The Nokian WR A4 is a Central European winter tire with low rolling resistance and generally favorable owner impressions of dry grip and snow traction. Repeated wet-weather test weaknesses contrast with owner satisfaction, while snow handling and ice confidence are less consistent.
The quick answer
Owners say82%from 24 owner reviews85% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesValue, DrySnow, ComfortRelative to its rivals across every test we hold
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 October 2026.
In 245/45 R18, the Nokian WR A4 is projected to cost €28.10 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €703 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tire Test.
Tire purchase + fittingExtra fuel vs the most efficient tirecost per 1,000 miles
Assumes a typical car doing 29 mpg (rolling resistance causing 20% of fuel use), fuel at €6.25 per gallon and €70 fitting per set of four. Purchase prices are from the time of the 2020 test; financing costs are excluded.
Across the 5 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian WR A4 stops 7.2% longer than premium rivals, 1.7% longer than mid-range rivals and 2.5% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews wet score of 39/100, and owners rate it 8.9/10 in the wet from 24 reviews.
How good is the Nokian WR A4 in the dry?
Across the 4 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian WR A4 stops 1.7% shorter than premium rivals, 2% shorter than mid-range rivals and 10.2% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews dry score of 74/100, and owners rate it 8.5/10 in the dry from 24 reviews.
How good is the Nokian WR A4 in the snow?
Across the 5 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Nokian WR A4 stops 1.7% longer than premium rivals, 0.4% shorter than mid-range rivals and 29.8% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 1 snow-traction test, it is 2.4% worse than premium rivals, 1.3% better than mid-range rivals and 41.3% better than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews snow score of 33/100, and owners rate it 9/10 in the snow from 24 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Nokian WR A4?
Across the 3 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Nokian WR A4's rolling resistance is 7.9% lower than premium rivals, 12.3% lower than mid-range rivals and 6.7% lower than budget rivals.
How many miles does the Nokian WR A4 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Nokian WR A4 is expected to last around 26,628 miles (42,854 km).
More questions about the Nokian WR A4(10)
What do owners say about the Nokian WR A4?
Across 24 owner ratings the Nokian WR A4 averages 82%. Owners rate Snow Grip highest at 9 out of 10 and Road Feedback lowest at 7.4. 5 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 95% of owners score it 70% or better.
How much does the Nokian WR A4 cost to run?
In 245/45 R18, the Nokian WR A4 is projected to cost €28.10 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €703 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tire Test. Of the tires compared in that test, that makes it the cheapest to run.
What is the Nokian WR A4's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Nokian WR A4 most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 72 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Nokian WR A4?
Owners rate the Nokian WR A4 8.5 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 23 reviews.
How well do the Nokian WR A4 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Nokian WR A4 7.9 out of 10 for wear across 23 reviews. 5 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 3,500 miles.
Would owners buy the Nokian WR A4 again?
85% of owners say they would buy the Nokian WR A4 again, based on the 20 owner reviews that answered the question. 50% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Nokian WR A4's snow traction?
Of the 21 owner reviews analyzed for the Nokian WR A4, 9 mention snow traction: 8 praise it (strong snow traction) and 1 criticise it (weak snow traction). One owner wrote: "Good in the wet and cold, keeping the traction control with minimal work to do, and in the snow". Read those reviews
What does the Nokian WR A4 replace?
The Nokian WR A4 is the successor to the Nokian WR A3 in Nokian's range.
I have these tires on my Hyundai genesis coupe but haven't driven during the summer Can I safely start to drive now? Show moreI have these tires on my Hyundai genesis coupe but haven't driven during the summer
Can I safely start to drive now? Is there any compromise in the summer on these tires ? Show less
August 14, 2018
Winter tires like the WRA4 can be used in the summer without risk of failure, but you will noticed increased wet and particularly dry braking distances, so it is not an ideal situation to be in.
Show all questions(2)
Hi. What is the maximum speed for wra4 nokian tires and also is there a regular and a run flat option or just one version? thank you.
November 19, 2016
The Nokian WR A4 is available in different speed ratings and runflat options depending on the size chosen.
Owners of the Nokian WR A4 generally praise snow traction and wet and dry grip, with quiet running another recurring positive. Snow handling also receives favorable comments, although one owner notes understeer and another is less satisfied with snow performance. Ice grip is much less consistent, with both reassuring experiences and reports of limited traction. Most reviews describe initial use, so this is chiefly a picture of the tire when new rather than proof of durability. One person remains positive in a later review, but the later accounts do not establish a shared ageing trend.
