The Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is a summer touring tire with reassuring wet grip, short wet braking distances and good straight-line aquaplaning resistance. A comfortable ride comes with softer responses, while dry braking and tread life are less convincing.
The quick answer
Owners say79%from 38 owner reviews78% would buy againRead the reviews
Strengths & weaknessesWet, ValueDryRelative 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 2026.
In 195/65 R15, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is projected to cost €22.78 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €569 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer 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.
Across the 1 wet-braking test it has featured in, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 stops 5.3% shorter than premium rivals, 8.9% shorter than mid-range rivals and 6.8% shorter than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews wet score of 76/100, and owners rate it 9.3/10 in the wet from 38 reviews.
How good is the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 in the dry?
Across the 1 dry-braking test it has featured in, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 stops 6.7% longer than premium rivals, 3.7% longer than mid-range rivals and 1.6% longer than budget rivals. It has a Tire Reviews dry score of 11/100, and owners rate it 8.3/10 in the dry from 38 reviews.
How fuel efficient is the Uniroyal RainExpert 3?
Across the 1 test measuring rolling resistance, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3's rolling resistance is 3.1% higher than premium rivals, 1.1% lower than mid-range rivals and 2.4% higher than budget rivals.
How many miles does the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 last?
Based on test and owner data, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is expected to last around 22,661 miles (36,469 km).
What do owners say about the Uniroyal RainExpert 3?
Across 38 owner ratings the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 averages 79%. Owners rate Wet Grip highest at 9.3 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 6.5. 13 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 76% of owners score it 70% or better.
More questions about the Uniroyal RainExpert 3(11)
How much does the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 cost to run?
In 195/65 R15, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is projected to cost €22.78 per 1,000 miles to buy and run - about €569 over 25,000 miles - based on the price, wear and rolling resistance measured in the 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tire Test. The cheapest to run in that test is the Bridgestone Turanza T005, at €18.23.
What is the Uniroyal RainExpert 3's EU tire label rating?
Across its range, the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 most commonly carries EU label ratings of C for fuel efficiency, A for wet grip and 71 dB for noise.
How comfortable and quiet are the Uniroyal RainExpert 3?
Owners rate the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 8.1 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 35 reviews.
How well do the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 6.5 out of 10 for wear across 35 reviews. 13 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 5,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 again?
78% of owners say they would buy the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 again, based on the 36 owner reviews that answered the question. 47% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
What do owners say about the Uniroyal RainExpert 3's wet grip?
Of the 35 owner reviews analyzed for the Uniroyal RainExpert 3, 27 mention wet grip: 27 praise it (confident wet grip) and 0 criticise it (weak wet grip). Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Uniroyal RainExpert 3's dry grip?
Of the 35 owner reviews analyzed for the Uniroyal RainExpert 3, 20 mention dry grip: 19 praise it (strong dry grip) and 1 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "On dry it has so much grip that it almost feels I'm driving on semi slicks". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Uniroyal RainExpert 3's road noise?
Of the 35 owner reviews analyzed for the Uniroyal RainExpert 3, 16 mention road noise: 8 praise it (quiet) and 8 criticise it (noisy). One owner wrote: "excellent noise cabine is minimum". Read those reviews
What does the Uniroyal RainExpert 3 replace?
The Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is the successor to the Uniroyal RainExpert in Uniroyal's range.
Questions and Answers for the Uniroyal RainExpert 3
Are uniroyal rain expert load 98 ok for a vivario van
October 1, 2017
As long as the size and load rating matches the OE specification then the tire is suitable.
