Skip advert
Advertisement

Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 review

Quiet, safe and won’t cost you a fortune to run

Hankook Ventus S1 evo2

Quiet, safe and won’t cost you a fortune to run

There’s no doubt Hankook has made great strides in recent years, making it on to standard kit lists for premium brands like BMW and Mercedes. We’ve also got used to seeing it hovering around the podium in our tests. So a sixth-place finish for its Ventus S1 evo2 is disappointing.

Advertisement - Article continues below

In fact, just like in our previous tyre assessments, the S1 evo2 was very close to a medal place, but just came up short. Even though the tyre is a couple of years old now, it’s good at the pumps and matches our overall winner. It also fared well in the cabin noise test, although yet again it was just outside the podium places.

The compact wet handling track, with its series of similar turns, brought times closer together than usual. So despite finishing last for its performance in the wet, the Hankook was less than three per cent off the winner. It felt secure with no rear movement, but required more lock than some. Grip was lost progressively and was never concerning.

It felt better in the dry, with good front traction that allowed you to get on the power early, plus there was a sharp feel to the steering. The only area where the evo2 was further down the pecking order than Hankook would like was in wet braking, and even that score is skewed slightly by the impressive Michelin’s performance.

Buy the Hankook Ventus S1 evo2 from Black Circles

Price £86.80 
Dry handling 98.90%6th
Dry braking 97.10%7th 
Wet handling 97.30%9th
Wet braking 91.40%6th
Wet cornering 95.80%9th
Straight aqua  97.80%5th
Curved aqua  94.70%4th
Rolling resistance 98.00%3rd
Cabin noise 98.60%4th
Overall98.10%6th
Skip advert
Advertisement
Products editor

Kim has worked for Auto Express for more than three decades and all but a year of that time in the Products section. His current role as products editor involves managing the section’s content and team of testers plus doing some of the tests himself. 

New & used car deals

Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £19,515Avg. savings £3,760 off RRP*Used from £10,500
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £27,795Avg. savings £2,454 off RRP*Used from £15,500
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,135Avg. savings £5,905 off RRP*Used from £12,890
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £1,828 off RRP*
* 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: the Dacia Jogger is a seven-seater load-lugger for a bargain price
Dacia Jogger - front tracking

Car Deal of the Day: the Dacia Jogger is a seven-seater load-lugger for a bargain price

There is no cheaper way to get a seven-seater car on your driveway. The Dacia Jogger is our Deal of the Day for 17 March.
News
17 Mar 2025
Audi TT back from the dead! Icon set to return as electric sports car
Audi TT Coupe - front

Audi TT back from the dead! Icon set to return as electric sports car

Iconic coupe could be resurrected for the electric era, thanks to new design boss
News
18 Mar 2025
Car Deal of the Day: Roomy Renault Scenic EV at the best price we've seen
Renault Scenic UK - front

Car Deal of the Day: Roomy Renault Scenic EV at the best price we've seen

The Scenic of the 2020s is an excellent electric family SUV. It’s our Deal of the Day for 18 March.
News
18 Mar 2025