Skip advert
Advertisement

Vredestein Sportrac 5

Recommended - Vredestein strikes a good balance between wet and dry road performance.

Vredestein Sportrac 5

Recommended - Vredestein strikes a good balance between wet and dry road performance.

Former champion Vredestein just misses out on another win. This H-rated Sportrac 5 has yet to go on sale, but it looks as if the Indian-owned Dutch manufacturer has got the essentials right with a decent balance between wet and dry performance.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The only surprise was its rolling resistance result; while the Vredestein finished fifth here, it was quite a way behind the new Michelin and Continental.

The company’s engineers have preferred to give the Sportrac 5 wet grip over fuel economy. And they have succeeded, with a string of top results on wet surfaces. This tyre felt lively on the wet circuit, with the grip a little too much to the front, but the rear was controllable and helped us achieve a decent lap time. It was a good second in wet braking, too.

Yet that wet weather prowess doesn’t come at the expense of dry road grip, as this tyre fared well on the handling track. The steering was precise and there wasn’t much scrubbing as it approached the limit. It wasn’t so effective under braking, but there are only small differences between this and the rest, and the same is true in terms of cabin noise. This tyre proved surefooted in wet and dry, and is a worthy runner-up.

 RatingPosition
Dry braking97.2%7th
Dry handling99.1%=3rd
Wet cornering99.6%2nd
Wet braking98.0%2nd
Wet handling99.4%3rd
Straight aqua95.7%5th
Curved aqua84.6%4th
Cabin noise98.8%=5th
Rolling resistance78.7%4th
Overall99.5%2nd
Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,271 off RRP*Used from £11,595
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,115 off RRP*Used from £13,417
Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq

RRP £38,140Avg. savings £3,450 off RRP*Used from £11,895
Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £26,295Avg. savings £2,527 off RRP*Used from £11,590
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Car Deal of the Day: a potent 335bhp Volkswagen ID.7 GTX for a rock bottom price
Volkswagen ID.7 GTX - front static

Car Deal of the Day: a potent 335bhp Volkswagen ID.7 GTX for a rock bottom price

GTX Plus gives some extra punch to an already excellent electric saloon. It’s our Deal of the Day for 20 June.
News
20 Jun 2025
Citroen recall sees owners told to stop driving “immediately”
Citroen C3 Mk2 - front tracking

Citroen recall sees owners told to stop driving “immediately”

A ‘Stop-drive’ order has been issued by Citroen following a fatality that may have been caused by a faulty Takata airbag
News
20 Jun 2025
New Skoda L&K 130 shows us what a Superb pick-up truck looks like
Skoda L&K 130 - front static

New Skoda L&K 130 shows us what a Superb pick-up truck looks like

Skoda’s 10th ‘Student Car’ is a plug-in hybrid that would be an ideal support vehicle for the Tour de France
News
20 Jun 2025