For the 2025/26 Tire Reviews Nordic Studless Winter Tire Test, I have tested five friction winter tires plus two reference sets (a studded tire and a Central European winter tire) across 21 tests in 6 categories: snow, ice, wet, dry, comfort/noise, and rolling resistance. If you drive in regions with frequent snow and ice, this is the group test you need. All these tires are available to buy in North America and Europe!

6 categories (21 tests)
Snow
Snow and ice performance is really important for these types of winter tires. Yes, it's important for all winter tires, however these are the types of winter tires you fit if you live in a region that gets a lot of snow and ice, and they sacrifice dry and wet performance to give the best grip possible in winter conditions.
So are any of them bad in the snow? Not really. The Marshal was the slowest around the lap, but just 4.1% off the best. Subjectively you really did notice the tire taking a little longer to respond to steering inputs, and sliding a little longer once you started sliding, but it was certainly an acceptable level of grip.
Then you had the Michelin and Nokian. The Michelin had great grip but its window between grip and no grip was rather abrupt, meaning it was a little trickier than the best to get around the lap. But let me emphasize: it is still an excellent tire in the snow. The Nokian felt a little more drivable, really nice to drive and a tire that works very well around the lap.

The Continental was the second fastest around the lap and had the best turn-in and steering reaction of all the tires. I found the front to be so sharp it brought the rear of the car in more, but you could really attack the corners and feel confident. The fastest tire by a tiny margin was the Goodyear, which had lots of grip and was very controllable.
How did the studded tire compare? Midpack. Studded tires generally have a slightly harder compound and/or construction than their friction counterparts in order to keep the studs in and pointing in the correct direction, so when you're driving in snow, you can be at a slight disadvantage.
The Continental WinterContact TS 870, which is what's called a Central European winter tire and is meant to be a step down in snow performance, was actually faster than the Marshal—an impressive result for a tire that should, in theory, be quite a lot better than the rest in the dry and wet.
Ice
Ice is hard. Really hard. Did you know that there are many different types of ice? Smooth ice, which you find at places like junctions and is the hardest type to grip on; rough ice, which is actually pretty grippy; rough ice with light snow, which is slippy; and of course ice can be anywhere between freezing and -40°C, which also totally changes the grip.

Why am I telling you this? So you understand why the handling results are different from traction and braking. Handling was tested on rough ice; traction and braking on smooth ice.
Once again the Marshal was the slowest, but like in the snow, it had acceptable levels of grip. The grip was super peaky, so not the most friendly to drive, but it was fine. The Michelin X-Ice Snow suffered the same fate—great grip, in fact really great grip—but it had a little delay on the steering, and you had to be super smooth compared to the other tires to get a time. Once you'd lost that grip, it dropped off quickly and took a while to recover.
Then, essentially, the final three tires were all excellent. The Continental, Nokian, and Goodyear were all super easy to drive and had really good grip—an outstanding job for these three in terms of blending grip and drivability.
The TS 870 once again surprisingly overperformed, but how about the studs? This is ice, surely the studs were the fastest?! Well, no. On rough ice, the softer compound of the friction tires can be a benefit as they flex more and key into the surface better than the studded tire. The studded tire was the most controllable though. Once it was sliding, you had so much reserve to keep the car going where you wanted it to - it was a pure joy.
The ice traction and braking testing was performed on smooth ice, and this is where the studs really flex - or don't flex, I guess. The studs were over 30% better than the best winter tire, and the TS 870 over 60% worse. This is a huge gap and really shows how a compound designed with ice in mind makes all the difference. It also put the Marshal pretty far back, highlighting the cheaper compounding of that product.
Wet
Wet performance is certainly an important quality of a winter tire, but as this category of winter tire is designed to spend most of its life on snow and ice, and as it's currently impossible to make a tire that does amazingly well on both ice and the wet, it's fair to say the wet performance of these tires has taken a second place in development.

That said, there is quite a spread of grip, and very surprisingly - even to me as I was testing blind - it was the Michelin that was the slowest around the lap. It was a safely balanced tire but just lacked grip on the front axle. I was so shocked by this I pulled up all the recent tests of the X-Ice Snow, and yes, it seems the Michelin has fallen behind in the wet. It was one of the best on ice, so I guess they've traded wet performance for ice grip.
