205/40 R18 - Best summer tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

#12
Summer tires

Tests from 2025

215/55 R18 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

Hankook iON Evo

4.5/5

50%

Wet handling

Wet circle cornering

Wet braking

Dry handling

Dry braking

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Aquaplaning - cross

Exterior noise

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Hankook iON evo (IK01) ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR EV, SoundAbsorber, with rim protection (MFS) SBL ) - In stock £170	Hankook iON evo (IK01) ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR EV, SoundAbsorber, with rim protection (MFS) SBL )		In stock	Free shipping	£170	Buy mytyres.co.uk

4.75/5

#4
Summer tires

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 2 (-)

225/40 R18 Rank: 2 (Exemplary)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Good)

225/45 R18 Rank: 4 (Highly recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Good)

Tests from 2024

215/40 R18 Rank: 2 (Very good)

Tests from 2023

225/45 R18 Rank: 2 (Outstanding)

225/40 R18 Rank: 2 (Highly recommended)

225/45 R18 Rank: 3 (Highly recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Outstanding)

Michelin Pilot Sport 5

4.75/5

The Pilot Sport range from Michelin is now almost legendary, with the Cup variants being the fastest road legal tyres available. But the ‚ordinary‘ Pilot Sport 5 not as spory as it’s name suggest - it’s incredibly well balanced, with the priority being low rolling resistance and high mileage over sporty handling. It’s still a Michelin tire, so higher price is to be expected.

50%

Wet circle cornering

Dry handling

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Aquaplaning - cross

Wet braking

Wet handling

Dry braking

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Pilot Sport 5 XL EV FSL - In stock £175	Pilot Sport 5 XL EV FSL		In stock	Free shipping	£175	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk
Michelin Pilot Sport 5 ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) ) - In stock £200	Michelin Pilot Sport 5 ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) )		In stock	Free shipping	£200	Buy mytyres.co.uk

4.85/5

#3
Summer tires

Tests from 2025

225/50 R17 Rank: 1 (Test winner)

215/55 R18 Rank: 2 (Exemplary)

225/45 R18 Rank: 2 (Highly recommended)

225/45 R17 Rank: 2 (Outstanding)

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Exemplary)

235/55 R19 Rank: 5 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 8 (-)

Tests from 2024

215/55 R17 Rank: 1 (Good)

205/55 R16 Rank: 1 (-)

225/45 R17 Rank: 1 (Highly recommended)

Continental PremiumContact 7

4.85/5

Continental did it again with the PremiumContact 7. It’s an incredibly well balanced tire with just the right wet and dry grip and above average mileage. Since it’s launch in 2023 it got nothing but the best results in the tests, the only downside being it’s premium price.

50%

Wet braking

Wet circle cornering

Dry handling

Wet handling

Dry braking

Interior noise

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Aquaplaning - cross

Exterior noise

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Continental PremiumContact 7 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL EVc, with kerbing rib ) - In stock £161	Continental PremiumContact 7 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL EVc, with kerbing rib )		In stock	Free shipping	£161	Buy mytyres.co.uk
PremiumContact 7 EV XL - In stock £167	PremiumContact 7 EV XL		In stock	Free shipping	£167	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

4.85/5

#2
Summer tires

Tests from 2025

295/30 R20 Rank: 2 (Exemplary)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Highly recommended)

Tests from 2023

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Very good)

Tests from 2022

255/35 R19 Rank: 2 (-)

Tests from 2021

255/35 R19 Rank: 1 (Very good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (-)

265/35 R20 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

4.85/5

Pilot Sport 4S is the sportier version of the Pilot Sports and the most sporty one that still cares about the wet performance, which is it's strong suite. It's usually expensive, but also a guarantee of a great performance tyre.

50%

Wet circle cornering

Dry handling

Dry braking

Wet braking

Comfort

Aquaplaning - cross

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Wet handling

Exterior noise

4.35/5

Tests from 2026

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Highly recommended)

Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

4.35/5

The Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo is the successor to the multi-award-winning Potenza Sport, featuring ENLITEN Technology for enhanced performance. It delivers 5% shorter wet braking, 2% shorter dry braking, and 15% greater mileage compared to its predecessor, while achieving EU label A-grade wet grip.

