The Continental Eco Contact 3 is a premium summer touring tire with generally good wet and dry grip, a comfortable ride and some fuel-economy praise. Steering feel and tread life are less consistent.
The quick answer
Owners say74%from 54 owner reviews57% 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.
How many miles does the Continental Eco Contact 3 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Continental Eco Contact 3 is expected to last around 41,600 miles (66,949 km).
What do owners say about the Continental Eco Contact 3?
Across 54 owner ratings the Continental Eco Contact 3 averages 74%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 8 out of 10 and Handling lowest at 6.8. 28 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 64% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Continental Eco Contact 3's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Continental Eco Contact 3 most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 70 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Continental Eco Contact 3?
Owners rate the Continental Eco Contact 3 7.8 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 45 reviews.
How well do the Continental Eco Contact 3 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Continental Eco Contact 3 7.4 out of 10 for wear across 45 reviews. 28 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 15,000 miles.
More questions about the Continental Eco Contact 3(6)
Would owners buy the Continental Eco Contact 3 again?
57% of owners say they would buy the Continental Eco Contact 3 again, based on the 54 owner reviews that answered the question. 22% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Continental Eco Contact 3's tread life?
Of the 44 owner reviews analyzed for the Continental Eco Contact 3, 25 mention tread life: 13 praise it (long-lasting) and 12 criticise it (wears quickly). Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Continental Eco Contact 3's dry grip?
Of the 44 owner reviews analyzed for the Continental Eco Contact 3, 20 mention dry grip: 15 praise it (strong dry grip) and 5 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "Stick like glue in dry and wet conditions". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Continental Eco Contact 3's wet grip?
Of the 44 owner reviews analyzed for the Continental Eco Contact 3, 19 mention wet grip: 16 praise it (confident wet grip) and 3 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "these tires delivered reassuringly strong levels of grip". Read those reviews
Questions and Answers for the Continental Eco Contact 3
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Wet and dry grip are generally well liked on the Continental Eco Contact 3, with 16 and 15 favorable mentions against three and five criticisms respectively. Tread life is the most discussed issue but almost evenly split, with 13 positive comments and 12 complaints, around a quarter of owners reporting disappointment. Mid-life and end-of-life accounts include long service, but also shoulder wear and one report of reduced confidence as the tire aged. Comfort earns eight favorable mentions without criticism, and noise has more praise than complaints. Steering feel is evenly divided, so it is less settled than basic grip. The 73.5% average across 45 reviews reflects mostly positive or neutral experiences, without follow-up reviews establishing a shared ageing trend.
What owners mention most counted across 44 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 54 ratings
Owner score74%
Dry Grip80%
Wet Grip78%
Comfort78%
Wear74%
Road Feedback73%
Handling68%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 87%
“So far, I've driven these tires 18000 miles approx. and the experience has been great. I've driven them in city (mostly), on highways and even off roads on good as well as pathetic road conditions and haven't faced any...”
“Dry grip and feedback: Not good; feels like the road is wet even when warm and dry. Car never feels confident in a straight line and gets blown off course by crosswinds and while passing big trucks. Adjusting air...”
“Great tire. Still have two of the original 4 set on the car, after doing 100k KM on them. They're at the limit now, but after 100k what more can you ask? Great performance on wet and dry, slightly noisy but only...”
So far, I've driven these tires 18000 miles approx. and the experience has been great. I've driven them in city (mostly), on highways and even off roads on good as well as pathetic road conditions and haven't faced any problem till now. Hopefully will drive them another 18000 to 20000 miles and then replace them. Overall i would rate them with a score of 8 with 10 being the highest...
I got these tires mounted on my (then) brand new Dacia Logan 2008 edition. After 11 years of running them for ~9 months each yer and summing up close to 80.000km (50.000 miles, only on these) I think this model is definitely a winner as a premium touring tire.
I really need to point out that they are getting put aside because of safety concerns due to their age, they still have rubber on them for another 20.000km easy.
