Winter tyre test 225/45 R18 - Sportscars 2026

Winter Vidsel · Aprilia

2026

Year

12

Tyres

Winner

Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5

Test Vehicle

BMW M235i xDrive Gran Coupé · BMW M240i

Tested tyres

12

article

AUTO BILD sportscars tyre test 2026: 225/45 R18 — winter tyres — Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

AUTO BILD sportscars compared 12 tyres in size 225/45 R18.

read the full article

Price vs Quality

See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance

Results

Agenda:

Best value in test

Better than average value

Worse than average value

Worst value in test

1

Michelin PILOT ALPIN 5

Rating: Exemplary

£160

95 H

mytyres.co.uk

+3 More sizes →

95H · £182 95V · £164 95V · £160

Wet1.3

Dry1.3

Snow1.1

Stopping distance on dry40.8

Stopping distance on wet52.8

Stopping distance on snow25.1

Comfort1.2

Wet

Wet Handling Measured#2/12

Aquaplaning Cross#3/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/12

Wet Braking#7/12

Dry

Dry Braking#1/12

Dry Handling Measured#1/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#3/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#10/12

Snow

Snow Braking#1/12

Snow Handling Measured#1/12

Snow Traction#1/12

Snow Circle Cornering#4/12

Summary

Shortest snow and dry braking; strong handling
Highest price

2

Bridgestone Blizzak 6

Rating: Exemplary

£142

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet1.3

Dry1.5

Snow1.2

Stopping distance on dry42.5

Stopping distance on wet52

Stopping distance on snow25.3

Comfort1.5

Wet

Wet Handling Measured#1/12

Wet Braking#3/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#5/12

Aquaplaning Cross#6/12

Dry

Dry Handling Measured#1/12

Dry Braking#5/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#10/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#7/12

Snow

Snow Circle Cornering#1/12

Snow Braking#2/12

Snow Handling Measured#2/12

Snow Traction#2/12

Summary

Excellent handling; strong snow grip
Slightly longer dry braking

3

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

Rating: Exemplary

£134

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

+2 More sizes →

95V · £147 95V · £155

Wet1.3

Dry1.6

Snow1.5

Stopping distance on dry42.5

Stopping distance on wet52.1

Stopping distance on snow25.7

Comfort1.2

Wet

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#4/12

Wet Handling Measured#4/12

Aquaplaning Cross#5/12

Wet Braking#5/12

Dry

Dry Braking#5/12

Dry Handling Measured#6/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#5/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#6/12

Snow

Snow Circle Cornering#2/12

Snow Braking#3/12

Snow Handling Measured#3/12

Snow Traction#3/12

Summary

Strong on snow and wet roads
Dry performance below the leaders

Overall grades: lower is better. Shared positions follow AUTO BILD.

4

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

Rating: Good

£137

95 H

mytyres.co.uk

+1 More sizes →

95V · £137

Wet1.5

Dry1.3

Snow1.8

Stopping distance on dry41.7

Stopping distance on wet52

Stopping distance on snow25.8

Comfort1.2

Wet

Wet Handling Measured#2/12

Wet Braking#3/12

Aquaplaning Cross#9/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#9/12

Dry

Dry Braking#2/12

Dry Handling Measured#3/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#5/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#1/12

Snow

Snow Circle Cornering#3/12

Snow Braking#6/12

Snow Handling Measured#7/12

Snow Traction#10/12

Summary

Strong dry and wet handling; lowest rolling resistance
Lower snow traction

4

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

Rating: Good

£147

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet1.3

Dry1.5

Snow1.7

Stopping distance on dry42

Stopping distance on wet49.3

Stopping distance on snow25.7

Comfort1.6

Wet

Wet Braking#1/12

Wet Handling Measured#5/12

Aquaplaning Cross#7/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#7/12

Dry

Dry Braking#3/12

Dry Handling Measured#5/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#8/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#3/12

Snow

Snow Braking#3/12

Snow Circle Cornering#7/12

Snow Traction#7/12

Snow Handling Measured#9/12

Summary

Shortest wet braking; good dry braking
Weaker on snow

6

Dunlop Winter

Rating: Good

£117

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet1.9

Dry1.5

Snow1.8

Stopping distance on dry42.1

Stopping distance on wet56.6

Stopping distance on snow26.3

Comfort1.7

Wet

Aquaplaning Cross#4/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#6/12

Wet Braking#9/12

Wet Handling Measured#9/12

Dry

Dry Braking#4/12

Dry Handling Measured#4/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#4/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#5/12

