2025 Auto Express All Season Tire Test

Auto Express ran its 2025 all-season tire test in 225/45 R17, with six tires bought on the open market. The snow tests took place at Goodyear's Arctic Center at Saariselkä in northern Finland, and the wet and dry tests at Continental's Contidrom near Hannover, using a Volkswagen Golf and a Skoda Octavia. A Continental WinterContact TS 870 winter tire and a Vredestein Ultrac+ summer tire ran alongside the field as references.

The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 won again, having also won the 2024 Auto Express all-season test. It won four tests outright, including dry braking, and was never lower than joint fourth. The Continental AllSeasonContact 2 and Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 were almost inseparable behind it, second and third by a tenth of a point, and the Vredestein Quatrac edged the Dunlop All Season 2 for fourth by the same margin. The budget Sailun Atrezzo 4 Seasons was last.

The results show how differently the leading tires are set up. The Continental won snow braking and the wet handling lap but was last in both aquaplaning tests, which matches its form elsewhere: in our own 2026/27 all-season test it was ninth of ten in both aquaplaning tests. The Bridgestone led wet braking, the wet circle and straight-line aquaplaning but was only fifth in snow traction and on both handling laps in the snow and wet. The Vredestein still leans towards snow, third in all three snow tests, and the Dunlop was the most economical tire here. The surprise is the Sailun, the cheapest tire in the test, which set the fastest dry handling lap of the all-season tires and was also the quietest of them, although Auto Express point out that less than a second covered all six tires in dry handling.

The references make the case for all-season tires. The WinterContact TS 870, winner of the 2025 Auto Express winter test, was the best tire in all three snow tests, but the best all-season tires were close behind. In the wet it led straight-line aquaplaning and lapped the handling circuit faster than any all-season tire, yet the three best all-season tires out-braked it, and in dry braking only the Dunlop and Sailun stopped longer. The Ultrac+ summer tire was the best in the test in wet and dry braking and on both handling circuits, even in these cold conditions, and by far the quietest, but on snow it needed nearly twice the best all-season tire's braking distance. Neither reference is included in the ranking.

A note on the numbers below. Auto Express publish only each tire's result as a percentage of the best in that test, so the figures in these charts are built from estimated bests. The percentage gaps between the tires are exact; what is estimated is the absolute value the scale starts from. This test is well anchored in places: Auto Express quote the Pirelli's dry braking distance outright, their quoted gaps pin wet braking to within half a meter, and further gaps set snow braking and the snow and wet handling laps. Wet cornering, both aquaplaning tests, cabin noise and rolling resistance have no anchor at all, so their scale is an average of what the four tires that also ran in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test imply; treat those absolute figures as indicative. Because our scoring works on percentages, none of this affects the score weighting calculator on the results tab.

Auto Express have since replaced this test on their website with their 2026 edition, so the original article, including their driving impressions of every tire, is now available through the Internet Archive.

Snow

Snow braking was measured from 30 mph to 3 mph, with track temperatures between 19°F and 25°F. The Continental stopped shortest of the all-season tires, with the Bridgestone, Pirelli, Vredestein and Dunlop all within half a meter of it. The Sailun was a long way behind, more than 15 feet further than the best. The winter reference stopped about a meter shorter than the best all-season tire, and the summer tire needed nearly twice the distance.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact. Four statements in the Auto Express text, that the Pirelli, Bridgestone and Dunlop each stopped within half a meter of the best and that the Sailun was more than 15 feet behind it, limit the scale to a window of about three meters, and we have used the middle of it.

Snow traction measured how quickly each tire could accelerate from 5 mph to 20 mph. The Pirelli was quickest of the all-season tires, with the Dunlop and Vredestein next, and the Sailun was a long way behind. Only the winter reference beat the Pirelli, and the summer tire took more than twice as long.

Derived data. Auto Express measured the distance each tire needed to accelerate from 5 to 20 mph, not the time. Over a fixed speed range at constant acceleration the time is directly proportional to the distance, so we show the equivalent time, which keeps their percentages exactly. The scale comes from the Sailun needing about five meters more than the best, so treat the absolute times as indicative.

The snow handling track is a short but demanding lap of 0 miles, with a significant drop and rise, quick transitions and tight corners. The Pirelli was fastest of the all-season tires, with the Continental, Vredestein and Dunlop close behind, while the Bridgestone and Sailun were two seconds or more off the pace. The winter reference was quicker still, and the summer tire was around half a minute a lap slower.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact; the scale is set by two gaps Auto Express quote, the Vredestein 0.3 seconds and the Bridgestone a couple of seconds behind the Pirelli, so treat the absolute times as indicative.

