/10 for the Polaris 3 and 6.6/10 for the Winter 601.
What do owners say?
Owners rate the Polaris 3 86% from 18 reviews and the Winter 601 59% from 7. 94% of Polaris 3 owners would buy it again, against 57% for the Winter 601.
More comparisons with these tires
Run either of these?
Your review is the part of this page no test can supply: how the tire wore, how it aged, what it was like in the rain in year three. It takes about five minutes.
Where this data comes from
Finishing positions and measurements are transcribed from each published test. A test only counts here when both tires ran in it, so every figure was recorded on the same car, size and day as the one it is compared to.
About the TR Score
The Tire Reviews Score rates each tire out of 10 from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold, so two tires can be compared even before a test has run them together.
Who does the testing
Every test published as a Tire Reviews test is run by Jonathan Benson, who has been testing tires independently since 2007.