Tyre test 2023: results by category

An in-depth look at the scoring charts for our 2023 tyre test

Our tests are often close and, behind our champion, it was particularly tight. A tweak in weighting would mean several tyres would swap places, so it is key to look at the percentage ratings rather than just overall position. It is hard to separate second through to eighth or ninth, so your choice will depend on your individual preferences.

In the last two spots we have two makers we know can do better with tyres that are probably due to be replaced. Hankook needs to do its usual development job on the Prime 4. A test of part-worn tyres would better suit the Primacy 4+ but it still works from new. Kumho needs to work on its wet performance, while fuel economy must be a concern for Vredestein. No such worries for Goodyear, but it has lost its overall advantage. 

Development has much improved the Pirelli Cinturato P7, while the Bridgestone T005’s last hurrah showed it’s still number one for fuel economy. Joint runner-up spot for Toyo was a welcome surprise for a tyre that gets a lot right.

Winner: Continental PremiumContact 7

We knew the Continental was good, so it was no surprise that it won this test, but the margin was surprising. This latest PremiumContact is back at the front of the pack, following some below-par performances for its predecessor. It might be there for some time, too.

Buy the Continental PremiumContact 7 from Blackcircles.com

Results by Category

Overall    
1st Continental 100%
=2nd Bridgestone 98.9%
=2nd Toyo 98.9%
4th Pirelli 98.6%
=5th Goodyear 98.5%
=5th Vredestein 98.5%
7th Kumho 98.4%
8th Michelin 98.3%
9th Hankook 98.0%
10th Falken 97.4%
11th Maxxis 97.1%
Price    
1st Kumho £66.44
2nd Maxxis £68.00
3rd Toyo £68.80
4th Bridgestone £81.95
5th Falken £83.42
6th Hankook £84.42
7th Goodyear £86.41
8th Vredestein £90.80
9th Pirelli £91.32
10th Continental £97.25
11th Michelin £111.56
Wet braking    
1st Continental 100%
=2nd Hankook 96.0%
=2nd Pirelli 96.0%
=4th Kumho 95.5%
5th Michelin 95.5%
6th Goodyear 94.0%
7th Toyo 93.3%
8th Vredestein 92.6%
9th Bridgestone 92.2%
10th Maxxis 90.8%
11th Falken 90.4%
Wet handling    
1st Continental 100%
2nd Vredestein 99.4%
3rd Goodyear 98.9%
4th Toyo 98.8%
=5th Bridgestone 98.5%
=5th Michelin 98.5%
7th Falken 98.2%
=8th Hankook 98.1%
=8th Pirelli 98.1%
10th Kumho 97.7%
11th Maxxis 96.6%
Wet cornering    
1st Kumho 100%
2nd Continental 99.8%
=3rd Falken 99.5%
=3rd Vredestein 99.5%
5th Toyo 99.3%
6th Hankook 98.8%
7th Goodyear 98.7%
8th Bridgestone 98.3%
9th Pirelli 98.1%
10th Maxxis 98.0%
11th Michelin 97.7%
Rolling resistance    
1st Bridgestone 100%
2nd Goodyear 85.2%
3rd Toyo 78.5%
4th Michelin 76.3%
5th Continental 74.2%
6th Hankook 73.6%
7th Pirelli 73.1%
8th Kumho 71.6%
9th Falken 70.7%
10th Maxxis 69.8%
11th Vredestein 67.7%
Curved aquaplaning    
1st Vredestein 100%
2nd Maxxis 93.6%
3rd Continental 92.4%
4th Michelin 92.3%
5th Falken 87.1%
6th Pirelli 86.6%
7th Bridgestone 86.4%
8th Goodyear 86.2%
9th Toyo 85.7%
10th Kumho 78.4%
11th Hankook 70.8%
Straight aquaplaning    
1st Vredestein 100%
=2nd Falken 95.5%
=2nd Michelin 95.5%
4th Continental 94.6%
5th Maxxis 94.4%
6th Bridgestone 94.3%
7th Pirelli 93.9%
8th Toyo 93.7%
9th Goodyear 93.5%
10th Kumho 93.2%
11th Hankook 89.0%
Dry braking    
1st Continental 100%
2nd Toyo 99.6%
3rd Bridgestone 99.3%
4th Kumho 98.2%
5th Pirelli 97.4%
6th Hankook 96.7%
7th Vredestein 96.4%
8th Maxxis 95.2%
9th Michelin 95.1%
10th Falken 94.6%
11th Goodyear 94.4%
Dry handling    
1st Kumho 100%
2nd Toyo 99.7%
3rd Vredestein 99.5%
=4th Hankook 99.4%
=4th Continental 99.4%
=4th Goodyear 99.4%
7th Pirelli 99.0%
8th Bridgestone 98.9%
9th Michelin 98.8%
10th Falken 98.5%
11th Maxxis 98.1%
Cabin noise    
1st Pirelli 100%
2nd Continental 99.7%
3rd Falken 99.6%
4th Kumho 99.4%
5th Bridgestone 99.3%
=6th Goodyear 99.2%
=6th Maxxis 99.2%
8th Toyo 99.0%
9th Michelin 98.7%
10th Hankook 98.5%
11th Vredestein 98.1%
In this review
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. 

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