The Avon WV7 is a performance winter tire, with increased sipe density to improve traction in snow, ice, slush and wet weather. Available in 15 to 18-inch sizes to fit popular performance cars, the Avon WV7 is H and V speed rated. It features forward-facing shoulder grooves and V- slots to enhance braking, while the backward-facing center groove improves traction. The Avon WV7 is marked with the ‘Severe Snow Conditions' three-peak mountain snowflake symbol.
The quick answer
Owners say82%from 14 owner reviews86% would buy againRead the reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tire - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated January 2025.
Across the 3 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Avon WV7 stops 4% longer than premium rivals, 1.8% shorter than mid-range rivals and 8.9% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews wet score of 83/100, and owners rate it 8.4/10 in the wet from 14 reviews.
How good is the Avon WV7 in the snow?
Across the 3 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Avon WV7 stops 8.1% longer than premium rivals, 6.3% longer than mid-range rivals and 2.5% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews snow score of 14/100, and owners rate it 8.2/10 in the snow from 14 reviews.
How comfortable and quiet are the Avon WV7?
Owners rate the Avon WV7 8.8 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 13 reviews.
How well do the Avon WV7 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Avon WV7 8.2 out of 10 for wear across 13 reviews.
Would owners buy the Avon WV7 again?
86% of owners say they would buy the Avon WV7 again, based on the 14 owner reviews that answered the question. 50% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
Across 14 owner ratings the Avon WV7 averages 82%. Owners rate Comfort highest at 8.8 out of 10 and Handling lowest at 7.6. 85% of owners score it 70% or better.
Owner ratings averaged from 14 ratings
Owner score82%
Comfort88%
Wet Grip84%
Road Feedback83%
Wear82%
Dry Grip82%
Snow Grip82%
Ice Grip79%
Handling76%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 83%
“From my perspective; couldn't recommend these highly enough. I run winter alloys & tires on my BMW E39 530i Sport touring from late October to generally March the following year and this time I've gone with the AVON...”
“Bought these for a Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 4x4 saloon and was sorely disappointed with their inclement weather grip. Comfortable enough to drive on, but traction control comes on a lot with these fitted! Have checked all...”
Have these for winter driving on my turbo’d mx5 mk1. I run ad08r in the summer. These handle the power great when the road surface is cold and give lots of confidence in after we weather conditions.
I have these as a winter set on My mx5 which is boosted.
I run ad08-r in summer and these have been my go to winter tire for it.
In the dry on a day where surfaces temps are low on the road. They’re are spot on.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
From my perspective; couldn't recommend these highly enough.
I run winter alloys & tires on my BMW E39 530i Sport touring from late October to generally March the following year and this time I've gone with the AVON WV7s in 235/45/17 fitment, to go on OEM 17" alloys.
My family has property in the Scottish Highlands and just for the runs up there in Dec, Jan & Feb; up the M6/M74/M80 and A9 etc; they're worth it just for that! Those roads in those months are generally sodden and cold; and then further up the A9 it can either be just very cold; or icy and cold or fairly well snowed in...
Where the property is; just in a small village off the A9; the roads don't get treated & it can be a nightmare (as can the roads that surround us at home; local country B roads that are usually covered in standing water over winter unless it's unusually dry/cold)
These tires in Feb 2019 got me down very snowed in roads in the Highlands on my tour trying to find historical manhood stones and it also got us onto the main carpark at the Cairngorm, whereas my fathers XDrive X3 was stuck on its summer tires, spinning...
Their drive & feedback is very good; a very smooth and quiet ride for winters; dry handling at speed (if it's a bit warm) can be a bit squishy-feeling; but cold temps they're superb. Wet handing is fantastic and superb grip through standing water etc... As for the wear; I can't comment as I don't don't the mileage
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Avon WV7? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
I just recently completed a 4000mile road trip from London (10c) to the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland where the coldest reported temperature was -19c. I drove on every possible combination of surface including snow storms, packed ice, freezing rain, deep slush etc...
I was initially very worried that my tire choice was wrong as I learned of the existence of Nordic Winter Tires which are supposedly designed for especially harsh winters which European Winter Tires are not designed for. However my worries were totally unfounded. The Avon VW7 proved itself to be a very capable tire. There aren't conditions on earth which this tire can't deal with.
As we drove north the conditions got worse. The rain turned to freezing rain and snow. Eventually we arrived at our destination and spent the next 10 days traversing the cold wilderness in my 300bhp Golf R. I noticed that the majority of cars were running studs however I found grip with the VW7s more than adequate. Even driving on dangerous ice roads I was able to maintain control and make good progress.
