Premium Touring Tire Tests

Below is the data from TUV report 713349044-PM which was created independantly at the request of Goodyear to benchmark their new tire, the Goodyear Vector All Season 4.

Highway terrain all season tires are probably the most important category of tire I've never tested. They're one of the biggest selling segments in North America, so it was about time I gave them the same treatment every other category gets.

For this test I picked seven of the most popular HTs on sale today, all in 265/65 R18, spanning pretty much every price point you'll find at a US tire shop. There's the segment benchmark - the Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 - alongside the brand-new General Grabber HT, mid-range options from Cooper (Endeavor Plus), Firestone (Destination LE3), Kumho (Crugen HT51) and Yokohama (Geolandar HT G056), and a budget tire in the Westlake SU318 HT to find out how far cheap has come. The question I wanted to answer is the one I think most truck owners are asking: does spending more money actually mean a better tire?

Motor magazine tested 9 summer tires in size 225/45 R17, a fitment used on popular models such as the VW Golf, BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Skoda Octavia. The test covered wet braking, dry braking, longitudinal and lateral aquaplaning, wet and dry lap times, wet circle grip, handling properties, comfort, exterior noise, and rolling resistance. Testing was carried out in late autumn at a facility in Texas, USA, where conditions matched a European summer. The test track surfaces were made with European materials and hold the relevant certifications. Prices ranged from 310 to 448 PLN per tire.

Auto motor und sport tested eight summer tires in size 195/55 R 16, a common fitment for small cars such as the VW Polo, Hyundai i20, Fiat 500, and Renault Clio, including several electric models like the Hyundai Inster and Fiat 500e. Testing covered wet performance (braking, handling, aquaplaning), dry performance (braking, handling, steering response, comfort), and environmental factors (rolling resistance, noise). The test used both a conventional Hyundai i20 and a battery-electric Hyundai Inster, with a separate EV-focused rating that weighted efficiency more heavily.

German motorhome magazine promobil tested seven summer tires in size 225/75 R 16 C for its April 2026 issue. This is the standard fitment for the Fiat Ducato Maxi and Heavy variants, widely used as a base for motorhomes and campervans. Testing was carried out on a loaded Ducato Maxi to simulate real-world motorhome weights, with results split across wet (50%), dry (40%), and environmental (10%) categories. The seven tires came from Barum, Continental, Firestone, Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian, and Vredestein.

Vi Bilägare tested ten summer tires in the 205/55 R16 size - still the best-selling tire dimension in Sweden by a wide margin, nearly double the sales of the next most common size on the aftermarket. The test focused on the premium touring segment, where comfort, wear life, and overall economy are prioritised over outright sportiness.

Auto Bild's 2026 summer tire test covers the 245/45 R19 size - a common fitment on upper-mid-size cars including the BMW 5 Series, Audi A6 and Mercedes S-Class - and puts 50 tires through an initial qualifying round before selecting the 20 shortest-stopping for a full test programme at ATP Papenburg and the Circuit d'Alcarràs in Spain.

The results broadly confirm that the established premium brands remain the safest choice, with Hankook, Goodyear, Michelin and Pirelli all earning the top "exemplary" rating. The standout result, however, is Giti - a brand not typically associated with the premium tier - which scores highly enough across wet and dry tests to join that group, something the test team explicitly flags as the surprise of the test.

For the first of three tire review summer tire tests this year, I've tested 12 sets of tires in 225/45/17 using a Volkswagen Golf GTI. 

All 12 sets of tires were purchased in the open market anonymously. As always, they have been tested in the dry, wet, noise, comfort, and rolling resistance tests to find out exactly which tire is best for your own driving needs. 

The ADAC tire tests are always my favourite tire tests, while they don't release all the data they generate; they do provide excellent notes with their tests, and most importantly they are the most independent tire testing team in the world meaning there is no manufacturer involvement in any way, which is rare in the world of tire testing. 

For the 2026 Summer Test ADAC tested 16 tires in the dry/wet noise comfort value and, most importantly, tread life to find out exactly which tire is best for you. They tested the popular 225/50R17 tire size using an Audi A4 but this is a premium touring tire size that is available in which fits many vehicles. 