What owners mention most counted across 21 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 24 ratings
Owner score82%
Snow Grip90%
Wet Grip89%
Dry Grip85%
Comfort85%
Wear79%
Handling79%
Ice Grip75%
Road Feedback74%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 71%
“Normal driving on the XL version (judging by online inventories the default one produced) from proper snow and neg. C in Livland to warm dryness, 0 C slush and much less snow to around Regnum Hungariae. For winter tires...”
“I bought these tires for my 2013 BMW 328i (403m rims). The tires are too soft for 403m rims such that at speeds above 100 Km/h they deflect and the car starts drifting to the sides and I have to continuously steering to...”
“I have been driving this tire for 9 seasons (which is a tad too much but the tire lasted really long and it is still ok to drive, so durability was fantastic). For a winter tire it did great on the dry and it almost...”
Normal driving on the XL version (judging by online inventories the default one produced) from proper snow and neg. C in Livland to warm dryness, 0 C slush and much less snow to around Regnum Hungariae. For winter tires in general they seemed to perform perfectly competently, although once did fail to get any traction on wet ice on a very slight incline, sadly expectable without studs. No noticeable noise increase compared to summers and no noticeable wear at all. Seemed rather heavy/substantial in hand and with a stiff sidewall. The latter characteristic might very well have saved one of the rims on a particularly crashy pothole, but also made for a subjectively unpleasant firmness in general in a car with an otherwise superb suspension (the Sport version at that). So much so that one actively avoided any manhole covers or other imperfections on the road surface, which then motivated an early sale before the second season. For reference, the replacements in the form of Continental TS 870 P provide vastly improved levels of comfort.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
This is my 2 week review of a set of the Nokian G4's tires installed on our 2020 Ford Transit Connect by Discount Tire. Again my other reviews shows that at least 5 different brand tires will not work with the Transit Connect as those tires listed in my other reviews will not work on the van. The issue is those other tires have too much sidewall flex. The Nokian G4's are made with a Kevlar derivative which stiffens the sides and the design of the tires, but the tires are not runflats. This past weekend we actually had a chance to drive in the snow and on icy roads in Boone/Banner Elk NC while on our way to Asheville. NC.
These Nokian G4's 245/40/r19 are the best tires we've even had the privilege of owning. They can handle a wide range of road conditions and still keep on going. All types of weather and climates do not stand a chance with these tires. We're very pleased with the Nokians G4's we're glad we gave the Nokian brand another chance after the Nokian "One" tires failed to impress us. Again, This is a review for the Nokian WR G4 245/40/R19 tires on a 2020 Transit Connect so your results may very. But clearly this IS the best tire for our van's setup.
This makes our second attempt with the Nokian tire brand. Although the first Nokian One 245/40/R19 performed very well, it was poor on wet roads and other aspects. We were willing to give the Nokian brand one more chance and this time we selected the Nokian WRG4's. One thing we noticed about these tires as compared to the Nokian one tires, is that they are lighter than the one tires even though the site list these as being heavier. The other thing about these tires is that no matter what the road conditions, these tires will find a way to keep you driving. Superior dry grp and handling without over flexing side walls with very well wet road handling on our Transit Connect. With a Kevlar derivative designed into the tires, these sidewall still flex, just not as much as some of the other tires we've tested. Although these WRG4's are not runflats, they make up for it with the stiffer sidewalls that will help protect your tire for years to come. One test we performed right after the mounted and balanced on our 19x8.5 wheels, was to drive around a circle (round about) just to see what type of handling we're dealing with. 6 times we went around the circle/round about in dry and wet road conditions without any slipping or sliding. Another instance, while driving over the painted stripes in the road, the Nitto & Kumho tires would flow over and slide, the Van would get squirrely and would not handle very well. While the Nokian WRG4's kept right on gripping over these painted single or double lines. We gave the Nokian tire brand a second chance and this time, it has paid off and so far these tires have proven themselves in a variety of conditions. So yes the perfect tire for our 2020 Transit Connect is the well designed and one of the best handling tires we've ever tested.
79%
Member
Skoda
205/55 R16
54,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Average
I have been driving this tire for 9 seasons (which is a tad too much but the tire lasted really long and it is still ok to drive, so durability was fantastic).
For a winter tire it did great on the dry and it almost felt like a summer tire there. I also felt safe in the wet. However, I was not so lucky with the performance on snow and ice. It was something that I expected and since I am not driving a lot in snow/ice I was fine with it. It felt like all season tire that does better in winter conditions. For what I need this is quite a good comosure and so I was quite happy with the tire.
Compared to my summer tires (Conti PremiumContact) the Nokian was a little bit louder. Fuel consumption was level with the summer tires when you take the temperatures into account which really surprised me.
I have been driving tires for 3 seasons and this will be my last. Very low wear and stability at high speed. Next year I will be buying Continental or Bridgstone, which are great in the rain.