Snow

Snow Traction#5/12

Snow Handling Measured#6/12

Snow Circle Cornering#8/12

Snow Braking#9/12

Summary

Good value; strong dry performance
Weaker on wet roads

7

Nokian Snowproof 3P

Rating: Good

Wet1.8

Dry1.7

Snow1.6

Stopping distance on dry42.5

Stopping distance on wet52.2

Stopping distance on snow25.8

Comfort1.7

Wet

Wet Braking#6/12

Aquaplaning Cross#7/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#8/12

Wet Handling Measured#11/12

Dry

Dry Braking#5/12

Dry Handling Measured#12/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#2/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#2/12

Snow

Snow Handling Measured#4/12

Snow Traction#4/12

Snow Circle Cornering#5/12

Snow Braking#6/12

Summary

Good on snow; quiet
Slowest dry handling; imprecise wet steering

8

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 W330

Rating: Satisfactory

£158

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

+1 More sizes →

95V

Wet1.9

Dry2.1

Snow1.6

Stopping distance on dry43.4

Stopping distance on wet60.7

Stopping distance on snow25.7

Comfort1.5

Wet

Aquaplaning Cross#1/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/12

Wet Handling Measured#7/12

Wet Braking#10/12

Dry

Dry Handling Measured#7/12

Dry Braking#10/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#12/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#12/12

Snow

Snow Braking#3/12

Snow Handling Measured#5/12

Snow Circle Cornering#6/12

Snow Traction#6/12

Summary

Good on snow; best aquaplaning resistance
Long wet braking; highest noise and rolling resistance

The printed AUTO BILD sportscars 11/2026 results take precedence. Pirelli shares fourth in print but appears fifth online. Published category grades, safety adjustments and final grades are preserved. Snow, wet and dry each contribute one third. The summer reference is unranked; mileage was not tested.

9

Nexen Winguard Sport 3

Rating: Satisfactory

£89

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet1.9

Dry1.9

Snow2.0

Stopping distance on dry44.5

Stopping distance on wet50.7

Stopping distance on snow26.2

Comfort1.5

Wet

Wet Braking#2/12

Wet Handling Measured#6/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#11/12

Aquaplaning Cross#12/12

Dry

Dry Handling Measured#10/12

Dry Braking#12/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#1/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#3/12

Snow

Snow Braking#8/12

Snow Traction#8/12

Snow Circle Cornering#9/12

Snow Handling Measured#10/12

Summary

Quietest; short wet braking
Limited aquaplaning reserves

10

Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6

Rating: Satisfactory

£98

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet1.8

Dry2.1

Snow2.6

Stopping distance on dry43.5

Stopping distance on wet56.1

Stopping distance on snow27.2

Comfort1.7

Wet

Aquaplaning Cross#2/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#2/12

Wet Braking#8/12

Wet Handling Measured#10/12

Dry

Dry Handling Measured#9/12

Dry Braking#11/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#11/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#9/12

Snow

Snow Handling Measured#11/12

Snow Braking#12/12

Snow Circle Cornering#12/12

Snow Traction#12/12

Summary

Affordable; balanced on wet and dry roads
Weakest snow category; longest snow braking

11

Falken EuroWinter HS02 Pro

Rating: Satisfactory

£109

95 V

mytyres.co.uk

Wet2.9

Dry1.9

Snow2.3

Stopping distance on dry43.3

Stopping distance on wet65.2

Stopping distance on snow26.7

Comfort1.5

Wet

Wet Handling Measured#8/12

Aquaplaning Cross#11/12

Wet Braking#11/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#12/12

Dry

Dry Handling Measured#7/12

Dry Braking#9/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#7/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#7/12

Snow

Snow Traction#9/12

Snow Braking#10/12

Snow Circle Cornering#10/12

Snow Handling Measured#12/12

Summary

Comfortable; good dry performance
Long wet and snow braking; magazine advises against it

12

Leao Winter Defender UHP

Rating: Sufficient

Wet3.9

Dry2.0

Snow2.2

Stopping distance on dry42.8

Stopping distance on wet67.7

Stopping distance on snow26.7

Comfort1.9

Wet

Aquaplaning Cross#10/12

Aquaplaning Longitudinal#10/12

Wet Braking#12/12

Wet Handling Measured#12/12

Dry

Dry Braking#8/12

Dry Handling Measured#11/12

Comfort

Noise Exterior#8/12

Economy

Rolling Resistance#10/12

Snow

Snow Handling Measured#8/12

Snow Braking#10/12

Snow Circle Cornering#10/12

Snow Traction#11/12

Summary

Low price; decent dry performance
Very long wet braking; difficult wet handling; magazine advises against it

Detailed results

Same size tyres not featured in the test

Tests usually don't cover the whole market - here is our selection what not to miss when shopping for tyres in this size.