Show all questions(3)
im running uniroyal expert 3 195/65/15 H ,they are rated @ max 32 psi.my car runs tire pressure of 35 psi so i find the already soft sidewall like driving on… Show moreim running uniroyal expert 3 195/65/15 H ,they are rated @ max 32 psi.my car runs tire pressure of 35 psi so i find the already soft sidewall like driving on jelly.i know uniroyal do this tire in XL so harder sidewalls but i cant use them as they are only T speed rated.my question is if i use the expert 3 195/65/15 V that has a max psi of 40,will it firm up the sidewalls? lots of talk, online Just up the pressure from 32psi to 38 psi.so over the recommended max pressure !!( im not doing that thanks).also some saying dont run tires with more psi that the car manufacture recommends..this seems to be a problem across all tire makes so something is amiss in the world of wobbly tires. but what is the answer? regards Tim Show less
November 30, 2016
We put this question to Continental directly, and here's their answer.
Firstly the correct inflation pressure that should be used is the one given on the vehicle information plate or in the vehicle handbook for the load being carried.
If the vehicle is specified on 'Standard load' tires then fitting 'extra load' is not necessary and in any case if the laden weight remained the same then broadly the same inflation pressure* should be used and no noticeable difference is likely to be felt.
If inflation pressure is increased then this can give the feeling of a 'stiffer' sidewall but having a tire 'over inflated' distorts the casing profile, reduces the contact area and can negatively affect handling and the feel of the vehicle.
The reason that having a more flexible sidewall may be becoming more talked about is because of the modern components used in the tire in order to improve the efficiency, and help lower the fuel consumption and CO of the vehicle.
Modern development goals include a low Hysteresis in the flexing zone of the tire sidewall which reduces the energy absorption in this area thus improving the tire's rolling resistance while at the same time ensuring durability and abrasion resistance.
However although this may result in the 'feel' of a more flexible sidewall the handling, durability and other performance characteristics are still maintained. Another factor with this is that in many cases the fact full tread depth tires are being fitted in place of well worn tires would, even if the same tires were being fitted, result in the vehicle feeling a little less precise due to the inevitable pattern movement on a tire with deep tread depth.
* Technically there is a small difference in the recommended pressure between standard and extra load tires for the same load.
Uniroyal RainExpert 3 - Is there a right and left tire or are they all the same?
November 2, 2016
The Uniroyal RainExpert 3 is an asymmetric tire, so there is no left or right fitment, just and outside and inside for mounting on the wheel.
Wet grip dominates praise for the Uniroyal RainExpert 3, appearing positively in 27 of 35 reviews, alongside generally good dry grip and a comfortable ride. Twenty-six reviews are positive, eight neutral and one negative, averaging 77.5%. Wear is the main recurring compromise, with several later-life accounts describing faster replacement than expected, although others report acceptable life. Noise is evenly divided between eight favorable and eight critical comments. A smaller group finds the sidewalls too soft or the response imprecise. One repeat owner became less satisfied as wear and motorway noise became concerns, but that alone does not establish a general ageing pattern.
What owners mention most counted across 35 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 38 ratings
Owner score79%
Wet Grip93%
Dry Grip83%
Comfort81%
Road Feedback77%
Handling75%
Wear65%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 71%
“I have been very happy with this choice over the last 18k miles. I was looking for a tire with excellent grip in the wet and gentle breakaway characteristics at the limit and these Uniroyals have exceeded my high...”
“Had many types of rainsport before and I have some old uniroyal rain tires on the front of my car so I thought a pair of these on the back would be a good idea. Unfortunately these come with a ridiculously soft...”
“I drive a Seicento Sporting but due to lack of good tires in 165/55r13, I have chosen to go to 155/65r13 which is a dimension with more and better choices. Uniroyals Rain Expert 3 were chosen based on their wet handling...”
I have been very happy with this choice over the last 18k miles. I was looking for a tire with excellent grip in the wet and gentle breakaway characteristics at the limit and these Uniroyals have exceeded my high expectations. They make driving in poor conditions secure, safe and enjoyable. Aquaplaning resistance is excellent. Likewise rolling comfort is at least as good as any other tire of this size that I have tried. Even now down to 2.5mm of tread they still feel unusually grippy and secure in wet or low temperature situations. In the dry there is less trade off than you might expect. They feel like a regular summer tire that is maybe 2psi under the recommended pressures - a little bit soft in response and ultimate grip but this is only an issue if you are really pushing it hard. Unlike other bad weather tires there is no tendency for the rubber in the shoulders to wear rapidly and shed chunks of rubber when pushed very hard in the dry. The only area that could be improved is wear rate as they are down to my limit of 2.5mm after 18000 miles whereas a summer tire should last at least 25k in my use. A small price to pay for their fine all-weather performance.
