Tyre test: results by category

A close contest right down to ninth spot, with the top eight covered by less than two percentage points, showing that these are all good-quality tyres. The ninth-placed Ceat SportDrive delivers acceptable performance but, significantly, is well short of the standard in wet braking and on the wet circuit. Yet it’s more expensive than the majority of the tyres here, so ranks low on both performance and value for money. 

Equal seventh is a disappointing result for Continental, which comes up a bit short in the wet, but a good result for the Yokohama, another tyre that’s better in the dry than the wet. The Goodyear is another impressive tyre whose place reflects the strength of the competition this year. 

Kumho impressed with fifth overall, within a percentage point of the top spot. Despite lowly placings in most of the wet tests, it was great to drive on the wet track and added refinement and economy for a strong mix. The Michelin was also a better drive in the wet than the tests suggested and got within one per cent of the win. 

The top three are all great. The Hankook was superbly refined and impressive in the wet, as was the Bridgestone that came within an ace of top spot. But the winning Pirelli topped the tables in the wet and dry, and delivered superb refinement. 

Winner: Pirelli P Zero (PZ5)

The new PZ5 version of the P Zero puts Pirelli back at the top of a very competitive class with a remarkable, unmatched breadth of ability. It combines excellent refinement with mastery of the wet and the dry.

Used - available now

2025 Volkswagen

Polo

10,482 milesManualPetrol1.0L

Cash £16,299

View Polo

2020 Skoda

Octavia

43,454 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £13,049

View Octavia

2023 Dacia

Duster

13,126 milesManualPetrol1.3L

Cash £15,390

View Duster

2026 Audi

Q2

17,593 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £25,099

View Q2

Buy the Pirelli P Zero (PZ5) from Blackcircles.com…

Results by Category

• The 2025 tyre test first appeared in Auto Express magazine issue 1895. The print version
contained data errors relating to the wet braking performance and wet circle performance of
some lower ranking tyres. These have been corrected in this online version, resulting in some
higher overall scores. Notable changes are the Kumho scoring 99.1 per cent, raising its rating
to 4.5 stars and 'Recommended', and the Continental moving from eighth place overall to equal seventh.