Wet

The wet and dry tests ran in cold conditions, with early-morning temperatures of 39°F. Wet braking from 50 mph, which Auto Express treat as the crucial test, went to the Bridgestone, with the Pirelli and Continental less than half a meter behind. The Vredestein and Dunlop were two meters further back than the Bridgestone, and the Sailun needed almost 16 feet more than the Bridgestone and three meters more than the next tire. The summer reference stopped shortest of all, and the winter tire stopped behind the three best all-season tires.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, and the scale is pinned by the gaps Auto Express quote: the Vredestein and Dunlop two meters behind the best, and the Sailun almost five meters behind it and three meters behind them. Together these fix the best stop to within half a meter.

The 1 mile wet handling circuit shows up grip, traction, balance and breakaway. The Continental was fastest of the all-season tires, blending low-speed agility with composure, with the Vredestein second and the Pirelli third, just over half a second behind. The Bridgestone was fifth and the Sailun last, feeling skittish at higher speeds. Both references lapped faster than every all-season tire.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact; the scale comes from three lap-time gaps Auto Express quote for the Pirelli, the Dunlop and the Bridgestone, so treat the absolute times as indicative.

Wet cornering was timed on a 189 feet diameter circle. The Bridgestone was quickest of the all-season tires, with the Dunlop and Continental next, and the Vredestein was last. The summer reference was quicker than all of them, while the winter tire was slower than all but the Vredestein.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, but no figure in the Auto Express text fixes the scale, so it is an average of what the Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone and WinterContact TS 870 imply from their results in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test. Treat the absolute times as indicative.

Straight-line aquaplaning measures how well each tire resists aquaplaning in deep standing water. The Bridgestone was best of the all-season tires and the Pirelli second, while the Continental was last. Only the winter reference did better than the Bridgestone.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, but no figure in the Auto Express text fixes the scale, so it is an average of what the four tires that also ran in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test imply. Treat the absolute figures as indicative.

Curved aquaplaning measures how much sideways grip each tire keeps through a flooded bend. The Pirelli was best of the all-season tires, with the Bridgestone and Sailun joint second, and the Continental was last again. Both references did better than every all-season tire here.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, but no figure in the Auto Express text fixes the scale, so it is an average of what the four tires that also ran in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test imply. Treat the absolute figures as indicative.

Dry

Dry braking was measured from 62 mph to a standstill. The Pirelli stopped in 121 feet, 4 feet shorter than the Bridgestone and almost 10 feet shorter than the Continental, while the Dunlop and Sailun needed more than 16 feet further than the Pirelli. The Pirelli's win is typical of it, as it has stopped shortest in the dry in most of the tests it has appeared in on our site. The summer tire stopped shortest of all, and the winter tire was beaten by four of the six all-season tires.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, and the scale is anchored on the 121 feet Auto Express quote for the Pirelli. The other gaps they quote agree with it.

Lap times were taken on a 1 mile section of the dry handling circuit. The budget Sailun was fastest of the all-season tires, with the Pirelli second and the Continental and Dunlop joint third, but Auto Express point out that less than a second covered all six tires, so this test separates them very little. The Vredestein was the slowest all-season tire and felt scrubby. The summer tire was fastest overall and the winter tire slowest.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact. The only figure in the Auto Express text is that less than a second covered the six tires, which caps the scale, so treat the absolute times as indicative.

Comfort

Auto Express measured the noise inside the car on three different surfaces and took the average. The Sailun was the quietest all-season tire and the Bridgestone the noisiest, and the summer reference was much quieter than all of them.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, but no figure in the Auto Express text fixes the scale, so it is an average of what the four tires that also ran in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test imply. Treat the absolute figures as indicative.

Value

Rolling resistance was measured to industry standards. The Dunlop had the lowest, with the Continental second, while the Sailun had the highest by a clear margin. Auto Express note that a four to five per cent change in rolling resistance is worth about one per cent in fuel consumption.

Derived data. Auto Express publish percentages, not measurements. The gaps between these tires are exact, but no figure in the Auto Express text fixes the scale, so it is an average of what the four tires that also ran in Auto Express's 2026 all-season test imply. Treat the absolute figures as indicative.

