WINTER TYRE TEST 2025

Our testers warmed to the task of finding the best cold-weather rubber for your car

- John Barker

THIS year's winter tyre test returns to the big-selling 225/45 R17 size. Snow may be rare for some of us, but winter tyres guarantee that you have the best solution for the worst weather, and they are so much better than summer tyres in the coldest months, even without the white stuff.

In our last two tests of this size, the Continental WinterContact TS 870 has emerged victorious, and it returns hoping to secure what would be a remarkable hat-trick. The opposition has been busy, though. Bridgestone finished a close second last time and brings its new Blizzak 6, while third-placed Goodyear competes again with its UltraGrip Performance 3 and Vredestein brings its Wintrac Pro+.

Michelin joins the contest with its new Alpin 7, Falken brings its updated Eurowinter HS02PRO, and LingLong competes for the first time with its Sport Master Winter. Absentees include Hankook, which is replacing its i'cept RS3 (fourth last time), and Pirelli, which is working on a tyre to take over from the Cinturato Winter2.

Our eighth product in this test is a randomly chosen budget winter tyre that we include to show the level of performance you can expect compared with premium brands. This year it's the Triangle WinterX TW401.

HOW WE TESTED THEM

Three main elements make up our test: snow, wet and dry performance

SNOW TESTS

FOR the snow elements, we went to Goodyear's 'Arctic Center' facility in Saariselkä, northern Finland. Conditions were just cold enough for consistency for our snow laps, with track temperatures ranging from minus seven to minus four degrees Celsius.