The Marshal was next, a little ahead on time, and pushed the balance of the Golf more towards oversteer, which you don't really want on the road. But the steering feel was good, so I'll give it a break.
Then there was quite a big gap to the third-placed Goodyear, which was really lovely to drive. Every time I use a Goodyear tire on a Golf, it's a really lovely experience. Sure, it didn't quite have the most grip, but the balance was there.
The new Continental was second overall, getting around the lap in a really easy, stable way. A little understeer is what you want, and that's what you got.
And finally, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 was, quite frankly, unbelievable. Again, total surprise to me when discovering which was which, as historically the R5 has been more biased towards ice grip. But this time, it was in a class of its own in the wet.
Usually I can guess pretty accurately what tire I was on, but in this test everything seems a surprise.
Sadly, due to proving grounds being incredibly expensive and the surfaces of handling tracks incredibly important to keep consistent, I can't test the studded tire any further. But I can tell you that our Central European winter tire, the TS 870, is on a totally different level. If you've ever switched from a regular all-season or winter tire to a summer tire, you'll know how much tighter the car feels, and that's how it feels switching from one of these soft compound friction snow tires to a regular winter tire. But that's the benefit you get from lower ice performance.
Wet braking perfectly tracked wet handling, which always makes me so happy. Nokian had an even bigger advantage in the braking test, 12.5% better than the next best, the Continental.
Dry
While in some regions these tires will barely see dry tarmac, I've of course still tested it.
In dry braking, the Nokian stopped the car the best, but just 0.3 meters ahead of the Continental, which were both a couple of meters ahead of the Marshal. Goodyear was fourth, and surprisingly the Michelin was last, which is unusual for the French tire. Unsurprisingly, the milder winter tire was the best overall, but not by as much as I expected.
The dry handling testing was the usual mix of steering testing and lane changes to assess stability and safety, and I did a lap time.
The Nokian was once again the best. This time Goodyear was in second and Continental in third, but as always the gaps were very close. All of the tires felt a little sloppy during high-speed lane changes, but that's part of being an extreme winter tire.
Comfort
Surprisingly, the comfort testing was again incredibly close, but Goodyear and Nokian had the best comfort levels by a small margin. The Continental had the lowest external noise.
Value
Finally, Continental had the lowest rolling resistance, and Nokian and Goodyear also performed well. The Michelin had what I would call a moderate rolling resistance, and the Marshal was at the level you'd probably start to notice at the fuel pumps.
Results
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 2nd | 45.6 M | 99.34% |
| Dry Handling | 3rd | 58.5 s | 99.32% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd | 42.4 M | 88.92% |
| Wet Handling | 2nd | 93.12 s | 97.34% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 3rd | 9.5 Points | 95% |
| Wet Circle | 2nd | 13.44 s | 96.88% |
| Straight Aqua | 4th | 56.6 Km/H | 93.71% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 5th | 1.51 m/sec2 | 74.75% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Braking | 4th | 16.81 M | 97.8% |
| Snow Traction | 1st | 3 s | 100% |
| Snow Handling | 2nd | 80.2 s | 99.3% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Snow Slalom | 1st | 3.39 m/sec2 | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Braking | 3rd | 7.31 M | 95.35% |
| Ice Traction | 2nd | 6.48 s | 99.69% |
| Ice Handling | 3rd | 54.99 s | 99.16% |
| Subj. Ice Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subj. Comfort | 3rd | 9.75 Points | 97.5% |
| Noise | 1st | 69.1 dB | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Resistance | 1st | 7.29 kg / t | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 4th | 48.5 M | 93.4% |
| Dry Handling | 2nd | 58.4 s | 99.49% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd | 43.7 M | 86.27% |
| Wet Handling | 3rd | 93.51 s | 96.93% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 2nd | 9.75 Points | 97.5% |
| Wet Circle | 3rd | 13.64 s | 95.45% |
