265/40 R18 - Best summer tyres 2026 - market overview, tests, reviews

Summer

31

Tyres

We recommend

Premium

Sportcontact 7

9.7

£189

Buy Details

Price / Value

Ecsta PS71

8.6

£134

Buy Details

Best deals

Premium

Ventus S1 evo3 K127

265/40 R18 101 Y .

£160

Great price for a premium tyre

Upper-middle

Ecsta PS71

265/40 R18 101 Y

£134

Lowest price among well rated tyres.

Premium

Ventus Evo

265/40 R18 101 Y .

£159

Best tyres in tests (2026)

Default order: highest overall test rating first. Ratings combine tests in different tyre sizes.

Filter

RunflatMFSShow all

1

Premium

SportContact 7

'26#1

'26#1

'26#2

9.7

Price from

£189

Price from£189

Expert summary

Our favorite every-day performance tyre that delivers fast laps on dry circuits while being safe for the daily commute, having won multiple tests in wet conditions. However, if you lean more towards comfort and low rolling resistance, the PremiumContact 7 might be a better choice.

Recommended

#6

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#6 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Wet circle cornering

98%

Dry braking

96%

Wet braking

93%

+11

Exterior noise

51%

Wet safety

50%

Aquaplaning - cross

46%

Test results

2026255/35 R19#1(-)

2026255/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026225/40 R18#2(Highly recommended)

2026235/35 R19#3(Recommended)

2025225/40 R18#1(Good)

2025245/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

2025295/30 R20#1(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#1(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#2(Highly recommended)

2024265/35 R19#1(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£189

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£189

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

mytyres.co.uk

£194

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

2

Premium

Pilot Sport 4 S

'26#1

'26#1

'26#5

9.5

Expert summary

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.

Recommended

#9

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#9 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Wet side guide

100%

Dry handling

92%

Dry steering response

85%

+10

Exterior noise

47%

Wet handling - objective

40%

Interior noise

14%

Test results

2026225/40 R18#1(-)

2026225/40 R18#1(Highly recommended)

2026255/35 R19#5(Good)

2025295/30 R20#2(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#3(Highly recommended)

2025245/35 R19#4(Exemplary)

2024265/35 R19#2(Exemplary)

2023225/40 R18#3(Very good)

2022255/35 R19#2(-)

2021255/35 R19#1(Very good)

View full review

3

Premium

Potenza Sport Evo

'26#1

'26#2

9.3

Price from

£181

Price from£181

Expert summary

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.

Recommended

#12

2026

theTyre Lab.comRecommended#12 Summer tires 2026

Performance

Handling on gravel

100%

Wet circle cornering

96%

Dry lane changing

95%

+14

Sand traction

38%

Exterior noise

35%

Cost per warranted mile

11%

Test results

2026205/45 R17#1(Outstanding)

2026235/35 R19#2(Highly recommended)

2026255/35 R19#2(Exemplary)

2026255/45 R19#2(Exemplary)

2026225/40 R18#3(Highly recommended)

2026245/45 R19#11(Good)

2026245/45 R19#11(-)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£181

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£181

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

mytyres.co.uk

£189

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

4

Upper-middle

Ecsta PS71

'25#4

'25#6

'25#13

8.6

Price from

£134

Price from£134

Expert summary

The Kumho Ecsta PS71 has been around for a while and keeps showing up well in tests. Strong aquaplaning resistance, short braking distances, and balanced handling across conditions make it a dependable choice. Comfort and noise are where it compromises.

Performance

Aquaplaning - longitudal

91%

Sand traction

90%

Aquaplaning - cross

87%

+17

Dry driving behavior

28%

Exterior noise

27%

Interior noise

23%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(-)

2025225/40 R18#6(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#13(Satisfactory)

2023225/45 R18#5(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Highly recommended)

2023225/45 R18#12(-)

2022255/35 R19#6(-)

2021225/50 R17#3(Good)

View full review

Price variants (2)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£134

tyres-pneus-online.co.uk

£134

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

mytyres.co.uk

£153

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£140

mytyres.co.uk

£140

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

5

Premium

Potenza Sport

'26#6

'25#1

8.5

Price from

£195

Price from£195

Expert summary

We really like the new Potenza Sport, as it’s more sporty and dynamic than the usual tyre in this category, but still perfectly usable and safe for everyday driving, which makes it unique. It’s rolling resistance, mileage and overall comfort are also on a good level, except for a slighty higher noise.

Performance

Mud traction

100%

Handling on gravel

100%

Wet safety

100%

+20

Exterior noise

30%

Rolling resistance

21%

Wear

0%

Test results

2026225/45 R18#6(-)

2025225/40 R18#1(Very good)

2025225/40 R18#1(-)

2025225/40 R18#2(Good)

2025225/45 R18#3(Highly recommended)

2025225/40 R18#3(Exemplary)

2025225/40 R18#6(-)

2024225/55 R17#1(Exemplary)

2024235/55 R19#3(Good)

2024265/35 R19#4(Good)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 72dB

£195

mytyres.co.uk

£195

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

6

Premium

Ventus S1 evo3 K127

'25#4

'24#3

'23#1

8.1

Price from

£160

Price from£160

Expert summary

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.

