Drawn from 5 tests. Updated September 29, 2026.
Across five independent Nordic friction (studless) winter tire tests, the Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2 repeatedly shows itself as an "asphalt-biased" Nordic winter tire: consistently excellent on wet roads (multiple wet discipline wins) and often strong for subjective dry-road manners, with competitive efficiency and refinement. It finished 2nd/8 (2022 ViBilagare SUV test), 3rd/8 (2020 Vi Bilagare), 2nd/6 within class (2021 studless class), and 4th/12 within class (2020 Test World), with testers explicitly calling it "superior on wet asphalt" and a "clear winner in wetter climates" (ViBilagare 2022). Wet braking and wet handling were standout: 1st/8 in both wet braking and wet handling in 2020 and again 1st/8 in both in 2022, plus 1st/6 for wet handling in 2021. Aquaplaning resistance also repeatedly leads (1st/8 in straight aquaplaning, 2020 Vi Bilagare; 2nd/8, +0.6% from best, 2022). Rolling resistance is consistently near-best (2nd/8, +2.3%, 2022; 2nd/8, +0.8%, 2020), with testers also noting low noise (1st/8 noise, 2022; and the write-up calls interior noise the lowest).
The recurring caveat is winter-limit behavior and lateral grip on snow/ice: testers describe "slightly worse cornering grip on snow and ice" with grip that "disappears relatively suddenly and without warning" (ViBilagare 2022), and 2020 Vi Bilagare flagged "average snow and ice handling with a difficult balance at the limit". Objective ice handling could be weak (8th/8, +9.5% from best, 2020 Vi Bilagare), and snow handling similarly lagged (6th/8, +1.9%, 2020 Vi Bilagare; 9th/12, +3.1%, 2020 Test World). One major exception is wear sensitivity: a used set in Teknikens Värld 2024 placed 6th/6 in its Nordic friction class, with the magazine warning that after 3,800 km its ice and snow performance had deteriorated to potentially dangerous levels, despite benefiting rolling resistance from being worn.
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