High speed handling was also tested on the German Autobahn. We reached the maximum rated tire speed of 149mph (GPS) indicated. The car remained controlled.
I was stunned at how good these mid range winter tires are.
My only fault with this tire is that it can feel quite soft and vague at the front end during the warmer temperatures e.g mild 10c in London. However once you get down to 3-4c the tire hardens up and feels more controlled.
I also had to do an emergency stop from 130kmh in typical cols winter greasy conditions and the car stopped so quickly I was honestly shocked at the levels of grip and control.
Really happy with my Avon WV7 winter tires, have used them for the last two winters and can't finding anything to fault.
I have used winter tires for years and have owned sets from Goodyear, Vredestiein, Nokian and Avon (ice touring ST's). I can honestly say the Avon's are very underrated and represent superb value for money. Their performance certainly stands shoulder to shoulder with the premium brands.
My present summer tires are Michelin Primacy 3's and these Avon's offer just as much comfort and steering feedback as the Michelin's. The Avon's perform better on wet roads (and are certainly better at dealing with standing water than the Michelin's) as you would expect from a winter tire. Where the Avon's really impress however is with their ability on the warmer days of winter (10+ degrees celsius). On these days they perform very much like the Michelin's, certainly the best of any winter tire I have used to date.
I therefore suspected this may impact on their snow/ice performance but no, they seem to cope admirably in these conditions too. I drive several miles on ungritted (and hilly) rural roads each day and the WV7's are a very balanced tire. I've never got stuck or felt close to losing control so they have all the winter abilities I require.
Using these tires on a 310bhp Audi S3 so a bit more power than your usual car. So far these tires have been excellent to say how cheap they were compared to the premium offerings.
Grip in all weather conditions is good, launching the car full throttle traction is acceptable though you can expect some traction control kicking in. Noticed no problems braking and cornering in wet and cold conditions and the car doesn't feel alot different to the summer tires I had on before (Pirelli P-Zero's)
For the price these are faultless, picked up a set of 4 fully fitted from ATS for £310. It would of been closer to £500 for a premium set. Would definitely recommend and would buy these again.
Bought these for a Skoda Superb 3.6 V6 4x4 saloon and was sorely disappointed with their inclement weather grip. Comfortable enough to drive on, but traction control comes on a lot with these fitted! Have checked all tire pressures and driving to the conditions.
Limited review on the grounds that I have only completed 1500 miles to the Alps and back. Car was fully laden (5 people, roofbox and snowboard equipment/luggage. Road noise was not an issue, VW Sharan handled without issue throughout the trip and had no need for snow chains in resort while others all used chains!! We had plenty of snow in resort and the trip down from resort was cold and icy which these tires dealt with just fine. Hard to comment on fuel consumption as we had the roofbox.
Bought these on a hunch that they might be better than a lot of winter tires in the wet/dry (which compose 90% of British winter weather) and indeed they are. However they're also very good in winter conditions with excellent grip on fresh and frozen snow and ice, climbing a 1 in 6 hill in fresh snow was no problem, as was stopping on black ice. Their outstanding characteristic is the steering feedback, better than most winter tires (Nokian, Vredestein) that I've run - though obviously won't be as good as a HP summer tire, due to isolated tread blocks and loads of sipes - and the sidewalls are stiff enough to make the car feel controlled and give you confidence when pushing through the corners. And lastly they're suprisingly quiet for a winter tire too, less high frequency noise than the previous summer tires I ran. All in all a very competent tire at a decent price to boot, and the folk at Avon are most helpful with information.
This is my second winter on these. Last winter with the mild UK weather they weren't worth the expendature. 10 Celsius & above my summer tires out perform them in every respect. After just 1 season fronts were half worn already. With temps below 7 Celsius & the wet, they start to justify themselves. With this winter's recent cold snap and proper snow they have come into their own. I had no doubt I would make it to work on my early morning B road commute - the car bearly spun a wheel. Comparing these to previously owned Nokian WR A3, the Nokians were a much better all rounder and lasted 5 seasons. I doubt the Avons will make 3. All in all the Avons are best reserved to the worst of winter weather - not ideal for typical UK winters. I think I'll be spending a bit more & going back to Nokian when it's time to replace.
I was very surprised at how good these tires were in the cold wet and snow (snow once for about 20 miles), especially considering that they're classed as mid priced.
I drove from Kent to Glasgow and back once per month throughout the winter and found these tires to be confidence inspiring in all weathers. I took them off when the weather turned fine again, just to save them for further winters although, I found them to provide excellent feedback and grip in the spring/warmish months too.
I was also surprised at how little they had worn over 5000 miles. They will be good for at least two more winters, maybe more.
