205/45 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

8

Tyres

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Premium

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

8.9

£130

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

205/45 R18 90 H

£130

Great price for a premium tyre Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Best tyres in tests (2026)

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1

Premium

Blizzak 6

'26#4

'26#5

'26#5

9.1

Price from

£146

Price from£146

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

Interior noise

49%

Exterior noise

47%

Price/value

34%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#4(-)

2026225/50 R17#5(Satisfactory)

2026225/45 R17#5(Highly recommended)

2026245/45 R19#5(-)

2025235/50 R19#1(Test winner)

2025275/35 R19#2(Very good)

2025215/55 R17#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Good)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

2025225/45 R17#3(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/45 R18 90 V XL Enliten / EV

B C 70dB

£146

mytyres.co.uk

£146

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£166

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Budget

Polaris 6

'26#7

'26#11

'25#2

7.8

Price from

£90

Price from£90

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

2026245/45 R19#7(-)

2026185/65 R15#11(Sufficient)

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/45 R18 90 V mfs XL

C D 72dB

£90

mytyres.co.uk

£90

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£117

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Upper-middle

EuroWinter HS02

'26#7

'25#9

'24#7

6.5

Price from

£116

Price from£116

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

Interior noise

90%

Dry braking

75%

Dry steering response

75%

+16

Snow braking

6%

Lateral guidance on snow

0%

Snow handling - objective

0%

Test results

2026205/55 R16#7(-)

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)

205/45 R18 90 V £116

mytyres.co.uk

£116

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/45 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

70%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

64%

3. Barum Polaris 6

62%

4. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

5. Barum Polaris 5

57%

Wet

1. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

93%

2. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

70%

3. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

57%

4. Barum Polaris 6

51%

5. Barum Polaris 5

41%

Snow

1. Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3

75%

2. Barum Polaris 6

74%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak 6

73%

4. Barum Polaris 5

61%

5. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

45%

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

Detailed breakdowns

Interactive sorting

Side-by-side comparisons

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Price vs Quality

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Customer reviews

14 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Barum Polaris 5 2.7/5 (14)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16156 Tyres 205/55 R16141 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

205/45 R18 — Also available in

Summer(8)All season(4)

Top brands in 205/45 R18

Did you know ...?

205/45 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 2 tyre models available, which can be compared to 155/60 R15, 170/60 R17, 160/60 R14. Let's break down the sizing - 45 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 45% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 92.25 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 2015.96 mm, which is very similar to 265/30 R19(2015.65 mm), 190/55 R17(2013.13 mm), 265/35 R18(2019.1 mm), 215/55 R16(2019.73 mm), 180/65 R16(2011.88 mm), 195/60 R16(2011.88 mm), 225/35 R19(2010.93 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/45 R18: H(210km/h), V(240km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 90.

205/45 R18 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

We recommend

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

Best deals

UltraGrip Performance Gen-1

Best tyres in tests (2026)

205/45 R18 tyre test

Dry

Wet

Snow

Comfort

Price vs Quality

Compare tyres

I'm looking for ...

Customer reviews

Other popular sizes

205/45 R18 — Also available in

Top brands in 205/45 R18

Did you know ...?