Menu

The BEST Performance Summer Tires for 2026 Tested!

Jonathan Benson
Tested and written by Jonathan Benson
11 min read

Adjust Result Weighting

The overall scores below are calculated using our weighting system based on the test methodology. You can adjust the weightings below to explore how different priorities affect the results.

Dry 45%
Wet 45%
Comfort 5%
Value 5%
Dry 45% · Wet 45% · Comfort 5% · Value 5%
Fine-tune sub-categories
Dry
Wet
Comfort
Value

Test Results Data

BEST Good Average Below Average
# Tire Total Score Dry Wet Comfort Value
Braking M Handling s Subj. Dry Handling Points % Braking M Handling s Subj. Wet Handling Points Straight Aqua Km/H % Subj. Comfort Points Noise dB % Rolling Resistance kg / t %
1 Pirelli P Zero R 98.9% 31.7 76.48 8.75 100% 24.89 2 99.38 8 76.1 99.3% 6.75 73.2 95.3% 9.8 89.8%
2 Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo 97.3% 33.2 3 77.38 3 8.5 3 97.5% 24.96 3 102.58 2 8 76.9 97.8% 7 2 73.7 96.6% 9.5 92.6%
3 Continental SportContact 7 96.6% 33.39 78.42 8 95.5% 24.54 104.4 7.75 78 2 97.3% 7 2 73.6 96.7% 8.8 100%
4 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 95.1% 32.97 2 76.8 2 8.75 98.6% 28.04 107.09 7.5 76.1 91.8% 6.25 71.3 93.1% 9.2 3 95.7%
5 ▼1 Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport 95.1% 34.18 78.66 8.25 95.3% 26.95 102.7 3 8 77.6 3 95.6% 7.25 72.4 3 99.2% 10.4 84.6%
6 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo Z K129 94.5% 33.93 79.15 7.75 94.1% 25.71 105.19 7.75 78.2 95.6% 6.75 73.3 95.2% 9.9 88.9%
7 Falken Azenis RS820 93.8% 34.05 79.17 8 94.5% 26.29 107.59 7.25 77 93.1% 6.75 71.6 2 96.3% 9.6 91.7%
8 Kingboss G866 86.3% 38.92 82.21 7 87% 31.48 117.14 6 75 82.9% 7 2 73.6 96.7% 8.8 100%
Scroll for more
Dry 100% Wet 99% Comfort 95% Value 90%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 31.7 M
Dry Handling 76.48 s
Subj. Dry Handling 8.75 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 24.89 M 2
Wet Handling 99.38 s
Subj. Wet Handling 8 Points
Straight Aqua 76.1 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 6.75 Points
Noise 73.2 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 9.8 kg / t
Dry 98% Wet 98% Comfort 97% Value 93%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 33.2 M 3
Dry Handling 77.38 s 3
Subj. Dry Handling 8.5 Points 3
Wet
Wet Braking 24.96 M 3
Wet Handling 102.58 s 2
Subj. Wet Handling 8 Points
Straight Aqua 76.9 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 7 Points 2
Noise 73.7 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 9.5 kg / t
Dry 96% Wet 97% Comfort 97% Value 100%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 33.39 M
Dry Handling 78.42 s
Subj. Dry Handling 8 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 24.54 M
Wet Handling 104.4 s
Subj. Wet Handling 7.75 Points
Straight Aqua 78 Km/H 2
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 7 Points 2
Noise 73.6 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 8.8 kg / t
Dry 99% Wet 92% Comfort 93% Value 96%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 32.97 M 2
Dry Handling 76.8 s 2
Subj. Dry Handling 8.75 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 28.04 M
Wet Handling 107.09 s
Subj. Wet Handling 7.5 Points
Straight Aqua 76.1 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 6.25 Points
Noise 71.3 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 9.2 kg / t 3
Dry 95% Wet 96% Comfort 99% Value 85%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 34.18 M
Dry Handling 78.66 s
Subj. Dry Handling 8.25 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 26.95 M
Wet Handling 102.7 s 3
Subj. Wet Handling 8 Points
Straight Aqua 77.6 Km/H 3
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 7.25 Points
Noise 72.4 dB 3
Value
Rolling Resistance 10.4 kg / t
Dry 94% Wet 96% Comfort 95% Value 89%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 33.93 M
Dry Handling 79.15 s
Subj. Dry Handling 7.75 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 25.71 M
Wet Handling 105.19 s
Subj. Wet Handling 7.75 Points
Straight Aqua 78.2 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 6.75 Points
Noise 73.3 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 9.9 kg / t
Dry 95% Wet 93% Comfort 96% Value 92%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 34.05 M
Dry Handling 79.17 s
Subj. Dry Handling 8 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 26.29 M
Wet Handling 107.59 s
Subj. Wet Handling 7.25 Points
Straight Aqua 77 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 6.75 Points
Noise 71.6 dB 2
Value
Rolling Resistance 9.6 kg / t
8
86.3%
Dry 87% Wet 83% Comfort 97% Value 100%
View detailed scores
Dry
Dry Braking 38.92 M
Dry Handling 82.21 s
Subj. Dry Handling 7 Points
Wet
Wet Braking 31.48 M
Wet Handling 117.14 s
Subj. Wet Handling 6 Points
Straight Aqua 75 Km/H
Comfort
Subj. Comfort 7 Points 2
Noise 73.6 dB
Value
Rolling Resistance 8.8 kg / t
Not every driver has the same priorities. Adjust the category weightings above to re-rank the tires based on what matters most to your driving style.
Scores are colour-coded from red (weakest) through yellow to green (strongest) to help you quickly spot each tire's strengths and weaknesses.
The original test ranking is shown in the # column. Arrows indicate how each tire moves when your custom weighting is applied.

