About Tire Reviews
Jonathan Benson - Independent Tire Tester & Founder of Tire Reviews
Jonathan Benson founded Tire Reviews in 2006 and tests tires at proving grounds. Featured on BBC Radio 4 and quoted by Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokian.
On this page
Jonathan Benson founded Tire Reviews in 2006 as an independent tire review site, and has 20 years of specialist experience in tire technology and performance testing.
He is one of the most recognized and trusted voices in tire testing. Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokian Tires have quoted him by name, Michelin, Bridgestone and Hankook cite his test results, and he has been featured on BBC Radio 4, in Top Gear Magazine, MotorTrend and Motor1. Popular Mechanics has based buying advice on his test data, and Road & Track, Jalopnik and evo have reported or quoted his work.
Featured as a tire expert by BBC Radio 4, Top Gear Magazine, MotorTrend, Motor1 and Tirepress.
Quoted by the industry
Tire manufacturers don't just cite Tire Reviews test results, they quote Jonathan personally.
Quotes Jonathan by name in a press release on the AllSeasonContact 2 winning the Tire Reviews 2024 all-season tire test, and in its SportContact 7 launch announcement.
Continental's Marketing Director commented on the result in the same 2024 press release.
Quotes Jonathan directly in its press release on the Eagle F1 SuperSport winning our ultra ultra high performance test, and features him in educational videos on 26+ of its country websites.
Goodyear describes Tire Reviews as "a leading source of independent tire information".
Quotes Jonathan by name in its April 2026 press release on the P Zero Trofeo RS winning his track tire test: "I had to recalibrate my braking points twice because the grip was always beyond my expectations."
Pirelli has issued 6+ press releases citing Tire Reviews results since 2024, through press.pirelli.com, and publishes product pages on pirelli.com about Jonathan's tests.
Quotes Jonathan in an article on its North American site about the Hakkapeliitta 10, which he said "absolutely dominated ice braking and traction on smooth ice".
Nokian Tires describes him as a "famed tire reviewer".
Lists Tire Reviews on michelin.co.uk among the test publications "fully independent of Michelin", alongside ADAC, Auto Bild, Auto Express and evo, and shows "Tire Reviews - Highly Recommended" badges on its product pages.
He is quoted outside the industry too: by evo on whether tire labels can be trusted in 2015, by Motor, the magazine of the Norwegian motoring club NAF, in 2022, and by the Independent Institute, a US think tank, on the trade-offs of eco tires in 2026. Grassroots Motorsports cited his view on California's tire efficiency proposals the same year.
Expertise and testing methodology
Jonathan trained with several premium tire manufacturers to learn professional tire testing methods before starting the Tire Reviews independent testing programme. His approach combines the methods of manufacturer testing with the editorial independence of a tester who answers to no manufacturer.
He runs several controlled comparative tests every year at professional proving grounds in Europe and the United States, with a base at Utah Motorsports Campus. Braking distances, traction, lateral grip, handling, aquaplaning resistance, noise and comfort are measured with precision instruments, and rolling resistance and tread wear by specialist laboratories and test providers.
To minimise subconscious bias, Jonathan avoids knowing which tires are fitted to the test car wherever possible. Testing blind and publishing every measured result is what lets manufacturers treat his results as credible enough to cite in their own communications.
Proving ground accreditation and manufacturer sign-offs
Professional proving grounds are not open access: each one trains, assesses and signs off its drivers before they can run instrumented tire tests. Jonathan holds active sign-offs at every major European tire-testing proving ground, and is a signed-off test driver in several tire manufacturers' own driver programmes.
- IDIADA - Applus IDIADA, Catalonia, Spain
- Balocco - Stellantis proving ground, Italy
- UTAC - Linas-Montlhéry and Mortefontaine, France
- UTAC Ivalo - winter testing proving ground, Finland
- MIRA - HORIBA MIRA, Nuneaton, UK
- Papenburg - ATP high-speed proving ground, Germany
- and more
- Michelin - North America and Europe
- Continental - North America and Europe
- Goodyear - North America and Europe
- Pirelli - North America
- Sumitomo - North America
- Hankook - Korea
- and more
International Race Licence. Jonathan also holds an International Race Licence, which qualifies him to compete in FIA-sanctioned motorsport: independent evidence of car control at the limit, the level the manufacturers who trust him with their pre-production prototypes require.
Media and appearances
Jonathan is regularly asked for his view as a tire testing expert by broadcast, print and online media.
