185/55 R16 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

26

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

7.4

£107

Buy Details

Price / Value

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

8.7

£94

Buy Details

Best deals

Upper-middle

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

185/55 R16 87 T

£85

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

UltraGrip Performance 3

'25#1

'25#1

'25#1

9.5

Price from

£114

Price from£114

Expert summary

The UltraGrip Performance 3 is one of the best tyres we have seen in the tests and on top of that it's top discipline is snow performance while maintaining great properties on wet, which makes it a great candidate for snowy climates.

Recommended

#5

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#5 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Dry driving behavior

100%

Wet side guide

100%

Gravel traction

91%

+27

Interior noise

63%

Rolling resistance

60%

Price/value

53%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(Good)

2025215/55 R17#1(Exemplary)

2025245/45 R19#1(Highly recommended)

2025215/55 R17#2(Good)

2025225/45 R17#2(-)

2025275/35 R19#3(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#3(-)

2025235/50 R19#4(Good)

2025225/40 R18#5(Good)

2024215/55 R17#1(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T EVR

C C 70dB

£114

mytyres.co.uk

£114

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£153

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

WinterContact TS 870

'25#1

'24#1

9.9

Price from

£120

Price from£120

Expert summary

Continental has been dominating the winter tyre segment for years, and the TS870 is no different. It is very well-balanced and offers great mileage, making the premium price point worthwhile in the long run.

Recommended

#2

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#2 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Lateral guidance on snow

100%

Snow cornering

95%

Wet circle cornering

94%

+22

Dry braking

66%

Snow traction

65%

Price/value

63%

Test results

2025225/45 R17#1(Test winner)

2024205/55 R16#1(Good)

2024205/55 R16#1(Exemplary)

2024205/55 R16#8(-)

2023225/45 R17#1(Good)

2023225/45 R17#1(Test winner)

2022185/65 R15#1(Good)

2022225/45 R17#1(-)

2022225/45 R17#1(Test winner)

2022225/45 R19#1(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T EVc

B C 71dB

£120

mytyres.co.uk

£120

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£139

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Winter

'25#1

'25#2

9.6

Price from

£88

Price from£88

Recommended

#4

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#4 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow traction

100%

Snow cornering

100%

Comfort

100%

+10

Wet circle cornering

47%

Dry handling

42%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

26%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#1(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T

C D 70dB

£88

mytyres.co.uk

£88

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Premium

Blizzak 6

'25#1

'25#2

'25#3

9.2

Price from

£123

Price from£123

Expert summary

Blizzak has always been a winter tire focused on wet conditions, but with its sixth model, Bridgestone has promised improved snow performance and reduced rolling resistance. Early tests suggest they have delivered on these promises—Blizzak 6 is unmatched in wet conditions and excels on snow, making it ideal not just for city climates.

Recommended

#8

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#8 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Snow safety

100%

Lateral guidance on snow

96%

Gravel traction

91%

+26

Exterior noise

52%

Price/value

34%

Interior noise

29%

Test results

2025235/50 R19#1(Test winner)

2025275/35 R19#2(Very good)

2025225/45 R17#3(-)

2025215/55 R17#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#3(Good)

2025245/45 R19#4(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#6(-)

2025215/55 R17#6(Very good)

2025215/55 R17#7(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 H

B C 70dB

£123

mytyres.co.uk

£123

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£136

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Upper-middle

WinterCraft WP52+

'25#4

'25#5

8.7

Price from

£85

Price from£85

Expert summary

The Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ is a winter tyre from the established South Korean manufacturer, designed for use on passenger cars during cold weather conditions. Serving as an updated successor to the standard WinterCraft WP52, this model is engineered for winter driving. Its main focus is delivering traction on cold, snowy, and icy roads, though specific technical modifications over its predecessor are not detailed.

Recommended

#11

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#11 Winter tires 2026

Performance

Dry braking

95%

Wet braking

93%

Wet handling

88%

+10

Snow traction

47%

Comfort

42%

Aquaplaning - cross

31%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2025225/40 R18#4(-)

2025215/55 R17#5(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 83 H

B D 71dB

£85

mytyres.co.uk

£85

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Upper-middle

W462 Winter i*cept RS3

'25#2

'25#4

'24#4

8.2

Price from

£85

Price from£85

Expert summary

There aren’t many things to dislike about the Winter i*cept RS3, except perhaps for slightly lower mileage and higher rolling resistance. For its price, it performs well in all weather conditions.

