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Michelin Defender 2

The Defender® 2 is a tire for Crossover Utility Vehicles (CUVs) and passenger vehicles, offering an 80,000 mile warranty. The Defender 2 tire is designed to handle the extra weight and torque of small SUVs, minivans and electric vehicles.

5.5
Tire Reviews Score Based on Professional Tests
Limited Confidence View Breakdown
Dry Grip
90%
Wet Grip
85%
Road Feedback
85%
Handling
90%
Wear
85%
Comfort
90%
Buy again
100%
Snow Grip
90%
Ice Grip
90%
2 Reviews
89% Average
20,120 miles driven
1 Tests (avg: 10th)
Michelin Defender 2

Michelin Defender 2

All Season Premium
BETA
5.5 / 10
Based on Professional Tests · Limited Confidence · Updated 23 Feb 2026

The Tire Reviews Score is the most comprehensive tire scoring system available. It aggregates professional test data from multiple independent publications, user reviews, and consistency analysis using Bayesian statistical methods, weighted normalisation, and recency-adjusted scoring to produce a single, reliable performance rating.

Learn more about our methodology
Dry
79.4
1.5x / 2 tests
Ice
66.7
0.84x / 1 test
Wet
56.6
1.93x / 3 tests
Snow
44.5
1.38x / 3 tests

Cross-category scores are derived metrics that combine data from multiple test disciplines to evaluate real-world performance characteristics.

Braking
63.9
4 tests
Traction
54.5
1 test
Handling
48
4 tests
Score Components
Professional Tests
Weight: 80%
Tests: 1
Publications: 1
Period: 2025
User Reviews
Weight: 15%
Reviews: 2
Avg Rating: 89.4%
Min Required: 5
Consistency
Weight: 5%
Score Std Dev: 1.09
History Points: 9
Methodology & Configuration
Scoring Process
  1. Collect Test Data: Gather results from professional tire tests across multiple publications. Minimum 1 test(s) required.
  2. Normalize Positions: Convert test positions to percentile scores using exponential weighting (factor: 1.2).
  3. Apply Recency Weighting: More recent tests are weighted higher with a decay rate of 0.95.
  4. Incorporate User Reviews: Factor in user review data (minimum 5 reviews). Weight: 15%.
  5. Bayesian Smoothing: Apply Bayesian prior (score: 7, weight: 1.5) to prevent extreme scores with limited data.
  6. Calculate Final Score: Combine all components using normalization factor of 1.1. Max score with limited data: 9.5.
Component Weights
Test Data
80%
User Reviews
15%
Consistency
5%
All Configuration Parameters
ParameterValueDescription
safety_weight 0.7 Weight multiplier for safety-related metrics
performance_weight 0.55 Weight multiplier for performance metrics
comfort_weight 0.4 Weight multiplier for comfort metrics
value_weight 0.45 Weight multiplier for value-for-money metrics
user_reviews_weight 0.15 How much user reviews contribute to the final score
test_data_weight 0.8 How much professional test data contributes to the final score
consistency_weight 0.05 How much score consistency contributes to the final score
recency_decay_rate 0.95 Rate at which older test results lose influence (higher = slower decay)
min_test_count 1 Minimum number of professional tests required
min_review_count 5 Minimum number of user reviews required
score_version 1.9 Current version of the scoring algorithm
score_normalization_factor 1.1 Factor used to normalize raw scores to the 0-10 scale
confidence_factor_weight 0.2 How much data confidence affects the final score
position_penalty_weight 0.2 Penalty applied for poor test positions
gap_penalty_threshold 12 Score gap (%) that triggers additional penalties
min_metrics_count 2 Minimum number of test metrics needed per test
limited_data_threshold 2 Number of tests below which data is considered limited
single_test_penalty 0.75 Score multiplier when only one test is available
critical_metric_penalty 0.7 Penalty for poor performance on critical safety metrics
critical_metric_threshold 70 Score below which a critical metric penalty applies
position_exponential_factor 1.2 Exponent used to amplify position-based scoring
position_exponential_threshold 0.9 Position percentile below which exponential scoring applies
gap_multiplier_critical 3 Multiplier for critical gap penalties
max_category_weight 2 Maximum weight any single category can have
max_score_limited_data 9.5 Score cap when data is limited
bayesian_prior_weight 1.5 Weight of the Bayesian prior in smoothing
bayesian_prior_score 7 Prior score used for Bayesian smoothing
evidence_test_multiplier 1.9 Multiplier for test evidence in confidence calculation
evidence_metric_divisor 3 Divisor for metric count in evidence calculation
evidence_review_divisor 10 Divisor for review count in evidence calculation
combined_penalty_floor 0.2
Data Sources
TestPublicationDateSizePositionMetrics
2024 TireRack All Season and Weather Tire Test Tire Rack 2025 215/55 R17 10/11 9 metrics
1
Tests
10th
Average
10th
Best
10th
Worst
Latest Tire Test Results
The Michelin Defender2 serves as a good reference point for the Standard Touring category, providing a decent ride that absorbs small bumps well, though with some excess body motion. The steering is precise but can feel sluggish at low speeds. On the track, its performance is limited by a lack of ultimate grip in both wet and dry conditions, leading to frequent and significant understeer, making emergency maneuvers a handful. In winter conditions, it struggled significantly compared to the group, with the longest braking distances and difficulty applying power.

Questions and Answers for the Michelin Defender 2

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November 9, 2023

I have 1 question, why is the Michelin Defender 2 categorized a Premium Touring Summer tire here, when I purchased it from a large US Tire chain who sold it as a tire in the All-Season category?

That's an error from us, it is in fact an all season tire. The site has now been updated, thanks for letting us know.
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Latest Michelin Defender 2 Reviews

Given 90% while driving a Dodge Challenger (235/55 R19) on a combination of roads for 20,000 average miles
We own a Dodge Challenger GT AWD. We dive the challenger year round. The OEM tires were Michelins and were touring tires. They were super comfortable and offered great handling. When we went lookng for our next tires we found out that the OEM tires were no longer available. They spec'd the Defender 2 at Costco and we extremely pleased with them. We have summer and winter rims and are so happy with the Defenders that we are buying them again for the summer rims. and they came with a rebate, too! Happy customers! Thanks, Michelin.
March 22, 2024
Given 89% while driving a Kia Motors Sorrento xt 3.5 v6 4x4 (225/45 R18) on a combination of roads for 120 easy going miles
Replaced all four Hankook tires on my KIA Sorento SUV with Michelin Defender 2. Immediately noticed much quieter tire especially on California's concrete freeways. If these tires give anywhere near the promised mileage I will call them the best tires I've ever purchased.
April 12, 2023
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
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