Winter tyre test 225/40 R18 - Autobild 2025
Winter Wet and dry testing was conducted at the Contidrom facility in Wietze, Germany, while snow testing was carried out under arctic conditions in Arvidsjaur, Sweden.
BMW M135i, a high-performance compact hatchback equipped with an all-wheel-drive system and producing 300 PS.
Price vs Quality
See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance
Results
Agenda:Best value in test
Better than average value
Worse than average value
Worst value in test
Wet2
Dry2+
Snow1–
Running costs1
Wet
Wet Circle Cornering#1/20
Wet Handling#1/20
Wet Braking#2/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Aquaplaning Cross#13/20
Dry
Dry Braking#1/20
Dry Handling#1/20
Economy
Mileage#5/20
Rolling Resistance#10/20
Price Value Ratio#18/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#1/20
Ride Comfort#5/20
Snow
Snow Handling#1/20
Snow Braking#3/20
Snow Traction#9/20
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Michelin was the top-performing winter tire, stopping 5 meters behind the summer tire benchmark. Most other tested winter tires delivered closely matched results, stopping between 44 and 45 meters.
Wet2
Dry2+
Snow1–
Running costs2
Wet
Wet Braking#2/20
Aquaplaning Cross#10/20
Wet Circle Cornering#11/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#15/20
Dry
Dry Braking#10/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Mileage#3/20
Price Value Ratio#4/20
Rolling Resistance#5/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#1/20
Ride Comfort#1/20
Snow
Snow Circle Cornering#1/20
Snow Traction#1/20
Snow Braking#3/20
Snow Handling#7/20
From 100 km/h, the summer benchmark stopped at 47.8 meters, while the best winter tire (Goodyear) stopped at 50.9 meters. In contrast, the budget tire failed catastrophically, requiring 70.5 meters to stop, and premium brands like Continental, Hankook, and Vredestein unexpectedly struggled.
Wet2
Dry2+
Snow2+
Running costs1–
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Circle Cornering#7/20
Wet Braking#8/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Dry
Dry Handling#1/20
Dry Braking#3/20
Economy
Mileage#1/20
Rolling Resistance#5/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#5/20
Snow
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#7/20
Snow Handling#7/20
Snow Traction#9/20
Wet2+
Dry2+
Snow1–
Running costs2
Wet
Wet Braking#2/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Handling#4/20
Wet Circle Cornering#7/20
Aquaplaning Cross#10/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#4/20
Mileage#8/20
Rolling Resistance#10/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#11/20
Snow
Snow Handling#1/20
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#7/20
Snow Traction#9/20
In the braking test from 50 km/h on snow, Kleber and BF Goodrich recorded the shortest stopping distances at 27.1 and 27.3 meters respectively, while Toyo finished last among the finalists at 29.7 meters.
Wet2
Dry2
Snow2
Running costs1
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#1/20
Wet Braking#1/20
Wet Circle Cornering#1/20
Wet Handling#1/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Dry
Dry Braking#10/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Mileage#1/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Rolling Resistance#15/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#5/20
Snow
Snow Handling#7/20
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Snow Braking#13/20
Snow Traction#14/20
BF Goodrich and Firestone recorded the highest traction forces on snow (exceeding 2600 N), whereas Falken recorded the lowest traction among the finalists at 2314 N.
Wet2
Dry2+
Snow1–
Running costs2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#1/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Handling#8/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Wet Circle Cornering#15/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#4/20
Economy
Mileage#3/20
Price Value Ratio#4/20
Rolling Resistance#15/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#5/20
Noise Exterior#15/20
Snow
Snow Handling#1/20
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#5/20
Snow Traction#5/20
Wet2+
Dry2
Snow2+
Running costs2
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#1/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Circle Cornering#7/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#3/20
Economy
Rolling Resistance#3/20
Mileage#8/20
Price Value Ratio#18/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#1/20
Noise Exterior#4/20
Snow
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#5/20
Snow Traction#5/20
Snow Handling#7/20
To prevent manufacturers from supplying optimized 'golden samples', Auto Bild purchased all 51 tire profiles anonymously from retail shops.