| Straight Aqua | 1st | 60.4 Km/H | 100% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 1st | 2.02 m/sec2 | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Braking | 1st | 16.44 M | 100% |
| Snow Traction | 2nd | 3.08 s | 97.4% |
| Snow Handling | 1st | 79.64 s | 100% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Snow Slalom | 2nd | 3.31 m/sec2 | 97.64% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Braking | 2nd | 7.29 M | 95.61% |
| Ice Traction | 3rd | 6.5 s | 99.38% |
| Ice Handling | 1st | 54.53 s | 100% |
| Subj. Ice Handling | 3rd | 9.5 Points | 95% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subj. Comfort | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Noise | 2nd | 69.3 dB | 99.71% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd | 7.59 kg / t | 96.05% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 1st | 45.3 M | 100% |
| Dry Handling | 1st | 58.1 s | 100% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 1st | 37.7 M | 100% |
| Wet Handling | 1st | 90.64 s | 100% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Wet Circle | 1st | 13.02 s | 100% |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd | 58.5 Km/H | 96.85% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 4th | 1.63 m/sec2 | 80.69% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Braking | 2nd | 16.67 M | 98.62% |
| Snow Traction | 4th | 3.13 s | 95.85% |
| Snow Handling | 3rd | 80.64 s | 98.76% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Snow Slalom | 4th | 3.25 m/sec2 | 95.87% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Braking | 4th | 8.41 M | 82.88% |
| Ice Traction | 4th | 7.54 s | 85.68% |
| Ice Handling | 2nd | 54.76 s | 99.58% |
| Subj. Ice Handling | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subj. Comfort | 1st | 10 Points | 100% |
| Noise | 4th | 71.5 dB | 96.64% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd | 7.48 kg / t | 97.46% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 5th | 48.6 M | 93.21% |
| Dry Handling | 4th | 59 s | 98.47% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 5th | 9.25 Points | 92.5% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th | 46.2 M | 81.6% |
| Wet Handling | 5th | 98.01 s | 92.48% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 4th | 9 Points | 90% |
| Wet Circle | 5th | 14.32 s | 90.92% |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd | 57.3 Km/H | 94.87% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 3rd | 1.69 m/sec2 | 83.66% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Braking | 2nd | 16.67 M | 98.62% |
| Snow Traction | 3rd | 3.12 s | 96.15% |
| Snow Handling | 4th | 81.06 s | 98.25% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 4th | 9.5 Points | 95% |
| Snow Slalom | 3rd | 3.27 m/sec2 | 96.46% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Braking | 1st | 6.97 M | 100% |
| Ice Traction | 1st | 6.46 s | 100% |
| Ice Handling | 4th | 56.59 s | 96.36% |
| Subj. Ice Handling | 4th | 9 Points | 90% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subj. Comfort | 3rd | 9.75 Points | 97.5% |
| Noise | 3rd | 69.6 dB | 99.28% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Resistance | 4th | 8.14 kg / t | 89.56% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | 3rd | 47.7 M | 94.97% |
| Dry Handling | 4th | 59 s | 98.47% |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 4th | 9.5 Points | 95% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th | 44.4 M | 84.91% |
| Wet Handling | 4th | 97.2 s | 93.25% |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 4th | 9 Points | 90% |
| Wet Circle | 4th | 14.08 s | 92.47% |
| Straight Aqua | 5th | 56.2 Km/H | 93.05% |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 2nd | 1.79 m/sec2 | 88.61% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snow Braking | 5th | 17.11 M | 96.08% |
| Snow Traction | 5th | 3.18 s | 94.34% |
| Snow Handling | 5th | 82.94 s | 96.02% |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 5th | 8.5 Points | 85% |
| Snow Slalom | 5th | 3.16 m/sec2 | 93.22% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Braking | 5th | 8.59 M | 81.14% |
| Ice Traction | 5th | 8.2 s | 78.78% |
| Ice Handling | 5th | 57.31 s | 95.15% |
| Subj. Ice Handling | 5th | 8.5 Points | 85% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subj. Comfort | 5th | 9.25 Points | 92.5% |
| Noise | 5th | 71.8 dB | 96.24% |
| Test | # | Result | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rolling Resistance | 5th | 9.55 kg / t | 76.34% |