Vredestein Ultrac plus

Changed from Pirelli All Season Plus to Ultrac+ this year, had no issues going at my car's Vmax in heavy rain on a highway.
They are much quieter than All Season Pirellis, the noise is mainly a low hum, which is nicer to the ear than the alternatives.
I feel more comfortable when cornering at speed with them. Been driving some forest/field roads and they held up nicely. The tread doesn't seem as deep as other brands, will update how things are looking after 10k km.

I replaced Goodyear eagle F1 asy 6 with the latest ultrac + as I wanted a less sporty and comfortable tire. Even though they have same rating C for economy A for wet grip and 69 for noise there was a instant drop in fuel economy and I had to run 4 psi higher tire pressures to get close to the goodyears economy and that has wiped out the supposed comfort from these tires. Noise maybe a little less on harsher road surfaces but little difference on quieter roads I've waited 3,000 miles to review and am a little disappointed.

Initial thought on these on my little eco box Polo 6R. Wanted something good in the wet and never owned Vredstein so gave it a go.
Quiet and comfy overall, grippy in the dry. In wet haven't had the change to test much but seems stable and grippy.
They look deflated even in XL in my dimension so I inflated do +0.2 bar.
Not impressed nor disappointed for now.
But surely better that anything most people are buying these days - the brands I've never heard of in my life :/
I actually replaced these from Kenda (China) that came with the car.
Even though new I'm not driving a tire that says made in china - even though only 1 year old and looks new - they span me out in the wet couple of times that I was shocked and instantly took them off for a EU known brand in the mid range like Vredstein.

Not a race driving, but steering was ultra sharp and precise, was quite surprised how car reacts to even tiniest maneuver. It's also very quiet. At this price here in Poland, I couldn't find anything better.

As a family car guy with a heavy PHEV (almost 2 tons), I was looking for tires that are genuinely good in the rain, quiet, comfortable on our crappy roads, and don't cost a fortune – since I only do about 5–8 000 km per year on my private car.
Most of the time I drive the company car on Continentals (which makes sense with 80k km/year), but for the private Optima I wanted something sensible.
After some research I went for Vredestein Ultrac+ XL 215/55 R17 98Y.
Short verdict: I'm very pleasantly surprised – these are excellent tires for the money.

Rain performance – really top class. I tested them hard in heavy downpours on the highway at 110 km/h – zero aquaplaning feeling, zero twitchiness during overtaking, they just hold the line like they're glued. Much more confidence-inspiring than my previous Dunlop Sport Maxx RT2 in really bad weather.
Noise & comfort – massive improvement. The Dunlops were quite hard and transmitted every single pebble and expansion joint straight into the cabin. The Vredesteins have a noticeably softer sidewall (thanks to the taller profile and construction), so they filter bumps much better. Cabin is now properly quiet even at highway speeds.
Grip & handling – they sit very planted, steering feels precise, no drama on wet corners or sudden lane changes.
Price – paid ~93–94 € per tire, so ~375 € for the set. For that money getting this level of wet safety + comfort is a steal compared to 120–130 € Continentals or Michelins.

Slightly higher rolling resistance (B label) than some premium EV-optimized tires (A label), so probably 1–2% more consumption on battery mode – but with my low mileage it's completely negligible.
Wear will probably be average (not as long-lasting as Primacy 5), but again – at 5–8k km/year this set will last 5–7 years easily.

If you have a heavy family PHEV/SUV, drive mostly in Central Europe (lots of rain, average roads), don't do crazy mileage and don't want to overpay for a badge – Vredestein Ultrac+ is currently one of the smartest buys in this size. For me personally – best value tire I've had in years.
Would buy again without hesitation.