Winter tyres test 2015/2016: Results by category
Test-by-test scores show you which tyre performed well where - plus our overall verdict
We've included the Vredestein all-season tyre and Goodyear summer tyre in our results tables to show how their performance compared with the best winter tyres. Again, we’re keen to stress the difference winter tyres make when the temperature falls below seven degrees Celsius. It can be hard to persuade drivers to splash out around £100 per corner if they haven’t experienced this, but our results tables demonstrate that it can be money well spent.
| Snow braking | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Uniroyal | 99.60% |
| 3 | Goodyear | 99.50% |
| 4 | Continental | 98.10% |
| 5 | Michelin | 98% |
| 6 | Dunlop | 97.00% |
| 7 | Pirelli | 95.80% |
| 8 | Hankook | 94.50% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 88.50% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 39.30% |
| Snow traction | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Uniroyal | 99.20% |
| 3 | Continental | 97.80% |
| 4 | Michelin | 97.90% |
| 5 | Goodyear | 97.10% |
| 6 | Pirelli | 94.10% |
| 7 | Dunlop | 93.70% |
| 8 | Hankook | 92.60% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 93.60% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 29.60% |
| Snow circle | ||
| 1.= | Nokian | 100% |
| 1.= | Michelin | 100% |
| 3 | Uniroyal | 99.90% |
| 4.= | Goodyear | 99.40% |
| 4.= | Pirelli | 98.40% |
| 6 | Continental | 98.30% |
| 7 | Dunlop | 97.60% |
| 8 | Hankook | 96.90% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 94.60% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 0.00% |
| Snow handling | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Goodyear | 99.70% |
| 3 | Michelin | 98.40% |
| 4 | Uniroyal | 98.30% |
| 5 | Dunlop | 98.10% |
| 6 | Continental | 97.50% |
| 7 | Pirelli | 97.40% |
| 8 | Hankook | 96.10% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 95.00% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 0.00% |
| Straight aqua | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Uniroyal | 99.30% |
| 3 | Continental | 97.80% |
| 4 | Hankook | 97.70% |
| 5 | Goodyear | 96.70% |
| 6 | Michelin | 94.50% |
| 7 | Dunlop | 94.20% |
| 8 | Pirelli | 91.00% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 86.30% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 96.10% |
| Curved aqua | ||
| 1 | Hankook | 100% |
| 2 | Nokian | 94.40% |
| 3 | Goodyear | 90.80% |
| 4 | Continental | 90.70% |
| 5 | Uniroyal | 90.40% |
| 6 | Michelin | 86.50% |
| 7 | Dunlop | 85.90% |
| 8 | Pirelli | 68.70% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 89.40% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 78.80% |
| Wet braking | ||
| 1 | Continental | 100% |
| 2 | Pirelli | 98.10% |
| 3 | Michelin | 96.20% |
| 4 | Goodyear | 95.70% |
| 5 | Uniroyal | 95.40% |
| 6 | Dunlop | 93.60% |
| 7 | Nokian | 92.50% |
| 8 | Hankook | 90.40% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 93.20% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 86.20% |
| Wet Handling | ||
| 1 | Pirelli | 100% |
| 2 | Continental | 99.60% |
| 3 | Goodyear | 99.20% |
| 4 | Michelin | 98.70% |
| 5 | Uniroyal | 98.40% |
| 6 | Dunlop | 98.00% |
| 7 | Nokian | 97.00% |
| 8 | Hankook | 94.20% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 96.60% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 96.30% |
| Dry braking | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Dunlop | 99.20% |
| 3 | Continental | 97.90% |
| 4 | Pirelli | 97.50% |
| 5 | Hankook | 97.10% |
| 6 | Michelin | 96.70% |
| 7.= | Goodyear | 93.70% |
| 7.= | Uniroyal | 93.70% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 98.40% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 109.50% |
| Dry handling | ||
| 1 | Nokian | 100% |
| 2 | Hankook | 99.90% |
| 3.= | Michelin | 99.60% |
| 3.= | Pirelli | 99.60% |
| 5 | Goodyear | 98.90% |
| 6 | Continental | 98.80% |
| 7 | Dunlop | 98.70% |
| 8 | Uniroyal | 98.60% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 100.80% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 102.10% |
| Cabin noise | ||
| 1 | Pirelli | 100% |
| 2 | Dunlop | 99.80% |
| 3.= | Continental | 99.20% |
| 3.= | Goodyear | 99.20% |
| 3.= | Uniroyal | 99.20% |
| 6 | Michelin | 99.10% |
| 7 | Nokian | 98.80% |
| 8 | Hankook | 98.00% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 98.60% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 99.00% |
| Rolling resistance | ||
| 1 | Continental | 100% |
| 2 | Goodyear | 98.80% |
| 3 | Dunlop | 94.00% |
| 4 | Michelin | 87.10% |
| 5 | Pirelli | 85.90% |
| 6 | Uniroyal | 85.60% |
| 7 | Hankook | 83.90% |
| 8 | Nokian | 83.30% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 93.00% |
| - | Goodyear summer | 109.40% |
| Price | ||
| 1 | Hankook | £82.49 |
| 2.= | Dunlop | £91.99 |
| 2.= | Goodyear | £91.99 |
| 4 | Michelin | £99.49 |
| 5 | Nokian | £100.99 |
| 6 | Uniroyal | £101.99 |
| 7 | Pirelli | £106.99 |
| 8 | Continental | £120.99 |
| - | Vredestein a/s | £109.49 |
| - | Goodyear summer | £67.99 |
| Overall | ||
| 1 | Continental | 100% |
| 2 | Nokian | 99.50% |
| 3 | Goodyear | 99.40% |
| 4 | Uniroyal | 98.60% |
| 5 | Michelin | 98.40% |
| 6 | Dunlop | 98.00% |
| 7 | Pirelli | 96.90% |
| 8 | Hankook | 96.70% |
| - | Vredestein a/s | 95.80% |
| - | Goodyear summer | NR |
Overall verdict
Hankook and Pirelli sit at the foot of the table, but are by no means disgraced and are safe, if thirsty, winter tyres. In the middle of the pack are the Michelin, Dunlop and new Uniroyal tyres, which deliver very similar performances. No pairing is more closely matched than former winners Goodyear and Nokian. But another past champ takes overall glory, in the shape of Continental’s superb all-rounder.
