185/50 R16 - Best summer tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Summer

31

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

Efficient Grip Performance 2

8.7

£117

Buy Details

Price / Value

ZIEX ZE320

8.0

£97

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

Efficient Grip Performance 2

185/50 R16 81 H

£117

Great price for a premium tyre

Upper-middle

Ecsta HS52

185/50 R16 81 V 4PR

£74

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Upper-middle

Ecsta HS52

185/50 R16 81 V .

£79

Best price in last 6 months

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

Efficient Grip Performance 2

'26#3

'26#3

'25#2

8.7

Price from

£117

Price from£117

Expert summary

Despite its name, this tyre is focused mainly on efficiency and comfort, which is where it excels. It has got a great mileage, while maintaining very safe characteristics and therefore is recommended for drivers that value comfort over sportiness.

Performance

Mileage

100%

Price/value

100%

Wet handling - objective

93%

+16

Aquaplaning - longitudal

47%

Interior noise

43%

Dry driving behavior

41%

Test results

2026225/50 R17#3(Good)

2026215/55 R17#3(Highly recommended)

2025205/55 R16#2(Recommended)

2025215/55 R17#5(Very good)

2024215/55 R17#4(-)

2024205/55 R16#4(Exemplary)

2024225/55 R17#5(Good)

2024225/45 R17#5(Recommended)

2024215/55 R17#9(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#13(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/50 R16 81 H

A C 70dB

£117

mytyres.co.uk

£117

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£129

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Upper-middle

ZIEX ZE320

'26#1

'26#2

'26#5

8.0

Price from

£95

Price from£95

Expert summary

The ZE320 is Falken's follow-up to the ZE310, and in some areas it's a clear step forward — dry handling is strong, and it's one of the quietest tyres in its class. Tyre Reviews even rated it highly recommended with top marks in wet handling. That said, wet braking is a real weak spot, especially in cooler conditions, and cross aquaplaning protection is poor. Higher rolling resistance and limited mileage are familiar problems carried over from the predecessor. Available in only 52 sizes, it's still a decent pick if you prioritize a quiet, composed ride and don't push hard in the wet.

Performance

Exterior noise

92%

Dry braking

90%

Wet handling

89%

+9

Aquaplaning - cross

36%

Price/value

25%

Mileage

15%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#1(Test winner)

2026235/55 R18#2(Good)

2026215/55 R17#5(Highly recommended)

2026225/50 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2025225/50 R17#3(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#7(Good)

2025225/40 R18#7(-)

2025225/45 R17#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/50 R16 85 V £95

mytyres.co.uk

£95

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

185/50 R16 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Falken ZIEX ZE320

87%

2. Hankook Ventus Prime 4

79%

3. Kumho Ecsta HS52

78%

4. Michelin e.Primacy

73%

5. Michelin Primacy 4+

70%

6. Falken ZIEX ZE310 Ecorun

69%

7. Falken e.Ziex

67%

8. Nexen N Fera Primus

61%

9. Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2

58%

10. Giti GitiSynergy H2

54%

11. Continental EcoContact 6

50%

12. Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6

26%

Wet

1. Nexen N Fera Primus

73%

2. Falken Ziex ZE320

69%

3. Falken ZIEX ZE310 Ecorun

68%

4. Michelin Primacy 4+

67%

5. Hankook Ventus Prime 4

65%

6. Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2

64%

7. Kumho Ecsta HS52

61%

8. Falken e.Ziex

52%

9. Giti GitiSynergy H2

44%

10. Michelin e.Primacy

39%

11. Continental EcoContact 6

35%

Comfort

1. Michelin e.Primacy

90%

2. Falken Ziex ZE320

87%

3. Continental EcoContact 6

79%

4. Falken e.Ziex

69%

5. Michelin Primacy 4+

68%

6. Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2

66%

7. Nexen N Fera Primus

63%

8. Kumho Ecsta HS52

61%

9. Falken ZIEX ZE310 Ecorun

57%

10. Hankook Ventus Prime 4

53%

11. Giti GitiSynergy H2

39%

This is a preview of our comprehensive tyre test. The full test includes:

Detailed breakdowns

Interactive sorting

Side-by-side comparisons

View Full Test Results

Price vs Quality

See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance

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I'm looking for ...

Best tyres for EVs

Best dry-handling tyres

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Best handling tyres

Quietest tyres

Most economical tyres

Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

793 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Michelin Primacy 4 3.7/5 (184)

Continental EcoContact 6 2.8/5 (154)

Falken ZIEX ZE310 Ecorun 3.9/5 (117)

Falken ZIEX ZE914 EcoRun 3.7/5 (97)

Bridgestone Turanza T001 3.2/5 (95)

Kumho Ecsta HS51 3.8/5 (43)

Continental UltraContact 3.7/5 (37)

Sailun Atrezzo Elite 3.4/5 (23)

Kumho Ecsta HS52 3.7/5 (22)

Kormoran Road Performance 3/5 (21)

Other popular sizes

0/0 R0336 Tyres 205/55 R16232 Tyres 225/45 R17211 Tyres 215/65 R16209 Tyres 225/55 R17198 Tyres 225/40 R18194 Tyres 225/50 R17189 Tyres 215/60 R16185 Tyres

185/50 R16 — Also available in

Winter(19)All season(14)

Top brands in 185/50 R16

Did you know ...?

185/50 R16 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for summer tyres - there are 13 tyre models available, which can be compared to 185/55 R16, 175/75 R16, 195/65 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 50 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 50% of the tyre width (185mm), which means the sidewall height has 92.5 mm. The wheel diameter is R16, which means it fits to a 16 inch/406.4mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 1857.94 mm, which is very similar to 175/60 R15(1856.68 mm), 205/45 R16(1856.37 mm), 195/60 R14(1852.28 mm), 165/80 R13(1866.73 mm), 195/40 R17(1846.63 mm), 195/55 R15(1870.82 mm), 165/65 R15(1870.82 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for summer tyres in 185/50 R16: H(210km/h), T(190km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 81, 85.