Performance

Lateral guidance on snow

100%

Wet side guide

100%

Dry steering response

100%

+21

Dry braking

38%

Rolling resistance

35%

Wet safety

33%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#2(Exemplary)

2025215/55 R17#4(Very good)

2024205/55 R16#4(Satisfactory)

2024215/55 R17#4(Recommended)

2024215/55 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#6(Good)

2024205/55 R16#14(-)

2023225/45 R17#4(-)

2023205/60 R16#5(Good)

2023225/45 R17#7(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (4)

185/55 R16 87 T

B C 71dB

£85

mytyres.co.uk

£85

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£114

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

185/55 R16 87 T mfs XL

B C 71dB

£107

mytyres.co.uk

£107

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

185/55 R16 87 H

B C 71dB

£94

mytyres.co.uk

£94

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£120

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

185/55 R16 87 H mfs XL

B C 71dB

£113

mytyres.co.uk

£113

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Budget

Polaris 6

'25#2

'25#9

'25#10

8.3

Price from

£87

Price from£87

Expert summary

Barum unveils the Polaris 6, a budget-friendly winter tyre from the Czech Republic that adopts design elements from Continental’s TS series, including a V-shaped tread for better snow performance. The Polaris 6 improves on the Polaris 5 with enhanced durability, reduced rolling resistance, and quieter operation, while maintaining solid wet and dry performance. Priced about 20% higher, it leverages Continental’s technology to offer greater value and reliable winter traction for cost-conscious drivers.

Performance

Exterior noise

100%

Price/value

100%

Snow acceleration

100%

+12

Aquaplaning - cross

38%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

36%

Snow cornering

21%

Test results

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T XL EVc

C D 71dB

£87

mytyres.co.uk

£87

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Upper-middle

WinterExpert

'25#5

'25#8

'25#12

8.1

Price from

£92

Price from£92

Expert summary

Very good traction on snow for a nice price in a wide range of dimensions. Could use shorter braking distance on dry and better traction on the wet.

Performance

Rolling resistance

93%

Dry handling - objective

86%

Ice braking

78%

+21

Safety

19%

Wet side guide

0%

Wet handling - objective

0%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#5(-)

2025225/40 R18#8(Good)

2025225/40 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(-)

2024205/55 R16#9(Good)

2023225/45 R18#11(-)

2023225/45 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2023205/60 R16#14(Satisfactory)

2022245/45 R19#7(Sufficient)

2022215/60 R16#14(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T £92

mytyres.co.uk

£92

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

9

Upper-middle

Eurowinter HS02

'25#9

'24#7

'24#22

7.2

Price from

£84

Price from£84

Expert summary

The EuroWinter HS02 is one of the few affordable winter tires with good mileage and low rolling resistance. It offers strong driving characteristics, with only slight weaknesses on snow.

Performance

Dry steering response

75%

Comfort

75%

Wet circle cornering

73%

+14

Snow braking

5%

Lateral guidance on snow

0%

Snow handling - objective

0%

Test results

2025215/55 R17#9(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#22(-)

2023205/60 R16#11(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 T £84

mytyres.co.uk

£84

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

10

Budget

Ice-Plus S210

'25#31

3.7

Price from

£65

Price from£65

Test results

2025225/40 R18#31(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

185/55 R16 87 H XL£65

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£65

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

185/55 R16 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870

77%

2. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

73%

3. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

71%

4. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

71%

5. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

68%

6. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

67%

7. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

64%

8. Barum Polaris 6

62%

9. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

44%

10. Uniroyal WinterExpert

35%

Wet

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870

84%

2. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

76%

3. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

73%

4. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

71%

5. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

70%

6. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

58%

7. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

56%

8. Falken Eurowinter HS02

53%

9. Uniroyal WinterExpert

52%

10. Barum Polaris 6

51%

Snow

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870

78%

2. Barum Polaris 6

74%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

73%

4. GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3

68%

5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

68%

6. Hankook W462 Winter i*cept RS3

67%

7. Uniroyal WinterExpert

58%

8. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

50%

9. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

47%

10. Yokohama BluEarth-Winter V906

44%

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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Cars with 185/55 R16 tyres

I'm looking for ...

Best snow tyres

Best tyres for EVs

Best ice tyres

Best dry-handling tyres

Best rain tyres

Quietest tyres

Most economical tyres

Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

153 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Michelin Alpin A4 4.3/5 (49)

Continental WinterContact TS 860 3.6/5 (44)

Falken EuroWinter HS01 3.7/5 (20)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 3.4/5 (15)

GoodYear UltraGrip Performance 3 3.3/5 (8)

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2.9/5 (8)

Uniroyal WinterExpert 3.2/5 (5)

Imperial Snowdragon 3 1.5/5 (4)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16156 Tyres 205/55 R16140 Tyres 225/55 R17128 Tyres 215/60 R17126 Tyres 225/45 R17123 Tyres 0/0 R0118 Tyres 225/50 R17115 Tyres 215/60 R16113 Tyres

185/55 R16 — Also available in

Summer(67)All season(19)

Top brands in 185/55 R16

Did you know ...?

185/55 R16 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 13 tyre models available, which can be compared to 185/50 R16, 175/75 R16, 195/65 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 55 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 55% of the tyre width (185mm), which means the sidewall height has 101.75 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 1916.06 mm, which is very similar to 195/65 R14(1913.54 mm), 175/65 R15(1911.66 mm), 205/50 R16(1920.77 mm), 215/35 R18(1909.15 mm), 205/55 R15(1905.38 mm), 185/70 R14(1930.82 mm), 225/35 R18(1931.14 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 185/55 R16: H(210km/h), S(180km/h), T(190km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 83, 87. You can find 185/55 R16 on 9 car models - mainly .

185/55 R16 is found on 9 vehicles: