205/65 R15 - Best winter tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Winter

85

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

ALPIN 5

8.9

£138

Buy Details

Price / Value

KRISALP HP3

8.9

£100

Buy Details

Budget

Eskimo HP2

7.5

£85

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

Winter Sport 5

205/65 R15 94 T

£101

Great price for a premium tyre

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept RS2 W452

205/65 R15 94 T

£84

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Upper-middle

KRISALP HP3

205/65 R15 94 H

£95

Best price in last 6 months

Upper-middle

G-FORCE WINTER 2

205/65 R15 94 H

£93

Upper-middle

KRISALP HP3

205/65 R15 94 T

£100

Upper-middle

Winter i*cept RS W442

205/65 R15 99 T

£93

Best price in last 6 months

Best tyres in tests (2026)

Filter

RunflatMFSShow all

1

Premium

WinterContact TS 870

'25#1

'24#1

'24#1

9.9

Price from

£129

Price from£129

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

Wet circle cornering

94%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

88%

Aquaplaning - cross

88%

+6

Comfort

74%

Dry braking

66%

Snow traction

65%

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 (2)

205/65 R15 94 T XL EVc

B C 70dB

£129

mytyres.co.uk

£129

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£132

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R15 94 H EVc

B C 70dB

£140

mytyres.co.uk

£140

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£140

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Upper-middle

WinterCraft WP52+

'25#4

'25#5

8.7

Price from

£90

Price from£90

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%

+5

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)

205/65 R15 94 H

B C 72dB

£90

mytyres.co.uk

£90

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

3

Premium

Winter Sport 5

'25#4

'24#2

'24#4

8.6

Price from

£101

Price from£101

Expert summary

While being somehow dated as it was introduced back in 2015, it received some midlife updates and still holds up with the current models, at least in smaller dimensions. At the right price, it could be a great choice.

Performance

Comfort

83%

Aquaplaning - cross

82%

Snow traction

79%

+6

Dry handling

48%

Dry braking

43%

Exterior noise

35%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2024215/55 R17#2(Good)

2024235/35 R19#4(Exemplary)

2024205/55 R16#5(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#7(Good)

2024205/55 R16#11(-)

2023205/60 R16#1(Good)

2023225/45 R17#4(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Good)

2023225/45 R18#15(-)

View full review

Price variants (4)

205/65 R15 94 T

B C 71dB

£101

mytyres.co.uk

£101

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R15 102 £110

mytyres.co.uk

£110

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Budget

Polaris 6

'25#2

'25#9

'25#10

8.3

Price from

£91

Price from£91

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

Comfort

100%

Exterior noise

100%

Snow traction

79%

+5

Dry handling

51%

Aquaplaning - cross

38%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

36%

Test results

2025215/65 R17#2(Good)

2025225/40 R18#9(Good)

2025225/40 R18#10(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R15 94 H

C D 72dB

£91

mytyres.co.uk

£91

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£101

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Upper-middle

WinterExpert

'25#5

'25#8

'25#12

8.1

Price from

£77

Price from£77

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

Snow traction

67%

Wet circle cornering

63%

Aquaplaning - cross

61%

+6

Dry handling

40%

Wet handling

37%

Dry braking

34%

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)

205/65 R15 94 T £77

mytyres.co.uk

£77

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£99

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Upper-middle

Eurowinter HS02

'25#9

'24#7

'24#22

7.2

Price from

£88

Price from£88

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

Wet circle cornering

73%

Exterior noise

73%

Dry braking

63%

+5

Wet handling

25%

Snow traction

23%

Snow handling

6%

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)

205/65 R15 94 H £88

mytyres.co.uk

£88

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Upper-middle

Krisalp HP3

'25#7

'25#12

'25#14

8.0

Price from

£95

Price from£95

Expert summary

Old but gold, that is how we can pretty much describe the Krisalp HP3. It's a winter tyre that is great on snow for a good price, which is what the average driver is looking for. It's not a premium tyre, but you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Performance

Snow traction

88%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

84%

Snow handling

77%

+6

Wet braking

53%

Wet handling

49%

Dry handling

31%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#7(Satisfactory)

2025225/40 R18#12(-)

2025225/40 R18#14(Satisfactory)

2024205/55 R16#8(Good)

2024205/55 R16#16(-)

2023225/45 R18#4(-)

2023205/60 R16#10(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#11(Satisfactory)

2022215/60 R16#7(Satisfactory)

2022225/45 R17#8(-)

View full review

Price variants (2)

205/65 R15 94 T £99

mytyres.co.uk

£99

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R15 94 H £95

mytyres.co.uk

£95

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£112

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Upper-middle

G-FORCE WINTER 2

'25#11

'25#12

'24#10

8.2

Price from

£94

Price from£94

Expert summary

G-Force Winter 2 is our favorite budget winter tyre. It's great on snow and offers good safety on all surfaces, which is no surprise as BFGoodrich is a part of the Michelin group.

