Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tire Test

Top Tire Review has put three of the most talked-about ultra-high-performance summer tires head to head in its 2026 UUHP test, fitting each in 255/35 R19 to an Audi TT and running them through a full wet, dry, noise and rolling-resistance programme. The line-up pits the segment benchmark, the Continental SportContact 7, against the newest premium contender, the Pirelli P Zero PZ5, and the value challenger, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72. The overall score is weighted towards wet performance (40%), then dry (30%), noise and comfort (25%) and rolling resistance (5%).

The Continental SportContact 7 won, and won comfortably, posting the shortest wet and dry braking and topping the wet handling tests to underline its benchmark billing. The story further down the order is the more surprising one: the Pirelli P Zero PZ5, the premium name many would expect to fight for the win, finished last, undone by the longest wet braking and the weakest wet handling of the group, an outcome that sits oddly against its strong form in other recent tests. The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 slotted into a consistent, well-rounded second.

That order matters most because the test leans so heavily on wet grip. The Pirelli was actually the quickest of the three around the dry handling course and the most efficient on rolling resistance, but neither counts for enough to offset its wet-weather deficit. The Kumho, meanwhile, delivered close-to-premium pace with the best comfort and the best straight-line aquaplaning resistance for a fraction of the Continental's price, which makes it the value pick of the test.

Wet

Wet braking split the field clearly. The Continental SportContact 7 stopped shortest, with the Kumho PS72 close behind, but the Pirelli P Zero PZ5 needed a good deal more road to pull up. That single result does more than any other to explain its finishing position in a test weighted so heavily towards the wet.

That wet braking result is well out of character for the P Zero PZ5. In Tire Reviews' own 2025 performance tire test it recorded the shortest wet braking of the entire field, ahead of the SportContact 7, and went on to win that test outright, and it also topped the 2025 Auto Express summer test. Set against that form, its last place for wet braking here reads as an outlier rather than the tire's normal wet behavior, so it is worth weighing this single result against its wider record before drawing firm conclusions.

The pattern repeated through wet handling. The Continental set the quickest lap and drew the highest marks for steering feel and balance, the Kumho again settled into second, and the Pirelli trailed on both the clock and the driver's subjective scores.

On the wet circle, which measures average lateral grip, the Continental once more came out on top, with the Pirelli edging ahead of the Kumho this time.

Aquaplaning was the one area where the winner slipped. The Kumho resisted straight-line aquaplaning best and the Pirelli cleared standing water best through a curve, leaving the Continental last on both measures even as it dominated everywhere else in the wet.

Dry

The Continental stopped shortest in the dry as well, with the Pirelli needing the most road to stop.

The dry handling tests produced the biggest upset of the test: the Pirelli P Zero PZ5 set the fastest lap of all three, quicker even than the overall winner. On subjective steering feel, though, the Continental was rated highest, with the Kumho the slowest and least engaging in the dry.

Noise and Comfort

Cabin noise separated the tires by almost nothing, with the Pirelli marginally the quietest and the Continental marginally the loudest. Ride comfort favored the Kumho, which felt the most settled of the three, while the two premium tires tied a step behind.

Rolling Resistance

Rolling resistance went to the premium tires, with the Pirelli the most efficient and the Continental close behind. The Kumho carried the highest resistance and would use a little more fuel over a year of driving.

The Pirelli pairing the lowest rolling resistance in the test with the weakest wet braking and wet handling is worth pausing on, because that is exactly the trade-off an original-equipment (OE) tire tends to make: car makers often specify a compound tuned for low rolling resistance, to help the vehicle's official economy and emissions figures, and accept softer wet grip as the price. Set against the P Zero PZ5's strong wet showings in independent aftermarket tests, there is a chance the tire used here was an OE-specification version rather than the standard replacement fitment. It is only a possibility, and not something the test confirms, but it would tie the low rolling resistance and the weak wet braking together neatly.