Performance

Fuel efficiency

87%

Wet safety

75%

Wet braking

75%

+17

Aquaplaning - cross

24%

Dry handling - objective

11%

Dry steering response

11%

Test results

2025225/40 R18#4(Good)

2024225/45 R17#3(-)

2023225/45 R18#1(-)

2023225/40 R18#4(Recommended)

2023225/40 R18#6(Good)

2023225/45 R18#7(Highly recommended)

2023225/45 R18#12(Satisfactory)

2022245/45 R19#3(Very good)

2022225/45 R17#3(Recommended)

2022245/40 R19#3(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 73dB

£160

mytyres.co.uk

£160

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

7

Premium

Ventus Evo

'26#1

'26#2

7.7

Price from

£159

Price from£159

Expert summary

Hankook tyres are getting better with every new generation and the Ventus Evo is the latest evolution. It aims for the stars with excellent dry and wet handling, best-in-test wet braking and top aquaplaning speed, while producing very low exterior noise. The only notable weakness is higher rolling resistance. Still, it is a premium tyre for slightly less than a premium price.

Performance

Grass traction

100%

Gravel traction

100%

Wet circle cornering

100%

+14

Price/value

50%

Sand traction

25%

Dry circle speed

0%

Test results

2026245/45 R19#1(Exemplary)

2026255/45 R19#1(Exemplary (test winner))

2026245/45 R19#2(-)

2026225/45 R17#3(Highly recommended)

2026225/45 R18#6(-)

2025225/40 R18#3(-)

2025235/40 R18#4(-)

2025225/40 R18#5(Exemplary)

View full review

Price variants (1)

265/40 R18 101 Y

A C 71dB

£159

mytyres.co.uk

£159

In stock · Free shipping

Buy

8

Budget

Velox Sport PT 741

'25#25

4.8

Test results

2025225/40 R18#25(-)

View full review

9

Budget

Dimax R8+

'26#31

3.6

Test results

2026245/45 R19#31(-)

View full review

265/40 R18 tyre test

Personalize →

Best tyres in your size

Dry

1. Continental SportContact 7

93%

2. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

91%

3. Hankook Ventus Evo

82%

4. Bridgestone Potenza Sport

81%

5. Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

77%

6. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

70%

7. Kumho Ecsta PS71

58%

8. Goodride Solmax 1

30%

Wet

1. Hankook Ventus Evo

83%

2. Continental SportContact 7

78%

3. Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S

78%

4. Bridgestone Potenza Sport

77%

5. Kumho Ecsta PS71

73%

6. Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo

70%

7. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 K127

62%

8. Goodride Solmax 1

37%

Snow

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

I'm looking for ...

Best tyres for EVs

Best dry-handling tyres

Best rain tyres

Best handling tyres

Quietest tyres

Most economical tyres

Best anti-aquaplaning tyres

Customer reviews

1804 customer reviews for tyres in this size

Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2 4.1/5 (278)

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 3.9/5 (270)

Bridgestone Potenza RE050A 3.3/5 (203)

Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S 3.9/5 (173)

Pirelli P ZERO 3.1/5 (170)

Bridgestone Potenza S001 3.2/5 (161)

Michelin Pilot Super Sport 4.2/5 (159)

Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 4.2/5 (144)

Bridgestone Potenza Sport 3.9/5 (136)

Continental SportContact 7 4.1/5 (110)

Other popular sizes

0/0 R0336 Tyres 205/55 R16232 Tyres 225/45 R17211 Tyres 215/65 R16209 Tyres 225/55 R17198 Tyres 225/40 R18194 Tyres 225/50 R17189 Tyres 215/60 R16185 Tyres

265/40 R18 — Also available in

Winter(6)

Top brands in 265/40 R18

Did you know ...?

265/40 R18 doesn't belong to the most popular dimensions for summer tyres - there are 15 tyre models available, which can be compared to 195/70 R15, 195/45 R15, 205/50 R16. Let's break down the sizing - 40 is height of the tyre, which is calculated as 40% of the tyre width (265mm), which means the sidewall height has 106 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 2102.35 mm, which is very similar to 175/75 R16(2101.41 mm), 235/45 R18(2100.78 mm), 215/55 R17(2099.53 mm), 265/35 R19(2098.9 mm), 205/70 R15(2098.58 mm), 325/25 R20(2106.44 mm), 235/40 R19(2106.75 mm). There are multiple speed indexes available for summer tyres in 265/40 R18: W(270km/h), Y(300km/h). The same goes for weight indexes: 97, 101.