The new Pirelli Winter tire is designed for the aftermarket and intended for medium-sized cars that cover high mileage: typical of commuting and professional use.
Its tread pattern and structure has been designed to provide safety and reliability in all conditions that characterise the winter months. Specifically, Pirelli's engineers worked on ways to reduce braking distances: a mission that was accomplished thanks to the use of “Multiactive 4D Sipe†technology. This consists of directional sipes, whose form varies according to the driving requirements at the time. In other words, these sipes all line up in the same direction to maximise the effects of traction and braking on demand.
While braking on a snowy surface, for instance, the sipes become harder, enabling the tread pattern to become more compact and the car to stop within a shorter distance. But when the car is trying to gain traction, the sipes open up in order to capture more snow and find the necessary grip.
It's a different story on wet surfaces, where the movement of the sipes as the car is driving heats up the tread compound, increasing grip. Traction is also maximised thanks to an increase in the density of the sipes. If all the sipes were laid end to end, they would form a line 40 meters long (the length of four buses). This is an increase of more than 50% compared to the principal reference tire.
The quick answer
Owners say78%from 7 owner reviews83% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesWet, SnowDry, ValueRelative 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 January 2025.
In 195/65 R15, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter is projected to cost €32.12 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €803 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2018 Auto Bild 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 2018 test; financing costs are excluded.
How good is the Pirelli Cinturato Winter in the wet?
Across the 5 wet-braking tests it has featured in, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter stops 5.6% longer than premium rivals, 0.8% shorter than mid-range rivals and 5.6% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews wet score of 83/100, and owners rate it 8.7/10 in the wet from 7 reviews.
How good is the Pirelli Cinturato Winter in the dry?
Across the 4 dry-braking tests it has featured in, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter stops 0.8% longer than premium rivals, 0.7% longer than mid-range rivals and 1.3% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews dry score of 17/100, and owners rate it 7.4/10 in the dry from 7 reviews.
How good is the Pirelli Cinturato Winter in the snow?
Across the 5 snow-braking tests it has featured in, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter stops 0.2% shorter than premium rivals, 0.7% shorter than mid-range rivals and 7.4% shorter than budget rivals. Across the 2 snow-traction tests, it is 0.9% better than premium rivals, 3.6% better than mid-range rivals and 5.2% better than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews snow score of 69/100, and owners rate it 9/10 in the snow from 7 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Pirelli Cinturato Winter?
Across the 4 tests measuring rolling resistance, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter's rolling resistance is 6.7% higher than premium rivals, 2.6% higher than mid-range rivals and 1.8% higher than budget rivals.
How many miles does the Pirelli Cinturato Winter last?
Based on test and owner data, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter is expected to last around 17,895 miles (28,799 km).
More questions about the Pirelli Cinturato Winter(8)
How much does the Pirelli Cinturato Winter cost to run?
In 195/65 R15, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter is projected to cost €32.12 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €803 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2018 Auto Bild Winter Tire Test. The cheapest to run in that test is the Goodyear UltraGrip 9, at €15.68.
What is the Pirelli Cinturato Winter's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Pirelli Cinturato Winter most commonly carries EU label ratings of D for fuel efficiency, B for wet grip and 67 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Pirelli Cinturato Winter?
Owners rate the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 8.1 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 6 reviews.
How well do the Pirelli Cinturato Winter wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 7.2 out of 10 for wear across 6 reviews. 1 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 2,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Pirelli Cinturato Winter again?
83% of owners say they would buy the Pirelli Cinturato Winter again, based on the 6 owner reviews that answered the question. 33% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
Questions and Answers for the Pirelli Cinturato Winter
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Across 7 owner ratings the Pirelli Cinturato Winter averages 78%. Owners rate Snow Grip highest at 9 out of 10 and Ice Grip lowest at 7. 1 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 67% of owners score it 70% or better.
Owner ratings averaged from 7 ratings
Owner score78%
Snow Grip90%
Wet Grip87%
Comfort81%
Dry Grip74%
Road Feedback74%
Handling74%
Wear72%
Ice Grip70%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 55%
“Update during the 4th winter as I previously wrote a review here. The dry grip is getting horrible as time passes and the tire gets way noisier. I did not expect that to happen after 4 years, and yes, even though the...”
“These are my first Pirelli winter tires ever tried on my car, although I evaluated very good on other cars the Sottozero II series for its outstanding performance. In previous year I always adopted Dunlop Winter...”
“Honestly, I bought them for the low rated noise level, but in the end after using them for 3 winters I can say that I am very happy with the purchase. Snow grip is amazing, and so is the wet grip. Noise level is good...”
Update during the 4th winter as I previously wrote a review here. The dry grip is getting horrible as time passes and the tire gets way noisier. I did not expect that to happen after 4 years, and yes, even though the lifespan of a tire is about 6 years, the tires have been kept in good condition and they were not really too much driven on. Would not buy it again, but overall it was a good purchase.
Honestly, I bought them for the low rated noise level, but in the end after using them for 3 winters I can say that I am very happy with the purchase. Snow grip is amazing, and so is the wet grip. Noise level is good but get pretty loud when on bad asphalt.
What I don't like about them is the dry grip, which I'd say is average at best, especially when having to stop in case of an emergency. Handling is alright for a tire of this size I guess, but the sidewalls are a little too soft for what I'd like.
Either way I am very happy with them and would definitely buy again but in the future I'd like to see how the new Continental WinterContact ts870 works for me.
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
Used this tires to drive from Czech Republic to Greece and back during winter period. Driving with them was a very pleasant experience. I encountered both dry and icy roads and the feedback was great.
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Pirelli Cinturato Winter? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
About a month ago I fitted these winter tire on my Prius. I was deciding between GoodYear Ultra Grip 9, Michelin Alpine 5 and these and in the end chose these as they came with a good price and the tire dealership told me that they are really good tires. With my mileage I should really be satisfied, plus I was also looking for a very good tire in wet and on ice (most of the time in winter in our country, roads are wet and with possibility of black ice). I had the chance to drive these tire in all possible weather scenarios, dry, wet and snow and they were great.
Maybe only downside is that they got a bit louder after first few hundred miles but luckily are not getting louder anymore. The fuel consumption is so so but then again, in winter car does need a bit more to warm up and to keep the passenger area warm. I will probably write another review after the winter, hopefully I will stay satisfied.
These are my first Pirelli winter tires ever tried on my car, although I evaluated very good on other cars the Sottozero II series for its outstanding performance. In previous year I always adopted Dunlop Winter Response and I was fine with it, quite, very good handling and steering, only defect was the wear, quite short, therefore after purchased two times of them I wanted to try something different. Cinturato Winter was just out this year, and all the specs like noise and grip were even nicer than Dunlop tires, that's why I chosen them. Unfortunately they are everything than I expected, very noisy, with my car such aspect is amplified so much that sometime I think I'm driving a Wrangler with tarmac tires, with also an unexpected high fuel consumption, almost 20% more than the Dunlop. The handling is likewise annoying, I can't realize if such tires got a very soft side wall or it just has too much tread, if you steer energically you can clearly feel the tires need a telegram to start lay the necessary area to the asphalt, with a vacuum between your input and the action. I cannot say anything about wear as I just got them two weeks ago, and the only positive aspect so far is the grip which is nicer than Dunlop, also the lose of the grip is smooth and progressive. In conclusion? If nothing changes in other thousand miles I'll change them with my old friend Dunlop.