Wet2
Dry3
Snow2
Running costs2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Braking#6/20
Wet Circle Cornering#7/20
Aquaplaning Cross#10/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Dry
Dry Handling#4/20
Dry Braking#10/20
Economy
Rolling Resistance#3/20
Price Value Ratio#4/20
Mileage#5/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#11/20
Snow
Snow Braking#13/20
Snow Handling#14/20
Snow Traction#14/20
Snow Circle Cornering#16/20
Wet3
Dry2–
Snow2+
Running costs2+
Wet
Wet Braking#8/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Wet Circle Cornering#15/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#16/20
Dry
Dry Handling#4/20
Dry Braking#10/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#1/20
Rolling Resistance#1/20
Mileage#8/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#1/20
Ride Comfort#1/20
Snow
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Traction#9/20
Snow Handling#11/20
Snow Circle Cornering#16/20
Tire wear and longevity evaluations were conducted on a specialized laboratory wear test rig to guarantee highly consistent and fair testing conditions.
Wet2
Dry2
Snow2
Running costs2
Wet
Wet Circle Cornering#1/20
Wet Handling#1/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Braking#6/20
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#18/20
Economy
Mileage#5/20
Rolling Resistance#15/20
Price Value Ratio#16/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#11/20
Snow
Snow Handling#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Snow Braking#13/20
Snow Traction#17/20
Dynamic parameters including stopping distance, speed, and acceleration were captured using a high-precision, satellite-supported GPS onboard data acquisition system.
Wet2–
Dry2
Snow2–
Running costs2
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Handling#4/20
Wet Braking#8/20
Wet Circle Cornering#11/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#4/20
Economy
Mileage#8/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Rolling Resistance#10/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#11/20
Snow
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Snow Traction#14/20
Snow Braking#18/20
Snow Handling#18/20
Wet3
Dry2–
Snow1
Running costs2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Wet Circle Cornering#15/20
Wet Handling#17/20
Dry
Dry Braking#10/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Rolling Resistance#10/20
Mileage#16/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#11/20
Noise Exterior#15/20
Snow
Snow Braking#1/20
Snow Circle Cornering#1/20
Snow Handling#1/20
Snow Traction#1/20
Tire inflation pressure was strictly equalized, and wheel storage temperatures were monitored to ensure uniform carcass and tread surface temperatures prior to every test run.
Wet2
Dry2–
Snow2
Running costs3
Wet
Wet Handling#4/20
Wet Circle Cornering#5/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#16/20
Dry
Dry Braking#10/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Mileage#16/20
Price Value Ratio#16/20
Rolling Resistance#19/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#17/20
Noise Exterior#18/20
Snow
Snow Traction#9/20
Snow Braking#13/20
Snow Handling#14/20
Snow Circle Cornering#16/20
Wet3
Dry2+
Snow1
Running costs2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Circle Cornering#11/20
Wet Handling#11/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Dry
Dry Handling#18/20
Dry Braking#19/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Rolling Resistance#10/20
Mileage#19/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#17/20
Noise Exterior#18/20
Snow
Snow Braking#1/20
Snow Circle Cornering#1/20
Snow Traction#1/20
Snow Handling#5/20
Michelin's second-tier sub-brands, BF Goodrich and Kleber, surprisingly outperformed their premium parent brand in almost all snow disciplines.
Wet3
Dry2
Snow2+
Running costs3+
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Wet Circle Cornering#15/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#16/20
Wet Braking#19/20
Wet Handling#19/20
Dry
Dry Handling#4/20
Dry Braking#10/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#1/20
Mileage#8/20
Rolling Resistance#15/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#5/20
Snow
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Traction#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Snow Handling#11/20
The anonymous budget tire demonstrated an extreme performance conflict, outbraking premium brands like Pirelli and Vredestein on snow, but failing dangerously on wet roads.
Wet3
Dry2
Snow2+
Running costs3
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Wet Handling#8/20
Wet Circle Cornering#11/20
Aquaplaning Cross#13/20
Wet Braking#19/20
Dry
Dry Handling#18/20
Dry Braking#20/20
Economy
Rolling Resistance#5/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Mileage#19/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#5/20
Noise Exterior#18/20
Snow
Snow Traction#1/20
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Circle Cornering#7/20
Snow Handling#11/20
Wet2+
Dry2+
Snow3+
Running costs2
Wet
Wet Circle Cornering#1/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Handling#4/20
Wet Braking#8/20
Dry
Dry Handling#4/20
Dry Braking#10/20
Economy
Price Value Ratio#1/20
Rolling Resistance#5/20
Mileage#8/20
Comfort
Ride Comfort#1/20
Noise Exterior#4/20
Snow
Snow Traction#17/20
Snow Braking#19/20
Snow Handling#19/20
Snow Circle Cornering#20/20
Several established premium brands that typically offer balanced performance, including Continental, Hankook, and Vredestein, unexpectedly struggled during wet braking.