Discussion

17 comments
  1. Ron Havelock archived

    Can you tell me how you tested the Pirelli P Zero R when they are not in production yet? Or at least not in the UK yet.

    #10602
  2. juraj archived

    Naming tires Kingboss needs a significant dose of overconfidence and serious lack of invention ???

    #10587
  3. Michealknight archived

    so, best one for 18" goes on Bridgestone?

    #10586
  4. Andrew Watson archived

    This is a FWD car.

    Would love to see the exact tire test on a mid engined car to see what the differences are.

    And if using a 4.0 718 GTS Boxster, doing the wet laps with the top down to dodge the sprinklers. Would be a fun end to the video...

    #10579
  5. Róbert archived

    This Pirelli is crazy. Lets be honest, dry handling is the only major thing for these tires. And the Pirelli beat the semislick CUP2? What the hell. And its not a hard compund, so its not a pain for everyday use, to heat them up before the playtime. I hate Pirelli from my heart... having 3 different compounds in the last 4 years, and every single one of those gone rubish after 3-4years passed...they are getting harder, rigid, and very very very bad...dangeouros wet performance. Do you have any kind of information if these latest class leading tires are somehownl different? (I had issues with the classic P Zero, and sottozero 2) I'm a follower since about 10years, and was waiting to have something better then PS4S. Last year I went with the SC7, since that is a tiny bit better. Vut omg!!! 2 seconds improvement? Perfect feeling? Semislick killer??? It was never heard. 2 seconds is a unuverse difference. I have to try this . My mk3 Focus Rs has the exact sime size :D .
    Btw what happened? Last years the SC7 was the awesome perfect nonplusultra. (Much better then Supersport) but now seems mediocre. Did the compoune change?

    #10575
    1. Andrew Watson Róbert archived

      I completely disagree, living in the UK. Last 6 months in the UK have been 50% more rain than the long term average. Now finally the sun came out and took my MX5 for a spin

      Stuck behind
      Learner
      Dustbin van
      Two blokes on 1950s motobikes
      cyclists

      In that order.

      Not sure my tires even warmed up !

      Having said that, the Pirelli R does seem fast.

      #10578
      1. Róbert Andrew Watson archived

        Yeah, we can agree, that in the UK its hard to have a proper weather for a spirited drive. I dont live in the UK, I can have my sprints in the dry :D

        #10580
  6. Steph archived

    Thanks for the review !
    Now it's getting a bit older, good to see where the Continental is
    Too bad :( It seams this new Pirelli is only available from 19" at the moment :-/ (My car drives on 18")
    I would have like to see the Kumho Ecsta PS72 instead of this KingBoss

    #10573
  7. Heinz archived

    Thanks a lot. The "Pirelli P Zero R" is a positive surprise!
    Please consider for next test: Use Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect instead of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 (without Connect) as tire rubber compound (among other things) has changed in 2020 with version "Connect" (off. treadwear 240 instead of 180 .. / change is more on paper). "Connect" rubber with slightly better results in wet and cold conditions.

