Skip advert
Advertisement

Kumho Solus HA31 tyre review

Overall score: 95.9%

Best all-season tyre test - Kumho Solus HA31

What we say: Needs updating and a better focus on UK driving conditions. Blackcircles.com: “Despite not having the best tyre label scores, the Kumho has received good feedback from our customers. Perhaps more work is required.”

In the face of newer designs the Kumho struggled – it was launched in 2014 – although the gap to the frontrunners was fairly small. It certainly suffered more than most from our focus on wet grip at the expense of outright performance on snow.

Advertisement - Article continues below

It was fourth on the white stuff, behind Goodyear, Nokian and Nexen. Third in braking was the highlight, and it worked well on the handling circuit, albeit off the pace and feel of the best.

Its troubles started in the wet, where it ended up last overall. Braking let it down regardless of temperature; it needed five metres more in the cold and over four metres extra in warmer weather than the standout Michelin.

It was controllable but slow on the handling track with generally low levels of grip and poor traction. Performance didn’t get much better in the dry, while fuel consumption was around four per cent off that of the dry-handling star Nokian.

Buy the Kumho Solus HA31 from Black Circles 

Price£67.79 
Snow braking94.60%3rd
Snow traction89.70%5th
Snow circle98.20%4th
Snow handling96.30%4th
Straight aquaplaning96.70%6th
Curved aquaplaning75.60%6th
Wet braking under 7˚83.40%8th
Wet braking over 7˚84.50%8th
Wet handling under 7˚93.50%8th
Wet handling over 7˚93.10%8th
Wet circle94.80%7th
Dry braking90.00%5th
Dry handling96.30%8th
Rolling resistance82.90%6th
Cabin noise99.20%4th
Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £35,385Avg. savings £2,911 off RRP*Used from £31,499
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £26,495Avg. savings £1,879 off RRP*Used from £15,720
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,739 off RRP*Used from £8,800
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £1,675 off RRP*
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring
Baby Nissan Juke exclusive image - rear

New baby Nissan Juke EV on the way to challenge the Dacia Spring

Nissan to fast-track development of new battery-powered city car to take on forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, and our exclusive images preview how it could…
News
18 Apr 2025
Best SUVs to buy 2025
Best SUVs - header image

Best SUVs to buy 2025

There are plenty of great SUVs to choose from, so we’ve picked out the very best
Best cars & vans
17 Apr 2025
Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans
Future of Nissan in the UK - header with Phil McNamara

Future of Nissan in the UK: new Gigafactory to power bold EV plans

Nissan is about to go from building the Qashqai hybrid to three fresh EVs in the UK over the next three years – all powered by a new gigafactory
Features
19 Apr 2025