#	Name	Our rating	Segment	Price
1	Premium Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850P 91%	91%	Premium	£169 95 H +1 More
2	Premium Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005 90%	90%	Premium	£143 95 H +3 More
3	Premium GoodYear UltraGrip Performance+ 90%	90%	Premium
4	Premium Goodyear UltraGrip Performance Gen-1 89%	89%	Premium	£135 95 H +2 More
5	Premium Dunlop Winter Sport 5 89%	89%	Premium
6	Premium Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 89%	89%	Premium
7	Upper-middle Kleber KRISALP HP3 89%	89%	Upper-middle	£121 95 V
8	Premium Michelin PILOT ALPIN PA4 88%	88%	Premium	£177 95 V +2 More

9	Upper-middle BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2 87%	87%	Upper-middle	£125 95 V
10	Premium Pirelli WINTER SOTTOZERO Serie III 86%	86%	Premium	£152 91 H +10 More
11	Upper-middle Nokian WR D4 86%	86%	Upper-middle
12	Premium Bridgestone Blizzak LM-001 84%	84%	Premium	£151 91 H +4 More
13	Upper-middle Hankook Winter i*cept evo2 W320 84%	84%	Upper-middle	£118 91 H +6 More
14	Upper-middle Firestone Winterhawk 4 84%	84%	Upper-middle	£104 95 V
15	Budget Semperit Speed-Grip 5 81%	81%	Budget	£108 95 V
16	Budget Semperit Speed-Grip 3 81%	81%	Budget

17	Budget Fulda Kristall Control HP2 80%	80%	Budget	£107 95 V
18	Upper-middle Falken EuroWinter HS01 80%	80%	Upper-middle	£208 95 T +3 More
19	Upper-middle Nokian WR Snowproof 79%	79%	Upper-middle
20	Upper-middle Toyo Observe S944 79%	79%	Upper-middle	£125 0 V +1 More
21	Upper-middle Nokian WR Snowproof P 79%	79%	Upper-middle	£148 95 V +1 More
22	Upper-middle Toyo Snowprox S954 78%	78%	Upper-middle
23	Premium Continental WinterContact TS 860S 76%	76%	Premium	£168 95 H +4 More
24	Upper-middle Kumho WinterCraft WP71 75%	75%	Upper-middle

25	Budget Giti GitiWinter W1 74%	74%	Budget
26	Budget Nexen WinGuard Sport 2 WU7 69%	69%	Budget	£105 95 V +1 More
27	Budget Debica Frigo HP2 66%	66%	Budget
28	Premium Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 66%	66%	Premium
29	Budget Nexen WinGuard Sport 66%	66%	Budget
30	Upper-middle Uniroyal WinterExpert 65%	65%	Upper-middle	£111 95 V
31	Budget Barum Polaris 5 64%	64%	Budget
32	Upper-middle Nokian WR A4 63%	63%	Upper-middle

33	Upper-middle Yokohama BluEarth winter V905 62%	62%	Upper-middle	£165 91 Q +3 More
34	Upper-middle Firestone Winterhawk 3 61%	61%	Upper-middle
35	Budget Giti Gitiwinter W2 59%	59%	Budget
36	Budget Matador MP93 Nordicca 56%	56%	Budget
37	Budget Linglong Sport Master Winter 48%	48%	Budget
38	Budget Fortune Fsr901 40%	40%	Budget
39	Budget Kormoran SNOW 40%	40%	Budget
40	Budget Platin RP70 Winter 34%	34%	Budget

41	Budget Kormoran SNOWPRO B2 1%	1%	Budget
42	Budget Duraturn Mozzo Winter 1%	1%	Budget
43	Budget Imperial SnowDragon 3 1%	1%	Budget	£88 95 V