Performance

Snow traction

94%

Snow handling

90%

Aquaplaning - longitudal

89%

+6

Wet handling

44%

Wet circle cornering

39%

Dry handling

35%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#11(-)

2025225/40 R18#12(Good)

2024205/55 R16#10(Good)

2024205/55 R16#13(-)

2023225/45 R18#4(Good)

2023225/45 R18#5(-)

2023205/60 R16#8(Satisfactory)

2022185/65 R15#5(Satisfactory)

2022215/55 R17#6(-)

2022215/55 R17#9(Good)

View full review

Price variants (2)

205/65 R15 94 T £108

mytyres.co.uk

£108

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R15 94 H £94

mytyres.co.uk

£94

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

9

Budget

Eskimo HP2

'25#23

'24#23

'23#14

6.2

Price from

£81

Price from£81

Performance

Interior noise

80%

Comfort

79%

Snow traction

60%

+6

Aquaplaning - longitudal

16%

Exterior noise

13%

Wet circle cornering

8%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#23(-)

2024205/55 R16#23(-)

2023225/45 R17#14(Satisfactory)

2022215/60 R16#9(Satisfactory)

2022215/55 R17#22(-)

2021225/50 R17#10(Satisfactory)

2021205/55 R16#13(-)

2021205/55 R16#17(Satisfactory)

View full review

Price variants (1)

205/65 R15 94 H

D C 72dB

£81

mytyres.co.uk

£81

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

205/65 R15 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Vredestein Wintrac

80%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870

77%

3. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

77%

4. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

73%

5. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

71%

6. Barum Polaris 6

62%

7. Viking WinTech

61%

8. Barum Polaris 5

57%

9. GT Radial Winter Pro 2 evo

52%

10. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

50%

11. Kleber KRISALP HP3

47%

12. BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2

46%

13. Falken Eurowinter HS02

44%

14. Fulda Kristall Control HP2

41%

15. Uniroyal WinterExpert

35%

Wet

1. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

87%

2. Continental WinterContact TS 870

84%

3. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

71%

4. Vredestein Wintrac

68%

5. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

67%

6. Kleber Krisalp HP3

62%

7. BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2

59%

8. GT Radial Winter Pro 2 evo

59%

9. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

56%

10. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

53%

11. Uniroyal WinterExpert

52%

12. Barum Polaris 6

51%

13. Fulda Kristall Control HP2

50%

14. Viking WinTech

50%

15. Barum Polaris 5

41%

Snow

1. BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2

91%

2. GT Radial Winter Pro 2 evo

85%

3. Kleber Krisalp HP3

84%

4. Continental WinterContact TS 870

78%

5. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

76%

6. Barum Polaris 6

74%

7. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

68%

8. Fulda Kristall Control HP2

68%

9. Viking WinTech

67%

10. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

66%

11. Barum Polaris 5

61%

12. Matador MP93 Nordicca

58%

13. Uniroyal WinterExpert

58%

14. Vredestein Wintrac

51%

15. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

50%

Comfort

1. Barum Polaris 6

97%

2. BFGoodrich G-FORCE WINTER 2

80%

3. GT Radial Winter Pro 2 evo

79%

4. Continental WinterContact TS 870

75%

5. Kleber Krisalp HP3

74%

6. FALKEN EUROWINTER HS02

68%

7. Vredestein Wintrac

61%

8. Bridgestone Blizzak LM-005

61%

9. Viking WinTech

59%

10. Barum Polaris 5

55%

11. Uniroyal WinterExpert

55%

12. Kumho WinterCraft WP52+

53%

13. Dunlop Winter Sport 5

49%

14. Kumho WinterCraft WP52

37%

15. Fulda Kristall Control HP2

36%

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

Compare tyres

Cars with 205/65 R15 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

326 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Nokian WR D4 3.6/5 (64)

Continental WinterContact TS 860 3.6/5 (44)

Dunlop Winter Sport 5 3.8/5 (38)

Goodyear UltraGrip 9 4/5 (35)

Nokian WR D3 4.2/5 (34)

Kleber KRISALP HP3 3.5/5 (25)

Sava Eskimo HP2 3.8/5 (23)

Michelin Alpin 5 3.6/5 (22)

Debica Frigo 2 3.1/5 (21)

Falken EuroWinter HS01 3.7/5 (20)

Other popular sizes

215/65 R16153 Tyres 205/55 R16139 Tyres 225/55 R17125 Tyres 215/60 R17124 Tyres 225/45 R17122 Tyres 0/0 R0118 Tyres 225/50 R17114 Tyres 215/60 R16111 Tyres

205/65 R15 — Also available in

Summer(132)All season(56)

Top brands in 205/65 R15

Did you know ...?

205/65 R15 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for winter tyres - there are 64 tyre models available, which can be compared to 175/65 R14, 235/55 R18, 215/60 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 65 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 65% of the tyre width (205mm), which means the sidewall height has 133.25 mm. The wheel diameter is R15, which means it fits to a 15 inch/381mm diameter wheel. The total circumference of the tyre is 2034.18 mm, which is very similar to 275/30 R19(2034.5 mm), 180/60 R17(2035.12 mm), 235/35 R19(2032.92 mm), 215/50 R17(2031.98 mm), 235/30 R20(2038.89 mm), 160/60 R18(2039.52 mm), 275/35 R18(2041.09 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for winter tyres in 205/65 R15: C(km/h), H(210km/h), R(170km/h), T(190km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 94, 99, 102, 110. You can find 205/65 R15 on 43 car models - mainly .