Comparison: Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance vs. Michelin Primacy 4 vs. Michelin Primacy 4+ vs. Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance 2 vs. Falken e.Ziex vs. GoodYear Efficientgrip Performance 2 vs. Bridgestone Turanza T005

Both the Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance and the Michelin Primacy 4 are ageing premium summer tyres that have since been superseded — the Goodyear by the Efficient Grip Performance 2, the Michelin by the Primacy 4+. That context matters, because neither represents the current state of the art from their respective brands. But they remain in circulation, and understanding their characters is useful for anyone still choosing between them or running a set.

The core difference between these two is sharpest when you look at where each tyre's wet performance actually lives. The Goodyear is an aquaplaning specialist — its aquaplaning score of 87.2 is genuinely impressive and well ahead of the Michelin's 66. On a flooded motorway at speed, the Goodyear's ability to channel water away is a meaningful safety advantage. But that strength doesn't fully carry over to wet braking: its wet braking score of 76.3 is notably weaker, which means while it resists losing grip through standing water, it takes longer to stop once you apply the brakes. That's a counterintuitive combination that drivers should understand before assuming strong aquaplaning numbers mean confident all-round wet performance.

The Michelin Primacy 4 tells a different story on wet roads. Wet braking scores 85.5 — a significant step ahead of the Goodyear — and the overall wet handling package is more composed under braking and cornering loads. The aquaplaning number of 66 is a genuine weak point, and testers have flagged average aquaplaning reserves as one of the Michelin's consistent limitations. In heavy rain at speed, the Primacy 4 needs more care than its wet braking strength might suggest. It replaced the well-regarded Michelin Primacy 3, and while it improved on its predecessor in several areas, aquaplaning was never a highlight.

On dry tarmac, the Michelin is meaningfully stronger. Its dry braking score of 91.3 is exceptional — well ahead of the Goodyear's 83 — and the dry lane change score of 90 and steering reaction of 85.7 confirm a tyre that is precise, confident, and communicative on a dry road. Dry handling, dry safety, and overall dry dynamics consistently favour the Primacy 4. The Goodyear isn't poor on dry — its dry handling averages 92.8 in measured tests — but the braking gap is significant enough to matter in real emergencies.

Tread life is another area where the Michelin wins convincingly. A mileage score of 92.5 versus the Goodyear's 64.3 is not a small margin — the Primacy 4 will last substantially longer, which goes some way to offsetting its higher purchase price. Both ADAC and independent testing have confirmed very low wear on the Michelin, which was specifically designed with longevity as a key selling point. The Goodyear's 64.3 mileage score reflects a tyre that wears faster than most of its premium rivals.

Rolling resistance is good on both, with the Michelin at 88.4 and the Goodyear at 86.4 — neither will hurt your fuel economy significantly. Comfort and noise, however, favour the Michelin: 80.4 for noise against the Goodyear's 73.6 makes the Primacy 4 a noticeably quieter daily companion, which matters on long motorway journeys.

In the two tests where these tyres met directly, they split the wins — one each. That even head-to-head tells you something about how test conditions and tyre sizes can shift results, but the broader data is more conclusive about which tyre is the more rounded performer overall.

If your priority is aquaplaning safety on flooded roads and you cover fewer kilometres annually, the Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance is still a decent choice — but its successor, the EGP2, is a better version of the same idea and worth seeking out instead. For most drivers who want strong dry braking, a quieter ride, longer tread life, and confident wet stopping power, the Michelin Primacy 4 is the more complete tyre. Its own successor, the Primacy 4+, builds on these strengths further, and if either is still available at a competitive price, the Michelin family is the more rewarding long-term investment.