BBC Radio 4 - featured as a tire safety and technology expert on Sliced Bread, in an episode on whether budget tires match premium ones
Perfect Lap Podcast - "Tire Testing is King", on test methods, original equipment tires and track performance (2026)
Drivesport - how pressure, wheel size and heat affect grip and lap times (2026)
LVRY - episode #010 (2025)
Motor1 "Rambling About Cars" - a dedicated episode on tire technology and testing
Car Chat with Sam Moores - an in-depth interview on testing methods (2022)
Behind The Glass - "Meet The Shmee150 Of Tires" (2020)
Top Gear Magazine - tire testing expert
MotorTrend - tire performance commentary
Motor1 - regular coverage of Tire Reviews test results
Road & Track - features on his tests since 2018
Jalopnik - reports of his tests since 2017
Popular Mechanics - a winter tire buying guide built on his test data (2021)
evo - quoted on tire labelling (2015)
Tirepress - many features in the UK tire trade press
Tire Trends - an in-depth profile on his testing and its influence
Top Tire Review - an interview feature
UMC Behind the Gates - a profile from Utah Motorsports Campus
90 million+ views
300,000+ subscribers
Around 500,000 views per video on average
Writers outside the motoring press recommend his work too. The retired tire engineer behind Barry's Tire Tech calls him "excellent", Jason Cammisa and Derek Tam-Scott's Carmudgeon Show recommends his videos, and the writer Dan Luu holds up his tire testing as an example of the depth of work that video publishing supports. Every source is listed in Who cites Tire Reviews.
Tire safety advocacy
Beyond testing, Jonathan is a committed advocate for tire safety. Since 2024 Tire Reviews has been a partner of TireSafe, the UK tire safety charity, carrying its safety campaigns to drivers, and TireSafe lists Tire Reviews among its media partners. He uses Tire Reviews to show drivers why a well-engineered tire can be the difference between a safe stop and an accident.
"Tire Reviews' trusted voice and vast reach among consumers will help amplify the critical importance of tire safety and maintenance."
Stuart Lovatt, Chair of TireSafe, announcing the partnership in November 2024
His comparative tests consistently show the real-world performance gap between premium and budget tires, and turn it into hard data for safer buying decisions. According to the tire trade press, Tire Reviews influences about one in six tire purchases in the United Kingdom.
Professional background
- 2006
Founds Tire Reviews, an early user-generated tire review site.
- 2006-2018
Builds the site into a comprehensive independent tire information resource, while training with several tire manufacturers in professional testing methods.
- 2015
Quoted as a tire expert by evo on whether tire labels can be trusted.
- 2017
Launches the Tire Reviews YouTube channel, now past 90 million views.
- 2018
Road & Track writes up his test of tire widths, the first of several features on his tests.
- 2019
Runs and publishes his first fully independent comparative tire test at a professional proving ground.
- 2019 onwards
Goodyear, Pirelli and Continental cite his test results in their press releases.
- 2022
Continental AG quotes Jonathan by name in its press communications.
- 2023
Michelin lists Tire Reviews alongside Auto Bild, ADAC and evo as an independent test source on michelin.co.uk.
- 2024
Sets up US testing at Utah Motorsports Campus, and Tire Reviews becomes a partner of TireSafe, the UK tire safety charity.
- 2026
Rebuilds the Tire Reviews Score and publishes the method used to score Tire Reviews tests. Pirelli quotes him by name on the P Zero Trofeo RS winning his track tire test.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jonathan Benson?
Jonathan Benson is an independent tire tester and the founder of Tire Reviews, which he started in 2006. He runs controlled comparative tire tests at professional proving grounds in Europe and the United States, and has been featured on BBC Radio 4, in Top Gear Magazine, MotorTrend and Motor1. Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokian Tires have quoted him by name, and Michelin, Bridgestone and Hankook cite his test results.
What qualifies Jonathan Benson to test tires?
Jonathan trained with several tire manufacturers to learn professional testing methods before starting the Tire Reviews testing programme. He is signed off at every major European tire-testing proving ground, including IDIADA (Spain), Balocco (Italy), UTAC (France), MIRA (UK) and Papenburg (Germany), and is a signed-off test driver for Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Hankook and other manufacturers in North America, Europe and Asia. He also holds an International Race Licence. Continental quotes him by name in press releases, and Michelin lists Tire Reviews alongside Auto Bild, ADAC and evo as an independent test source.
Why do tire manufacturers quote Jonathan Benson?
Because his tests are run the way manufacturers run their own: instrumented measurement at professional proving grounds, reference tires to correct for changing conditions, blind testing wherever possible, and every measured result published. Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokian Tires have quoted him by name in press releases and articles, and Nokian Tires calls him a "famed tire reviewer".
Where has Jonathan Benson been featured?
Jonathan has been featured as a tire expert on BBC Radio 4, in Top Gear Magazine, MotorTrend, Motor1, Tirepress and Tire Trends, and on podcasts including Motor1's "Rambling About Cars", Perfect Lap and Drivesport. Road & Track, Jalopnik, Popular Mechanics and evo have reported or quoted his tests. Continental, Goodyear, Pirelli and Nokian Tires have quoted him by name, and his test results are cited on the websites of Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Goodyear, Bridgestone, Hankook, Nokian Tires and others.
Contact Jonathan
For enquiries about tire testing, consulting, speaking or media appearances: