SUMMER TYRE TEST 2025

Nine brands go head to head in our annual test, but which one should you put on your car?

- John Barker

THE subject of our 2025 summer tyre test is the bestselling 18-inch tyre, the 225/40 R18. It's three years since we last put this size through the comprehensive Auto Express test regime and back then there were Covid-related supply issues that saw some big names absent. It was a close contest, with the Bridgestone Potenza Sport just seeing off the Goodyear Eagle Asymmetric 6 for the win, with the Maxxis Victra Sport 5 a healthy third.

Both Bridgestone and Goodyear are back again this year and they're up against a strong group. Among the competition are Michelin with the Pilot Sport 5, and Continental with its SportContact 7, while Pirelli fields the latest PZ5 version of the P Zero. There's also new product in the shape of the Hankook Ventus Evo K137, Kumho Ecsta Sport PS72 and Yokohama Advan Sport V107. Plus, as usual we've included a budget tyre to show what level of performance you might expect if you pay less for a lesser-known brand. Notable absentees are Maxxis, due to stock issues, and Vredestein, which is readying its replacement for the Ultrac.

As ever, our test has all the data to help you make an informed choice when replacing your tyres. Our scoring is weighted towards wet-weather performance, but broken down so you can see what tyre best suits your needs.

HOW WE TESTED THEM

WET

OUR scoring is weighted towards wet-weather performance because here in the UK you're most likely to find the limit of a tyre’s grip on rain-soaked roads. The key test is straight-line wet braking, measured on an evenly wetted surface from 50 to 12mph (not zero, to eliminate anti-lock interference), the result being the average of a number of runs.