Member
BMW
225/55 R17
8,000 miles
A Combination of Roads
Spirited
Owned on 2 cars, 520d & 535d, also the WRA3s previously, found to be the best of, Conti 810, 830, GY UG2* and UG 'performace'. For use in travelling the Scottish highlands, the real ones above Gairloch/Cairngorms.
These A4s are the best of the bunch, 2nd was the UG2* (the UG 'performance were terrible and 2 garages incl BMW felt the tire unstable, 1 said dangerous and GY support were not interested, so that's unfortunately the end of me buying GY).
Good in the wet and cold, keeping the traction control with minimal work to do, and in the snow. Not brilliant on ice but then nothing that isn't studded is!
Car BMW F10, 520 and 535. Have had various winter tires on BM's over 10 years, used in the Scottish Highlands and Europe, and daily winter) in the midland. Previous tires before settling on these: Continental 810, 830, GoodYear UG 2, UG Gen1 and Nokian A3. The worst of them by far, that resulted in tests by Garages and BMW were the GY Gen 1 - I strongly suggest you do Not buy these for a BMW 5 series, GY techical 'support' were absolutely no use, other than saying by BMW '*', the nokians aren't '*' are are 100% fine. The GY UG2 were a good tire for cold and wet but no where near as good as the Nokians in real winter/snow conditions.
The only draw back is the 535 can wear them a little quickly, but out of all the aforementioned tires for real wintery weather, cold, snow, slush, wet they are a very good tire, so much so I will be replacing with the same tires for next winter.
Fitted these Nokian to suit my driving style as well as the harsh conditions in winter. I was amazed by the dry grip to start with, no spin even on full throttle, which is handy when the weather is around 10°C and not really winterish. Very stable at speed, so quiet that you could fall asleep. No increase in fuel consumption. In the wet, it is about the same, good handling, stopping distance and acceleration. Snow handling is just the best. Having a FWD, good tires are required. What I really liked was that when the roads are not maintained, you don't have a puncture each time you drive over a pothole which was the case with my previous winter tires as they were too soft. The price is a bit on the heavy side, but if I had to drive a lot in winter, I would not hesitate once to invest. But that will be in 5yrs+ now for me, and I'm sure Nokian will have figured how to design an even greater tire in the meantime.
I first bought half a set of WR A4s in late 2016 as the original Goodyear I got with the car were a bit worn and slidy. Being on my second RWD car I knew that good tires are a must if you don't want to slide into a ditch boot first at the first sight of adverse weather.
On my old Supra I had older Michelin Alpin tires for the winter, but having a few friends running their RWD coupes ont the old WR A3 I went for Nokian, even though I don't usually get much snow.
After a first test where I had to cross a mountain with the old Goodyears at the front and the new Nokians at the back in fresh snow at 1 in the morning, I decided that a full set was necessary.
I've been running a full set of WR A4s since 2017.
The result has been overwhelimingly positive.
As general information : the car is an old Lexus IS200 sedan, RWD manual, no LSD, about 1400kg. Summer tires are a set of Michelin PS4 in 225/18"
Dry grip isn't as good as with the summer tires, but when changing my wheels when the temperature drops, I can feel right away that I'm getting some grip and control back (in temps under 7°c).
Wet grip is good, and I'd say better than with classic symetric patterns. Lateral grip is great in the wet, which stops your rear tires slipping around when going up and down hills and mountains.
Snow grip is perfect. I've driven in snow deep enough that my bumpers scraped the top, and with just the help of snow mode and a light touch on the throttle, the car just chugged along up and down hills at 6 in the morning before the snowplow could get there. Never had to park the car at the bottom of the road like my neighbours.
Ice I haven't crossed yet.
Of course comfort is upgraded by switching from 18" in the summer to 17 in the winter.
They don't wear too fast, and the mileage on my car doesn't change much between them and the Pilot Sports.
The asymetric pattern makes them easy to rotate to even the wear, which means they will wear more slowly in western Europe where roundabouts are everywhere.
The asymetric pattern also makes them look pretty sexy compared to the run-of-the-mill symetric winter tire.
The price is also usually pretty low for a performance winter tire.
The main downside I have found with owning them over multiple years is that they don't like warmth at all, and require a pressure check even before you fit them back in autumn. Mine tend to deflate during the summer months while they're in storage. But once filled back up, they don't require more pressure checks than your average winter tire.
Wow
I had Michelin A4 & A5 before for winter tires but this ones outperform them.
This year we had a lot of snow and not for even one moment they let me down! It's nice when you pass with a smile by smaller SUV who is "struggling" in the snow.
From now only Nokian for a winter tires.