Results

Auto Express weight half of the overall score on wet performance, 35 per cent on dry and 10 per cent on snow, with the emphasis on handling and braking in the wet and snow tests, and share the final five per cent between the other tests. The Pirelli was never far from the front in any test and won dry braking, snow traction, the snow lap and curved aquaplaning. The Continental and Bridgestone finished almost level behind it, the Continental winning the wet handling lap and the Bridgestone wet braking, and the Vredestein and Dunlop were just as close for fourth. The Sailun shows once again that a low price does not buy good braking, on any surface.

1^st

Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3

225/45 R17 94W XL

Auto Express Test Winner / 5 stars

The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3 won the 2025 Auto Express all-season test, repeating its win from the previous year. It was never lower than joint fourth in any test, led the dry braking, and matched strong wet results with the best snow traction and snow handling in the field. The testers also rated it the most rewarding tire to drive.

Dry99.9%

Wet98.8%

Snow99.6%

Comfort99.1%

Rolling Resistance90.2%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	1st / 6	121 ft	Best in this discipline
Dry HandlingLower is better	2nd / 6	50.1 s	+0.10 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	2nd / 6	97 ft	+1 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	3rd / 6	87.01 s	+0.61 s
Wet CircleLower is better	4th / 6	12.32 s	+0.30 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	2nd / 6	49.8 mph	-0.8 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	1st / 6	10.9 ft/s²	Best in this discipline
Snow BrakingLower is better	3rd / 6	99 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	1st / 6	4.11 s	Best in this discipline
Snow HandlingLower is better	1st / 6	53.3 s	Best in this discipline
NoiseLower is better	2nd / 6	67.8 dB	+0.60 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	3rd / 6	8.38 kg/t	+0.82 kg/t

EU Label

C/A/71

Price

127.00

2^nd

Continental AllSeasonContact 2

225/45 R17 94V XL

Auto Express 4.5 stars

The Continental AllSeasonContact 2 finished second, a fraction of a point behind the winner and only just ahead of the Bridgestone. It is strong on all three surfaces, winning snow braking and the wet handling lap, and its weak point is resistance to aquaplaning, where it was last in both tests.

Dry96.2%

Wet97.3%

Snow98.4%

Comfort98.5%

Rolling Resistance92.9%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	3rd / 6	131 ft	+10 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	3rd / 6	50.15 s	+0.15 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	3rd / 6	98 ft	+2 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	1st / 6	86.4 s	Best in this discipline
Wet CircleLower is better	3rd / 6	12.31 s	+0.29 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	6th / 6	47.4 mph	-3.2 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	6th / 6	9.1 ft/s²	-1.8 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	1st / 6	97 ft	Best in this discipline
Snow TractionLower is better	4th / 6	4.33 s	+0.22 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	2nd / 6	53.41 s	+0.11 s
NoiseLower is better	4th / 6	68.2 dB	+1.00 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	2nd / 6	8.14 kg/t	+0.58 kg/t

EU Label

C/B/72

Price

117.00

3^rd

Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6

225/45 R17 94V XL

Auto Express 4.5 stars

The Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 finished third, missing second place by the smallest of margins. It is the best of the all-season tires in the wet for braking, cornering and straight-line aquaplaning, and strong in dry braking, but it gives away ground in snow traction and on the handling laps.

Dry98%

Wet99.2%

Snow96.9%

Comfort98.1%

Rolling Resistance83.6%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	2nd / 6	125 ft	+4 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	5th / 6	50.3 s	+0.30 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	1st / 6	96 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet HandlingLower is better	5th / 6	87.98 s	+1.58 s
Wet CircleLower is better	1st / 6	12.02 s	Best in this discipline
Straight AquaHigher is better	1st / 6	50.6 mph	Best in this discipline
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	2nd / 6	10.4 ft/s²	-0.5 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	2nd / 6	98 ft	+1 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	5th / 6	4.34 s	+0.23 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	5th / 6	55.18 s	+1.88 s
NoiseLower is better	6th / 6	68.5 dB	+1.30 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	5th / 6	9.04 kg/t	+1.48 kg/t

EU Label

C/B/70

Price

123.00

4^th

Vredestein Quatrac

225/45 R17 94V XL

The Vredestein Quatrac finished fourth, only narrowly ahead of the Dunlop. It still leans towards snow performance, but Auto Express found it more even-handed than in their previous test, with a good wet handling lap to go with its snow results. Its dry performance is the weakest part of its game.