50%

Wet braking

Dry braking

Wet handling

Dry handling

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) ) - In stock £174	Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) )		In stock	Free shipping	£174	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Potenza Sport Evo XL - In stock £176	Potenza Sport Evo XL		In stock	Free shipping	£176	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

3.6/5

Tests from 2026

225/40 R18 Rank: 8 (Recommended)

Tests from 2025

295/30 R20 Rank: 3 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Good)

Tests from 2024

265/35 R19 Rank: 6 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2023

235/35 R19 Rank: 6 (Good)

Tests from 2022

255/35 R19 Rank: 4 (-)

235/35 R19 Rank: 7 (Good)

Tests from 2021

265/35 R20 Rank: 4 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 5 (Recommended)

Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport

3.6/5

50%

Comfort

Wet circle cornering

Aquaplaning - cross

Dry handling

Dry braking

Wet handling

Wet braking

Aquaplaning - longitudal

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Eagle F1 Supersport FP XL - In stock £152	Eagle F1 Supersport FP XL		In stock	Free shipping	£152	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk
Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection (MFS) ) - In stock £152	Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection (MFS) )		In stock	Free shipping	£152	Buy mytyres.co.uk

3.7/5

Tests from 2026

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Highly recommended)

Tests from 2025

255/55 R18 Rank: 2 (Exemplary)

225/40 R18 Rank: 5 (Recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 8 (Good)

225/45 R18 Rank: 8 (-)

Tests from 2024

235/55 R18 Rank: 7 (Good)

Tests from 2023

235/35 R19 Rank: 6 (Highly recommended)

235/35 R19 Rank: 7 (Good -)

255/45 R20 Rank: 7 (Very good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 7 (Good)

Falken Azenis FK520

3.7/5

One of the cheaper tyres that can be recommended as it hasn't failed a single test and is often rated as a economical choice. It's surprisingly quiet, so if you are looking for a good and comfortable tyre, Azenis FK520 could be a tyre for you.

50%

Exterior noise

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Dry braking

Dry handling

Wet braking

Aquaplaning - cross

Wet circle cornering

Wet handling

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Falken AZENIS FK520 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL with rim protection (MFS) NBLK ) - In stock £119	Falken AZENIS FK520 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL with rim protection (MFS) NBLK )		In stock	Free shipping	£119	Buy mytyres.co.uk

4/5

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Good)

Tests from 2024

225/45 R17 Rank: 3 (-)

Tests from 2023

225/45 R18 Rank: 1 (-)

225/40 R18 Rank: 4 (Recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 6 (Good)

225/45 R18 Rank: 7 (Highly recommended)

225/45 R18 Rank: 12 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2022

245/45 R19 Rank: 3 (Very good)

225/45 R17 Rank: 3 (Recommended)

245/40 R19 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

4/5

Hankook Ventus tyres are designed to offer a very sporty experience for affordable price, which is also the case for evo3. It’s also safe on wet and got short braking distances, the only drawback being lower mileage.

50%

Wet braking

Wet circle cornering

Wet handling

Dry braking

Exterior noise

Dry handling

Interior noise

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Comfort

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Ventus S1 evo3 XL - In stock £132	Ventus S1 evo3 XL		In stock	Free shipping	£132	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk
Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 K127 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR with rim protection (MFS) SBL ) - In stock £145	Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 K127 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR with rim protection (MFS) SBL )		In stock	Free shipping	£145	Buy mytyres.co.uk

4.5/5

#13
Summer tires

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (-)

225/40 R18 Rank: 5 (Exemplary)

Hankook Ventus Evo

4.5/5

50%

Wet circle cornering

Wet braking

Dry handling

Wet handling

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Aquaplaning - cross

Dry braking

Exterior noise

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Hankook Ventus evo K137 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR with rim protection (MFS) SBL ) - In stock £114	Hankook Ventus evo K137 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL 4PR with rim protection (MFS) SBL )		In stock	Free shipping	£114	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Ventus evo XL - In stock £141	Ventus evo XL		In stock	Free shipping	£141	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

3.9/5

Tests from 2026

225/40 R18 Rank: 7 (Recommended)

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 1 (Very good)

Kumho Ecsta Sport (PS72)

3.9/5

50%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Dry braking

Exterior noise

Wet braking

Wet handling

Aquaplaning - cross

Dry handling

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) ) - In stock £98	Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 ( 205/40 ZR18 86Y XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) )		In stock	Free shipping	£98	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Ecsta Sport PS72 XL EV FSL - In stock £134	Ecsta Sport PS72 XL EV FSL		In stock	Free shipping	£134	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