Wet3–
Dry2
Snow2+
Running costs2
Wet
Wet Braking#2/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#3/20
Aquaplaning Cross#4/20
Wet Handling#19/20
Wet Circle Cornering#20/20
Dry
Dry Braking#10/20
Dry Handling#12/20
Economy
Rolling Resistance#5/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Mileage#16/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#15/20
Ride Comfort#17/20
Snow
Snow Circle Cornering#1/20
Snow Braking#5/20
Snow Traction#5/20
Snow Handling#14/20
The wear test revealed a massive mileage deficit for Falken, which wore out nearly 20,000 kilometers sooner than the highly durable Bridgestone.
Wet3–
Dry2
Snow2–
Running costs3
Wet
Wet Braking#12/20
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Wet Circle Cornering#15/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#16/20
Wet Handling#17/20
Dry
Dry Braking#3/20
Dry Handling#4/20
Economy
Rolling Resistance#1/20
Mileage#8/20
Price Value Ratio#8/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#17/20
Snow
Snow Circle Cornering#10/20
Snow Braking#13/20
Snow Handling#14/20
Snow Traction#19/20
Wet3
Dry2
Snow3
Running costs3
Wet
Wet Circle Cornering#5/20
Wet Handling#8/20
Wet Braking#12/20
Aquaplaning Cross#15/20
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#16/20
Dry
Dry Braking#1/20
Dry Handling#4/20
Economy
Mileage#8/20
Price Value Ratio#18/20
Rolling Resistance#20/20
Comfort
Noise Exterior#4/20
Ride Comfort#11/20
Snow
Snow Circle Cornering#16/20
Snow Braking#19/20
Snow Handling#19/20
Snow Traction#19/20
Same size tyres not featured in the test
Tests usually don't cover the whole market - here is our selection what not to miss when shopping for tyres in this size.
| # | Name | Our rating | Segment | Price |
|---|
| 1 | | 91% | Premium | |
| 2 | | 90% | Premium | £126 92 V +1 More |
| 3 | | 90% | Premium | £163 92 V +2 More |
| 4 | | 89% | Premium | £120 92 V +1 More |
| 5 | | 89% | Premium | |
| 6 | | 88% | Premium | £140 92 V +3 More |
| 7 | | 86% | Premium | £124 92 H +6 More |
| 8 | | 86% | Upper-middle | |
|
| 9 | | 84% | Upper-middle | |
| 10 | | 84% | Premium | £156 92 V +2 More |
| 11 | | 82% | Budget | £75 0 V |
| 12 | | 81% | Budget | |
| 13 | | 80% | Upper-middle | £116 92 V +3 More |
| 14 | | 79% | Upper-middle | £122 92 W +1 More |
| 15 | | 79% | Upper-middle | |
| 16 | | 79% | Upper-middle | £127 92 V |
|
| 17 | | 77% | Budget | |
| 18 | | 76% | Premium | £139 92 V +1 More |
| 19 | | 75% | Budget | £92 92 V |
| 20 | | 75% | Upper-middle | |
| 21 | | 74% | Budget | |
| 22 | | 74% | Upper-middle | |
| 23 | | 69% | Budget | £87 92 V +1 More |
| 24 | | 66% | Budget | £92 92 V |
|
| 25 | | 66% | Premium | |
| 26 | | 64% | Budget | £401 92 V |
| 27 | | 63% | Upper-middle | |
| 28 | | 62% | Upper-middle | £161 92 Q +2 More |
| 29 | | 61% | Upper-middle | |
| 30 | | 59% | Budget | |
| 31 | | 56% | Budget | |
| 32 | | 51% | | |
|
| 33 | | 40% | Budget | |
| 34 | | 40% | Budget | |
| 35 | | 36% | Budget | |
| 36 | | 34% | Budget | |
| 37 | | 25% | Budget | |
| 38 | | 1% | Budget | |