Wet Grip: Excellent!
Dry grip: Very good
Comfort: Excellent! After 24 years my old Atos feel like a premium one!
Rolling Resistance: The only "downside". This tire has a serious grip that make me push the pedal a little more.
Noise: Quiet but i use the car only in town.
P.S.: These tires are very soft so they need much air. I put 2.5 bar in fronts and 2.4 on rears and this helps reduce the "floaty" feeling when there is windy weather. Will buy again!
Check out how the BEST all seasons tires perform against premium summer and winter tires!
I drive a Seicento Sporting but due to lack of good tires in 165/55r13, I have chosen to go to 155/65r13 which is a dimension with more and better choices. Uniroyals Rain Expert 3 were chosen based on their wet handling and small price difference compared to budget tires. I also tend to choose newer designs thinking that there must be some improvement compared to older designs offered by the same manufacturer or by other brands (I had Barum Brillantis 2 before the Uniroyals)
I am satisfied with this choice as it provided what I was expecting, good wet handling and decent dry handling accompanied with little wear (allthough that was never going to be a problem with a light and underpowered car like the Seicento). I miss the feeling that the lower profile tire provides but I drive a little less aggressive as I get older. Will I buy them again? It depends whether there is a better tire in 155/65r13 or a safe tire in 165/55r13 when they have to be replaced.
Which tires do you drive?
Researching the Uniroyal RainExpert 3? Rate the tires you actually drive - and help the next buyer choose.
Decent tires, a bit noisy... but I have been burned by my experience with this tires and I would like to warn others.
If you get in need to substitute an Uniroyal tire, be prepared to huge trouble. As soon as a new line comes out, spares for the old one disappear from the market. I have some practically new Rainexpert 3 tires and I am now forced to throw them away, because the Rainexpert 5 line has come out (just one year ago) and it is now impossible to find a spare for the Rainexpert 3. This is ridiculous. In the past I have been able to easily find replacements for Michelin, Pirelli, Nokian, Hanhook tires that had been replaced by a newer line many many years before, and now I am having the car stuck for over a month because just because Uniroyal (and evidently their father company Continental) does not think it worth supplying spares for items that were bought only quite recently. How reliable! So yes, my tires have run only for 2000km, but this is already an end of life review.
Excellent tires. I got these as a birthday gift, believe it or not, last year and they absolutely changed the ride and handling characteristics on my Sunny for the better. I always knew with a good set of tires it will be a good handling, quiet and comfortable car, but I was totally shocked when I fitted these.
The wet/damp grip is phenomenal, the best I've had so far. In these conditions, they really do shine. There is no squealing or loss of traction, even with some fairly quick and less forgiving getaways from junctions. Even when you give it a little more around a corner, the cars feels like it's on rails. I feel very safe using these in the rain. I really enjoy driving in damp conditions now, as the tires really show their worth. I think the designers at Uniroyal hit the nail on the head. The dry grip is honestly amazing too, but they seem a little more at home in the damp, which is more often than it is dry in the UK and most of Northern Europe. There are no traction issues in the dry and I can rarely get these to squeal, even when I do dump the clutch a bit to get going. It still handles like it's on rails in the dry and the traction is perfect.
The road noise generated from these tires is pretty low and they offer nice comfort too. Before my car had cheap nasty tires with very soft sidewalls. The ride was bumpy and very unsettled sometimes. Now it is smooth and made the car even more comfortable than it already was (reasonably forgiving suspension, comfy seats). They have lasted me a good while now and are still in great shape. Nowhere near the halfway mark yet! For the price, you really can't get anything better. I have family who now use Uniroyal and say the same thing, a little cheaper than the big boys, but keeps them humbled.