3.35/5

Tests from 2025

205/55 R16 Rank: 5 (-)

Tests from 2024

215/55 R17 Rank: 4 (-)

225/45 R17 Rank: 6 (-)

205/55 R16 Rank: 7 (-)

205/55 R16 Rank: 7 (Good)

225/55 R17 Rank: 8 (Satisfactory)

215/55 R17 Rank: 10 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2023

225/65 R17 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

205/55 R16 Rank: 6 (Good)

205/55 R16 Rank: 6 (Recommended)

Falken Ziex ZE310 Ecorun

3.35/5

Being usually one of the cheaper tyres in the test, the japanese Falken still delivers very safe characteristics for everyday driving. It suffers a bit in the efficiency department, with higher rolling resistance and limited mileage.

50%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Comfort

Aquaplaning - cross

Exterior noise

Dry handling

Wet braking

Dry braking

Wet circle cornering

Wet handling

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Falken ZIEX ZE310 ECORUN ( 205/40 R18 86W XL Ecorun, with rim protection (MFS) BLK ) - In stock £112	Falken ZIEX ZE310 ECORUN ( 205/40 R18 86W XL Ecorun, with rim protection (MFS) BLK )		In stock	Free shipping	£112	Buy mytyres.co.uk

3.6/5

Tests from 2025

225/45 R17 Rank: 6 (-)

Tests from 2024

225/55 R17 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

205/55 R16 Rank: 4 (-)

215/55 R17 Rank: 6 (-)

205/55 R16 Rank: 8 (Good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 8 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2023

225/65 R17 Rank: 5 (Exemplary)

205/55 R16 Rank: 7 (Recommended)

205/55 R16 Rank: 9 (Good)

205/55 R16 Rank: 9 (-)

Hankook Ventus Prime 4

3.6/5

Ventus Prime 4 Is our favorite every day tyre, as it offers premium safety at an affordable price. Short braking distances, good handling, but slightly worse at aquaplaning and comfort.

50%

Dry braking

Dry handling

Wet braking

Wet handling

Exterior noise

Wet circle cornering

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Interior noise

Aquaplaning - cross

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Hankook iON i*cept (IW01) ( 205/40 R18 86V XL 4PR EV, SoundAbsorber, with rim protection (MFS) SBL ) - In stock £167	Hankook iON i*cept (IW01) ( 205/40 R18 86V XL 4PR EV, SoundAbsorber, with rim protection (MFS) SBL )		In stock	Free shipping	£167	Buy mytyres.co.uk

3.7/5

Tests from 2025

215/55 R18 Rank: 6 (Satisfactory)

225/50 R17 Rank: 6 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2024

225/45 R17 Rank: 5 (Highly recommended)

Firestone Roadhawk 2

3.7/5

Firestone, the affordable brand belonging to the Bridgestone group, has a fresh addition to their lineup - the Roadhawk 2. And it seems like it’s set off for success - it offers the Bridgestone’s ENLITEN technology, which makes the rolling resistance and mileage exceptional for a budget tyre and it combines it with safe behavior on wet and dry.

50%

Wet circle cornering

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Wet handling

Aquaplaning - cross

Wet braking

Dry handling

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Firestone Roadhawk 2 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) ) - In stock £130	Firestone Roadhawk 2 ( 205/40 R18 86Y XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) )		In stock	Free shipping	£130	Buy mytyres.co.uk

3.55/5

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 5 (Good)

245/35 R19 Rank: 5 (Good)

225/45 R18 Rank: 6 (-)

295/30 R20 Rank: 6 (Satisfactory)

225/40 R18 Rank: 8 (Satisfactory)

225/40 R18 Rank: 18 (-)

Tests from 2024

265/35 R19 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

Vredestein Ultrac Pro

3.55/5

The Ultrac Pro is very well balanced tyre for every day driving made mainly for larger wheel sizes.

50%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Aquaplaning - cross

Exterior noise

Wet handling

Wet circle cornering

Wet braking

Dry handling

•••

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Vredestein Ultrac Pro ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) ) - In stock £135	Vredestein Ultrac Pro ( 205/40 ZR18 (86Y) XL with rim protection ridge (FSL) )		In stock	Free shipping	£135	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Ultrac Pro XL - In stock £150	Ultrac Pro XL		In stock	Free shipping	£150	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

4.55/5

#8
Summer tires