Every year Auto Zeitung perform a summer tire test, and it's always an interesting read as they are one of the few publications that purchase all of their own tires blindly from the market instead of manufacturer submissions, and they now include a wear test!

This year they have tested 10 tires in 235/45 R18 using an Audi A5 TS-FI front wheel drive vehicle and the amount of data they provide is fantastic.

A new publication in Germany has started tire testing. It is Netzwelt , a German newspaper, and for their first summer tire test, they have tested six tires, one premium tire (the Continental PremiumContact 7), five mid-range products and one budget product.

Unfortunately, the data shared is limited to wet and dry braking- they have translated all the other results into a point system, which we don't database here, so we recommend using the link below to check out a full test in German. You can read the subjective comments below for each tire's overall position. 

While technically this is the second tire test of the 2026 summer tire testing season, I always think of the AutoBild mega test as the true start to the summer tire test season. It's our first opportunity to see how 50 tires available in 245/45 R19 do in a massive dry and wet braking test!

Auto Bild SportsCars published their second all-season tire test in October, evaluating ten tires in the 215/50 R 18 size. The test included products ranging from established premium manufacturers such as Continental, Pirelli, and Goodyear through to budget offerings from Linglong and Fortuna. All testing was conducted using a VW T-Roc R equipped with a 300 PS turbocharged engine and 4Motion all-wheel drive. 

Polish automotive publication Motor tested seven all-season tires in size 215/55 R17 for issue 48/2025. The lineup included two premium tires from Michelin and Continental, three mid-segment options from Nokian Tires, Vredestein, and Yokohama, and two budget choices from Polish brand Dębica and Chinese manufacturer Sunny. 

The most interesting result is Nokian Tires' new Seasonproof 2 taking overall victory despite being a mid-segment tire competing against premium products. It scored maximum points in wet conditions, winning every wet test category. The testers noted this as evidence that mid-segment tires are now a real threat to premium products in the rankings.

This test was conducted by TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH between January and February 2025 (report number 713351940-PM), testing five premium all-season tires in size 205/55 R16 94V XL. The test was commissioned by Nokian Tires as part of their Premium Tire Mark certification for the Seasonproof 2, with the Nokian tire compared against the Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6, Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3, Michelin CrossClimate 2, and Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 3. While TÜV SÜD is a fully independent testing organization with a strong reputation for objectivity, it is important to note that this test was requested and paid for by Nokian Tires.

As this is currently the only public test data available for the new Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3, I thought it would be useful to share it. But please understand the following:

This test was conducted by TÜV SÜD Product Service GmbH between February and March 2025, testing five premium winter tires in size 225/45 R17 94V XL. The test was commissioned by Pirelli as part of their final product benchmarking for the Cinturato Winter 3, with the Pirelli tire compared against the Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, and Michelin Alpin 7. While TÜV SÜD is a fully independent testing organization with a strong reputation for objectivity, it is important to note that this test was requested and paid for by Pirelli.

Swedish automotive magazine Vi Bilägare has conducted a test of eight Nordic friction tires (studless winter tires) in dimension 235/60 R18, a popular size for vehicles like the Volvo XC60 which served as the test vehicle. The test comprised 13 separate testing rounds across four different surfaces: ice, snow, wet asphalt, and dry asphalt. 

Teknikens Värld tested 20 winter tires in size 235/45 R18, comprising nine studded, eight Nordic friction (studless), and three Central European friction tires. One studded tire was disqualified for regulatory violations, leaving 19 in the final rankings. Testing used a Volvo V60 T6 plug-in hybrid across multiple locations in Sweden, covering braking, handling, aquaplaning, emergency maneuvers, comfort, and fuel efficiency.

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!

For its 2025 winter tire test, German publication Auto Bild Sportscars evaluated twelve winter tires in the popular SUV size of 235/50 R 19. The test also included a reference summer tire and an all-season tire to provide broader context. All tires were fitted to an Audi Q3 Sportback 45 TFSI quattro with 245 PS. The cold weather tests on snow and ice were conducted in Vidsel, Sweden , while the wet and dry performance evaluations took place at Bridgestone's test facility in Aprilia, Italy.