    #10571
  8. Teun archived

    Thanks for the great data. I’ll probably go with the Potenza Sport Evos for my Golf MK 8 GTE. I was debating between the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 and the Pirelli PZ5, but considering the milder climate here in the Netherlands, I think this might be the best choice.

    #10569
    1. Chuck Teun archived

      Yep. Same for me. I'm currently on GY Asym 6 on my Fiesta ST. Brilliant tire but fitted as you don't get the really good tires in 17 inch so the 6 does a fine job. But Bridgestone have seen the light ! Happy days.

      #10570
      1. Andrew Watson Chuck archived

        Exellent point, I have exactly the same problem with my MX5 which has 17 inch wheels, so also went with the Asym 6 and will be going Bridgestone next also. 17 inch wheels are also limited in choice.

        I think some companies are missing out a trick not doing 16/17 inch anymore. Certainly limits our choice, which is unfortunate.

        #10572
        1. Victor B. Melo Andrew Watson archived

          I also have an ND MX-5 and I’m currently running 5-year-old Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 2s. Since I’ve never had to shop for tires before, I’ve been trying to do as much research as possible.

          Right now I’m leaning towards the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 or something from Continental. Unfortunately, the roads where I live are pretty rough, and the Miata is my daily driver.

          One thing I really miss is steering feedback, which is why I’ve pretty much ruled out the Michelin PS5 and PS4S - from what I’ve gathered, they’re very grippy but a bit numb and less communicative.

          I’m mainly looking for something that’s fun and progressive, with good feedback and more controllable oversteer compared to my current tires (which are fun but can be a bit snappy and hard to catch, especially now that they’re worn).

          Curious to hear what you guys are running in 205/45 R17 on stock 17" wheels.

          Unfortunately I can’t change tire sizes here without paying around €200 for legalisation, so I’m sticking with OEM size.

          #10574
          1. Andrew Watson Victor B. Melo archived

            Well I am running the Asymetric 6 but not done enough miles in all conditons to give you advice on your particular requirement of a good feedback tire that stops it going from great to pear shaped very quickly.

            Previously I had Michelin Pilot SuperSports on which were very grippy on track, but then I ended up in a nettle patch on a cold wet UK day with them.

            I think the Continentals might be a good bet, but they probably cost more. The Goodyears have always been a good bang for buck tire and a jack of all trades tire, which is not a negative comment, they are well rounded, good on those spider graphs tire companies love.

            Good luck, and great choice of car of course :)

            #10577
            1. Chuck Andrew Watson archived

              Agree with all that. Also have supersports on my Lotus, would like to try the Pzero R but size not available. Will settle for Corsa's next.

              #10582
            2. Victor B. Melo Andrew Watson archived

              Thanks guys, I think I’m going to go with the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6.

              After checking a bunch of local shops, it seems to be the best all-round bang for buck. It’s about €100-150 cheaper than the Michelin Pilot Sport 5 and Bridgestone Potenza Sport, and only around €60 more than the Falken FK520.

              Best prices I've found for 4x Tires (including fitting, balancing, and alignment):

              PS5 - €668
              Asym 6 - €568
              Potenza Sport - €668
              Falken FK520 - €508

              Given that, the Goodyear just feels like the sweet spot for a daily-driven ND.

              Also, if anyone here is from Portugal and looking for a good shop, I had the best experience/quotes from Riamar Pneus - highly recommended.

              I’ll probably pair them with a custom alignment setup as well to improve steering feedback, something along the lines of the Flying Miata specs.

              #10583
          2. Chuck Victor B. Melo archived

            I don't think you will be disappointed with the Goodyear. It's a fantastic tire, good price point to ( in the UK). I found it sharper than the Pilot Sport 4 which I guess is it's nearest competitor). We still stick with the PS4 for the wifes BMW as its slightly more comfortable on a very stiff BM and one thing MIchelin excell in ( I think ) is still very good wet braking when worn down. Perfect for the wife. GY but now moving to Bridgestone for me. (205/40/17)

            #10581