The Nokian WR D3 is a Central European winter tire with generally strong snow traction and dry-road behavior. Wet braking is a recurring test weakness, while wear varies and a minority of owners find it less reassuring in warmer weather.
The quick answer
Owners say87%from 42 owner reviews95% 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 42 owner ratings the Nokian WR D3 averages 87%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 9.1 out of 10 and Snow Grip lowest at 8. 11 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 94% of owners score it 70% or better.
What is the Nokian WR D3's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Nokian WR D3 most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, C for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Nokian WR D3?
Owners rate the Nokian WR D3 8.7 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 32 reviews.
How well do the Nokian WR D3 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Nokian WR D3 8.5 out of 10 for wear across 32 reviews. 11 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 6,700 miles.
Would owners buy the Nokian WR D3 again?
95% of owners say they would buy the Nokian WR D3 again, based on the 41 owner reviews that answered the question. 56% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
More questions about the Nokian WR D3(5)
What do owners say about the Nokian WR D3's snow traction?
Of the 31 owner reviews analyzed for the Nokian WR D3, 21 mention snow traction: 20 praise it (strong snow traction) and 1 criticise it (weak snow traction). Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Nokian WR D3's wet grip?
Of the 31 owner reviews analyzed for the Nokian WR D3, 14 mention wet grip: 13 praise it (confident wet grip) and 1 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "Excellent on snow, great on wet and dry roads". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Nokian WR D3's dry grip?
Of the 31 owner reviews analyzed for the Nokian WR D3, 12 mention dry grip: 12 praise it (strong dry grip) and 0 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "The best winter tire I have ever had on the dry tarmac". Read those reviews
Has the Nokian WR D3 been replaced?
The Nokian WR D3 has been replaced by the Nokian WR D4.
What sizes does the Nokian WR D3 come in?
The Nokian WR D3 is available in 2 sizes, ranging from 175/65 R15.
Snow traction is the clearest strength of the Nokian WR D3 in owner reviews, with praise from around two thirds of owners and very few complaints. Wet and dry grip also attract strongly favorable comments, and a smaller group describe useful grip on ice. More owners find it quiet than noisy, although refinement is not universally liked. Longer-use reports are mixed on wear, ranging from several satisfactory winters to disappointing life, so a fixed mileage expectation would be misleading. Around one in eight owners criticise its behavior in warmer weather, including softer responses or less reassuring braking.
What owners mention most counted across 31 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 42 ratings
Owner score87%
Dry Grip91%
Wet Grip88%
Road Feedback88%
Comfort87%
Handling87%
Ice Grip87%
Wear85%
Snow Grip80%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 44%
“The best winter tire I have ever had on the dry tarmac, but that's all. The worst winter tire I have ever had on the wett and snow (I had Michelin Alpin A2, GY UltraGrip 7+, Semperit Speed-Grip 2 before). Slipping on...”
“I have driven around 40,000 miles in two and a half winters on these tires . The roads have been mainly rural semi rural and alpine mountain roads.The tires wet grip properties probably saved our family's lives when on...”
I was trying to find WR D4s back in 2016, but as I needed the tires quickly, I bought the D3s.
I'm relatively happy with the tires. Almost no wear for 3 winters. This is their fourth season and they grip very well. I had issues with breaking on wet surfaces in the beginning, but never had problems with aquaplaning. I also had issues with higher speeds. The car feels a bit uncomfortable over 160km/h or over 140 in corners(a bit wobbly).
Noise is also a bit higher then I would like.
So, If you are a calm driver, this one is definitely a good choice.
The best winter tire I have ever had on the dry tarmac, but that's all. The worst winter tire I have ever had on the wett and snow (I had Michelin Alpin A2, GY UltraGrip 7+, Semperit Speed-Grip 2 before). Slipping on wett, almost no traction on snow, aquaplaining on slushy roads and made in CCCP. I threw away of my car after a week in winter conditions and meanwhile I received Dunlop Winter Response 2, I have to switch to my summer tires GT Radial Champiro HPX, which was better on a snow and slush than this overpraised Nokian. Michelin Semperit and Dunlop were the best on slushy roads, due to two the wide grooves around and wide lateral grooves. GY was also good on slush, but little bit behinde. GY and Dunlop were best on the snow, but Semperit wasn´t far to them.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
I replaced my old BF Goodrich tires with nokians and o boy what a difference, these tires are simply awsome in almost every way, best thing i would say is the progresivity i cant stress enough about this, they have very predictable edge of traction on dry, wet, snow or even ice compared to other winter tires i tryied, grip is great on any surface although when its little bit warmer outside you realy feel the soft compound but that is expected from winter tires, only downside is feedback but that is partly because i have size with very high side walls, but all and all its very good tire more focused on safety and snow performance than sporty feeling, and i will definitely buy theese again
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The best winter tires I've ever driven. Perfect on snow, even on ice they have the needed grip to push you at the start. I have some concerns over the wet, but again perfect job, as we know - the winter tires are not so good at only wet roads.
Extremely good on snow. Bad on warm days (10-15C) when braking. Very bad when braking on wet asphalt!! Car just can't stop quick enough - must be careful.
89%
Member
225/45 R17
A Combination of Roads
Excellent tire!
Excellent on snow, great on wet and dry roads.
I did not drive in the summer so I do not know how to withstand high temperatures but winter tires do not run in the summer.
Nokian has made an excellent winter tire at a reasonable price.
the best snow tire i ever had.
very good even on wet and dry road, not so far from the "main" of the brand (WRG2) but really much better on the snow:
great traction, brake power and steering control,
optimum feedback.
will buy again!
Initially purchased for winter 2013 as winter tires are an essential for driving in the north of Scotland. I drive approximately 150 miles a day on a combination of A roads (single and dual) B roads and some city driving. I'm very impressed with the wear on them, after around 30,000 miles they are now just below 2mm and in need to changing.
As a winter tires you would expect them to perform well in all low temperature situations, anything below around 10C these are brilliant. They give good grip in normal wet and dry conditions and perform great in snow and slush.
Where they fall down is when then temperature rises, above 10C they start to lose a little grip, in my car this meant occasional wheel spin and some under steer, if move beyond 20C (quite rare in Scotland I know) they pretty much turn to jelly and become quite a handful. I accept these conditions are not what they are designed to do so I'm not marking them down for that.
Overall great tires, perfect for a range of conditions and ideal for most weather experienced in the UK and come it at a sensible price (
By far the best winter tires I ever had
I drove them more than 30000 miles and 10000 miles during summer. Wear is their biggest downfall but in all other things they are amazing.
Highly recommended!
Excellent winter tires on dry, wet and particularly on snow.
I've used them both on my old alfa romeo Giulietta and now on my Fiat 500L Living 1.6 jtdm 105hp.
I think I'll buy Nokian again