These tires were fitted to the rear of a Mercedes CLK 200 Kompressor. It is a staggered set up with 225/45 17 Uniroyal Rainsport 3’s on the front.
All fitted at the same time, but the rears lasted just under 13,000 miles with the fronts still showing plenty of tread. The rears had worn slightly on the insides more, as the tracking was very slightly out.
I wanted tires where wet grip was the priority. These tires were fantastic. Quiet, they were compliant, excellent wet grip and aquaplaning resistance. Even in wintry conditions, they were almost as good as an all-season tire. I was not bothered about the wear rate, and accepted these must be a softer compound.
I had them for 3.5 years and about 35 000km, and now outer edges of tires are worn to almost the point where they have no thread. They are noisy, especially on highway. They are really great on wet roads and when its raining. I bought them twice on my car but now i have decided to go for some tires that are more quiet since there is not that much rain where i live.
The tire is not bad, decent. Little loud on high speeds. The wear is awful - 20k miles max tire life with easy driving. Little expensive for this wear, moreover this is not some sporty special tire.
Best wet grip ever!
Short stop during braking on wet.
Very good grip on dry.
Wear and comfort is ok.
Much better tire than Sportiva, Sava, Fulda, especially in wet conditions.
They are amazing in really wet weather situations. No the handling isn't great or anything, even with a lot of water under the tire, but outright wet grip is really top. In the dry, they are okay, alright, nothing special. Fuel economy seems to be a smidge worse than comparable tires from michelin, goodyear, continental etc, but nothing to worry about. They are a bit noisy with speeds above 130km/h, still comfy(65% sidewalls are pretty much always comfy, no matter the tire type). Noise isn't a problem for me, since my GF and me mostly travel at 120-130km/h speeds.
When pushed to the limits in the dry, they start to squeal really badly and just smear away with a tendency to understeer. Not a tire i would put on a MX-5, Gt 86 or other sporty cars.
In conclusion: Prbly the best wet tire we ever had on a car, but the rest is simply middle of the road. If you live in a very wet climate, yes. If its not raining 24/7 any other tire would prbly be a better choice
65% 13" tires are getting rarer in a quality brand, so unable to buy this size in Michelin, I tried these on my Polo 1.4 CL.
Now I don't do many miles, but do make occasional 90 mile cross-Pennine or motorway journeys at speed.
Wet weather grip and braking on these tires is superb and very confidence-inspiring.
For day-to-day running, I set the car with 30psi front/28psi rear (add 2psi all-around for motorway/load) that dials-out excessive understeer, while giving a neutral but safe handling balance.
I've no complaints about dry grip that seem on a par with the old Michelin Energy, (unlike the cheap tires fitted by the previous owner, where you didn't so much as steer the car, but made a suggestion on your desired direction. My favorite roundabout was not so much fun when it looked like I would be going over, rather than around it) they make it able to dart around sudden hazards in the road without drama, and cope with high speed cornering.
Being a VW the steering doesn't communicate much anyway, but I know what's happening. The tires give a handling balance that makes a cross-Pennine journey, with a “spirited” drive through the many swoops and dives an entertaining experience, nevertheless.
Most likely not the highest-mileage tire, but if fitted to the household’s second car, or your daughter/son’s first car the grip levels will keep them safe without too much of an outlay.
Haven' t used too many other brands and models but Uniroyal Rainexpert is the best everyday tire I've used.
What I like the most of it is - grip. Grip on wet and flooded surface is exceptionally great! Where other tires are "floating" Rainexpert make you feel that no conditions have changed. On dry it has so much grip that it almost feels I'm driving on semi slicks. Keeps my kind of wobbling suspension Kangoo on corners like sports car.
Using on this car a second set of these tires. And will be using again.
Wear of tire is quite rapid comparing to other tires but for me the main thing is how car hold the road. It's a safety question for me. BTW I'm using these with EBC Bluestuf compound pads. Perfect combination on Kangoo MK1.
