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

Cinturato Winter 2

pirelli

4.45/5

£172

Observe S944

toyo

3.95/5

£115

Table of contents:

Best winter tyres in tests
205/40 R18 tyre test
205/40 R18 tire tests

Best winter tyres in tests (2026)

Speed index

Weight index

Max. price

Options

Runflat MFS

5/5

theTyre
Lab.com

#1
Winter tires

Tests from 2025

225/40 R18 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

275/35 R19 Rank: 1 (Outstanding)

245/45 R19 Rank: 2 (Highly recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 2 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 2 (-)

Tests from 2024

235/35 R19 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

245/45 R18 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

235/35 R19 Rank: 1 (Test winner)

Tests from 2023

225/45 R18 Rank: 1 (Test winner)

225/45 R18 Rank: 1 (Test winner)

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

5/5

This is currently the best rated tyre we have and there is a reason for it - it combines sportiness on snow and dry and very good safety margins on the wet. It’s designed to maintain the joy of driving, even on winter tyres, but still manages to be safe at all times. 100% recommended.

50%

Snow braking

Dry braking

Snow traction

Dry handling

Exterior noise

Snow handling

Wet handling

Comfort

Wet circle cornering

Wet braking

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL, with rim protection ridge (FSL) ) - In stock £203	Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL, with rim protection ridge (FSL) )		In stock	Free shipping	£203	Buy mytyres.co.uk

4.55/5

theTyre
Lab.com

#7
Winter tires

Tests from 2025

235/50 R19 Rank: 1 (Test winner)

275/35 R19 Rank: 2 (Very good)

225/45 R17 Rank: 3 (-)

215/55 R17 Rank: 3 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

225/40 R18 Rank: 3 (Good)

245/45 R19 Rank: 4 (Highly recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 6 (-)

215/55 R17 Rank: 6 (Very good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 7 (Good)

Bridgestone Blizzak 6

4.55/5

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.

50%

Wet circle cornering

Comfort

Snow traction

Wet braking

Snow handling

Wet handling

Aquaplaning - cross

Dry handling

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Dry braking

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Bridgestone Blizzak 6 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) ) - In stock £168	Bridgestone Blizzak 6 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL Enliten / EV, with rim protection (MFS) )		In stock	Free shipping	£168	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Blizzak 6 Enliten XL - In stock £173	Blizzak 6 Enliten XL		In stock	Free shipping	£173	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

4.5/5

theTyre
Lab.com

#9
Winter tires

Tests from 2025

215/55 R17 Rank: 2 (Outstanding)

Tests from 2023

225/45 R17 Rank: 3 (Good)

205/60 R16 Rank: 3 (Good)

Tests from 2022

215/60 R16 Rank: 3 (Good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

215/55 R17 Rank: 4 (-)

Tests from 2021

235/55 R18 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

225/50 R17 Rank: 3 (Good)

225/45 R17 Rank: 3 (-)

225/40 R18 Rank: 5 (-)

Goodyear UltraGrip Performance+

4.5/5

A typical premium tyre - very well balanced, great on all surfaces with low rolling resistance. Proven by many tests.

50%

Snow traction

Aquaplaning - cross

Snow handling

Wet handling

Interior noise

Comfort

Wet circle cornering

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Dry braking

Wet braking

4.65/5

theTyre
Lab.com

#6
Winter tires

Tests from 2025

215/55 R17 Rank: 1 (Good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 1 (Outstanding)

235/50 R19 Rank: 1 (Exemplary)

215/55 R17 Rank: 3 (Exemplary)

245/45 R19 Rank: 5 (Highly recommended)

225/40 R18 Rank: 6 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 7 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 13 (-)

Tests from 2024

215/55 R17 Rank: 2 (Highly recommended)

235/55 R18 Rank: 2 (Very good)

Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

4.65/5

Continental winter tires have been winning tire tests for many years, and the 870P is no exception. The “P” stands for performance, but don’t be mistaken, its rolling resistance is also praised, making it ideal for EVs. A well-balanced tire.

50%

Snow braking

Aquaplaning - cross

Dry handling

Interior noise

Exterior noise

Comfort

Dry braking

Snow handling

Wet circle cornering

Wet braking

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P ( 205/40 R18 86V XL EVc, with kerbing rib ) - In stock £164	Continental WinterContact TS 870 P ( 205/40 R18 86V XL EVc, with kerbing rib )		In stock	Free shipping	£164	Buy mytyres.co.uk
WinterContact TS 870 P XL - In stock £185	WinterContact TS 870 P XL		In stock	Free shipping	£185	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

3.25/5

Tests from 2025

215/55 R17 Rank: 6 (Good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 7 (Good)

215/55 R17 Rank: 8 (Good)

225/40 R18 Rank: 10 (Good)

Tests from 2024

205/55 R16 Rank: 4 (-)

215/55 R17 Rank: 6 (-)

215/55 R17 Rank: 7 (Satisfactory)

205/55 R16 Rank: 11 (Sufficient)

205/55 R16 Rank: 13 (Satisfactory)

Tests from 2023

225/45 R17 Rank: 5 (-)

Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

3.25/5

The Cinturato Winter 2 is enjoyable to drive and offers safety in all conditions. However, some tests have described its dry handling as sluggish.

50%

Exterior noise

Snow handling

Wet circle cornering

Dry braking

Wet handling

Snow traction

Wet braking

Aquaplaning - longitudal

Comfort

Interior noise

Shop	Product	Stock	Availability	Shipping	Price	Action
Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL ) - In stock £172	Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2 ( 205/40 R18 86V XL )		In stock	Free shipping	£172	Buy mytyres.co.uk
Cinturato Winter 2 XL - In stock £182	Cinturato Winter 2 XL		In stock	Free shipping	£182	Buy tyres.pneus.online.uk

Cars with 205/40 R18 tyres

205/40 R18 tyre test Personalize

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

91%

2. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

78%

3. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

66%

4. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

63%

5. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

61%

6. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

57%

Wet

1. Continental WinterContact TS 870 P

71%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

69%

3. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

66%

4. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

66%

5. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

65%

6. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

25%

Snow

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

86%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

72%

3. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

65%

4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

63%

5. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

58%

6. Imperial SnowDragon UHP

25%

Comfort

1. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

91%

2. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

74%

3. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

68%

4. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

47%

5. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

40%

Economy

1. Continental Wintercontact Ts 870 P

94%

2. Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

71%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

63%

4. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 2

47%

5. Vredestein Wintrac Pro

40%

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

Detailed property breakdowns

Interactive sorting and filtering

Side-by-side comparisons

View Full Test Results

Did you know ...?

205/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 1 tyre models available, which can be compared to 155/60 R15, 170/60 R17, 160/60 R14. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 82 mm. The wheel diameter is R18, which means it fits to a 18 inch/457.2mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 1951.56 mm, which is very similar to 185/65 R15(1952.5 mm), 195/55 R16(1950.61 mm), 190/50 R17(1953.44 mm), 235/40 R17(1947.16 mm), 160/60 R17(1959.73 mm), 215/45 R17(1964.44 mm), 205/45 R17(1936.16 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/40 R18: V(240km/h), W(270km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 86.

Runflat

There are 1 runflat variants available.
Show

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