Our straight line and cornering tests name the rain masters. As a tyre’s ability to shift water is the focus of this test, it was the rubber which has a directional tread pattern that excelled – as would also be the case in our wet handling assessment.

In the straight line test, Fulda took a clear victory, with its Carat Progresso enabling the car to touch just over 50mph before it lost control. And it’s a one-two for the Goodyear Dunlop group, with the HydraGrip taking the runner-up spot. The HydraGrip backed up its wet handling performance with another great result.

On wet roads, the Goodyear and Vredestein were never far apart, and the Dutch brand’s Sportrac3 was up next – albeit trailing by some way.