Results

Weighted across wet, dry, noise and comfort, and efficiency, the Continental SportContact 7 takes the win as the clearest all-rounder, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 lands a genuinely close and much cheaper second, and the Pirelli P Zero PZ5 is left third by its wet-weather shortfalls despite real strengths in the dry, in refinement and in efficiency. The full data set and the original write-up are published by Top Tire Review in their 2026 UUHP tire test.

Top Tire Review 2026 UUHP Tire TestWatch the full video of this test on YouTube Watch on YouTube

1^st

Continental SportContact 7

255/35 R19

TopTireReview Test Winner

The Continental SportContact 7 was the clear overall winner of this test. It pairs the best braking and handling in both the wet and the dry with only minor compromises in aquaplaning resistance and refinement, which makes it the all-round performance benchmark of the group and a safe pick for drivers who want grip above all else.

Dry99.5%

Wet98.4%

Comfort95.9%

Rolling Resistance99%

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 / 3	105 ft	Best in this discipline
Dry HandlingLower is better	2nd / 3	48.23 s	+0.55 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	1st / 3	7.5 Points	Best in this discipline
Wet BrakingLower is better	1st / 3	110 ft	Best in this discipline
Wet HandlingLower is better	1st / 3	81.33 s	Best in this discipline
Subj. Wet HandlingHigher is better	1st / 3	7 Points	Best in this discipline
Wet CircleHigher is better	1st / 3	0.906 g	Best in this discipline
Straight AquaHigher is better	3rd / 3	46.4 mph	-1.1 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	3rd / 3	8.6 ft/s²	-1.3 ft/s²
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 3	6 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	3rd / 3	65.7 dB	+0.30 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	2nd / 3	9.24 kg/t	+0.09 kg/t

2^nd

Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72

255/35 R19

TopTireReview Highly Recommended

The Kumho Ecsta Sport S PS72 finished a strong second overall. It has no real weakness and genuine strengths in aquaplaning resistance and comfort, and for the money it makes a compelling case against the established premium names in the UUHP class.

Dry96.7%

Wet97.1%

Comfort99.9%

Rolling Resistance94.7%

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	2nd / 3	110 ft	+5 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	3rd / 3	48.35 s	+0.67 s
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	3rd / 3	7 Points	-0.50 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	2nd / 3	112 ft	+2 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	2nd / 3	83.1 s	+1.77 s
Subj. Wet HandlingHigher is better	2nd / 3	6.3 Points	-0.70 Points
Wet CircleHigher is better	3rd / 3	0.874 g	-0.03 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	1st / 3	47.5 mph	Best in this discipline
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	2nd / 3	9.6 ft/s²	-0.3 ft/s²
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	1st / 3	6.5 Points	Best in this discipline
NoiseLower is better	2nd / 3	65.6 dB	+0.20 dB
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	3rd / 3	9.66 kg/t	+0.51 kg/t

3^rd

Pirelli P Zero PZ5

255/35 R19

The Pirelli P Zero PZ5 finished third overall, a result at odds with the reputation of the P Zero name. It is quick and precise in the dry and impressively quiet and efficient, but weak wet braking and wet handling leave it behind two rivals that cope far better once the road is wet.

Dry96.8%

Wet94.2%

Comfort96.2%

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	3rd / 3	112 ft	+7 ft
Dry HandlingLower is better	1st / 3	47.68 s	Best in this discipline
Subj. Dry HandlingHigher is better	2nd / 3	7.1 Points	-0.40 Points
Wet BrakingLower is better	3rd / 3	127 ft	+17 ft
Wet HandlingLower is better	3rd / 3	84.8 s	+3.47 s
Subj. Wet HandlingHigher is better	3rd / 3	6 Points	-1.00 Points
Wet CircleHigher is better	2nd / 3	0.897 g	-0.01 g
Straight AquaHigher is better	2nd / 3	46.5 mph	-1.0 mph
Curved AquaplaningHigher is better	1st / 3	9.9 ft/s²	Best in this discipline
Subj. ComfortHigher is better	2nd / 3	6 Points	-0.50 Points
NoiseLower is better	1st / 3	65.4 dB	Best in this discipline
Rolling ResistanceLower is better	1st / 3	9.15 kg/t	Best in this discipline