Dry94.6%

Wet95.5%

Snow98.4%

Comfort98.5%

Rolling Resistance89.7%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	4th / 6	133 ft	+12 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	6th / 6	50.97 s	+0.97 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	4th / 6	103 ft	+7 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	2nd / 6	86.92 s	+0.52 s
Wet CircleLower is better	6th / 6	12.75 s	+0.73 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	3rd / 6	48.3 mph	-2.3 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	4th / 6	10.1 ft/s²	-0.8 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	3rd / 6	99 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	3rd / 6	4.25 s	+0.14 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	3rd / 6	53.62 s	+0.32 s
NoiseLower is better	4th / 6	68.2 dB	+1.00 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	4th / 6	8.43 kg/t	+0.87 kg/t

EU Label

C/B/71

Price

104.00

5^th

Dunlop All Season 2

225/45 R17 94W XL

The Dunlop All Season 2 finished fifth, only just behind the Vredestein. It is the most economical tire here and decent across most tests, but it did not win any of the braking or handling tests, and its dry braking is a clear weakness.

Dry93.4%

Wet96.1%

Snow98.3%

Comfort99%

Rolling Resistance100%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	5th / 6	139 ft	+18 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	3rd / 6	50.15 s	+0.15 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	4th / 6	103 ft	+7 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	4th / 6	87.89 s	+1.49 s
Wet CircleLower is better	2nd / 6	12.19 s	+0.17 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	4th / 6	47.8 mph	-2.8 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	5th / 6	9.7 ft/s²	-1.2 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	5th / 6	99 ft	+2 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	2nd / 6	4.24 s	+0.13 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	4th / 6	53.68 s	+0.38 s
NoiseLower is better	3rd / 6	67.9 dB	+0.70 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	1st / 6	7.56 kg/t	Best in this discipline

EU Label

C/B/72

Price

130.00

6^th

Sailun Atrezzo 4 Seasons

225/45 R17 94Y XL

The Sailun Atrezzo 4 Seasons finished last. Despite its 3PMSF marking it was the weakest of the all-season tires on snow, and its braking in the wet and dry falls well short of the others, which outweighs its quick dry handling lap and low noise. The small saving over the mid-range tires is hard to justify.

Dry93.4%

Wet93.6%

Snow88.2%

Comfort100%

Rolling Resistance75.6%

Category scores (% of best)

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Position in discipline	Result	Gap to best
Dry BrakingLower is better	6th / 6	139 ft	+18 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	1st / 6	50 s	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	6th / 6	113 ft	+17 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	6th / 6	88.8 s	+2.40 s
Wet CircleLower is better	4th / 6	12.32 s	+0.30 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	5th / 6	47.7 mph	-2.9 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	2nd / 6	10.4 ft/s²	-0.5 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	6th / 6	113 ft	+16 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	6th / 6	5.01 s	+0.90 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	6th / 6	55.75 s	+2.45 s
NoiseLower is better	1st / 6	67.2 dB	Best in this discipline
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	6th / 6	10 kg/t	+2.44 kg/t

EU Label

D/C/72

Price

98.00

Reference Tire

Continental WinterContact TS 870

225/45 R17 91H

The Continental WinterContact TS 870 won Auto Express's 2025 winter test and ran here as a reference, so it is not ranked. It shows that the best all-season tires now come close to a winter tire on snow, while the winter tire gives away ground in wet braking and even more in dry braking.

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Result
Dry BrakingLower is better	138 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	51.12 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	101 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	85.38 s
Wet CircleLower is better	12.5 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	50.8 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	11.4 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	94 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	4.06 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	52.77 s
NoiseLower is better	67.9 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	8.23 kg/t

EU Label

C/B/70

Price

154.00

Reference Tire

Vredestein Ultrac+

225/45 R17

The Vredestein Ultrac+ ran as Auto Express's summer reference and is not ranked. It was the benchmark on cold wet and dry roads but was out of its depth on snow, which is exactly the compromise an all-season tire is designed to avoid.

All discipline results (12)

Discipline positions compare the ranked tires in this test, not the whole market. These are individual measurements, not weighted overall scores.

Test	Result
Dry BrakingLower is better	118 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	49.5 s
Wet BrakingLower is better	96 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	83.64 s
Wet CircleLower is better	11.89 s
Straight AquaHigher is better	48.8 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	11.9 ft/s²
Snow BrakingLower is better	178 ft
Snow TractionLower is better	8.97 s
Snow HandlingLower is better	83.41 s
NoiseLower is better	63.1 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	7.93 kg/t

EU Label

C/A/69

Price

100.00