Pro: low rolling resistance, fairly quiet ride, good wet and dry grip and nice braking, awesome wear longevity!
Con: not such a good road feedback from them (my car is not the sportiest one in the yard, by far, but i can say that these tires are awesome for long roads, but not for the sporty driver that likes to get a good feedback in bends).
Now upgraded to Continental EcoContact 6 (DOT 2019), if this set lasts as much as the 3's then Continental, you have yourself a satisfied client!
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
I have ContiEco Contact 3 on Skoda Octavia 2 since 2011 and they are very good tires: very good on dry road, good on wet road, no aquaplaning , silent on hi speed and very resistant. The wear is excellent for these tires, I have been owning it for 7 years and they are still good. On the other hand they have 2 problems: low driving feedback and the rubber is getting older. Now, after 7 years, they became noisy and not so confident as they were new.
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Good tire, but there are drawbacks. It adheres very well on dry roads but loses its grip on wet roads. Relatively loud, but not very disturbing. It responds well to steering movements. The big drawback is that they wear very fast. I was just able to drive him 50,000 km because I was cautious. Good tire, but I wouldn't buy it again. He had an original tire for Suzuki. I changed to Hankook K425 and I have not regretted it so far.
I had these tires as original fitted on my father's VW Golf 6 1.6 Tdi the car is from january 2012 and the tires were produced end of 2011.
the tire qualities are comfortable and silent ride and under braking they are still excellent
the tires weaknesses are the wear on the shoulders when used a little more sporty than usual.
All in all is a sincere tire made for a quiet driving style.
Now is almost time to replace them and there is very little choice on the market could buy again.
After going sideways across two lanes due to aquaplaning thanks to the poor grip from these tires a first of 30 years driving on snow, ice, sand and mud. They are not much better in the dry. Have to get rid of them for safety.
They still have good thread after 8 years and 60.000km. They were used only as summer tires and not during winter.
This year they've started to get unbalanced again and again, but given their age I think they've lasted very well.
Dry grip is not excellent even for a 1.2 engine and the sidewalls are very very soft which makes them comfortable, but not sporty at all.
I had to switch to Pirelli, the only premium tire in stock and will come with feedback, comparison soon.
I bought these to replace the OE fit Michelin Energy's. They seem quieter that the Michelins and I've not noticed any loss in fuel economy despite them being a lower rating that the Michelins. Overall they feel good in wet and dry conditions and the rides is smooth too. I'd probably buy them again if I can get a good price on them next time.
I thought I'd come back for a complete evaluation as soon as I was about to change tires.
I have been using the Eco Contact 3s for 24,421 km (15,178 miles) and 47 months, in all sorts of environments and temperatures. So, here we go, evaluating their overall performance, from day 1 to today - they will be changed until next week.
Dry Grip: 7, they started off a bit better but as soon as they became 3 years old the grip slightly worsened, just 6 days ago I had 2 locks on the fronts with moderate braking, once with about 50-60 degrees steering lock in.
Wet Grip: 7. They let me down last February when entering a slightly fast right hander on a mountain at 10 degrees temperature, first they understeered and immediately as I lifted off the throttle the tail broke loose, oversteered. I corrected this but nonetheless on a narrow mountain road it did gave me a bit of a heartbeat.
Road Feedback, Progressiveness, Wear & Comfort: 8. I always knew I was getting to the limit, the tires provided me with feedback and they were always progressive, excepting that one instance I mentioned above. They are still at 4 mm both fronts and rears. They have never been too noisy either, even on rough, rotted road surfaces.
I won't buy again though, firstly because they've been discontinued and secondly because their successor, the Eco Contact 5, seems to be a considerably better tire - it will be the next tire for my Alfa 146, I've ordered a set. Let's see what more they will offer.
69%
Member
Fiat
185/65 R15 T
40,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average
Perfect on wet road but not very well on dry roads, expecially when the tires are worn for a few years (12000 miles). Road noise is ok for the first use but after approx. 2 years comfort dramatically decreases.
