Tyre Tests

We’re receiving mixed messages from Auto Bild allrad. In their brief summary of the publication’s 2025 winter SUV tyre test, expert testers Dierk Möller and Martin Westerhoff state that “safety comes at a price,” a comment made in reference to two inexpensive but poorly performing products. But they then show this isn’t always the case by declaring a cheaper than average tyre joint winner of the test.

No, it isn’t déjà vu – If you’re a regular visitor to WhatTyre, you may well have encountered the Auto Straßenverkehr 2025 winter tyre test on a past visit. But although everything seems very familiar, one or two points here aren’t as you recall.

Stop teasing us, Autozeitung. Upon reading the opening paragraph of the motoring publication’s 2025 winter tyre test – which questions “Do premium tyres really perform better than cheaper brand-name products and bargain-basement products from China?” – we already knew what the answer would be. We weren’t wrong: The test of ten size 245/45 R19 tyres resulted in five ‘highly recommended’ ratings – all of them awarded to premiums.

When driving in the colder months, winter tyres offer owners of high horsepower cars and SUVs much needed peace of mind. But with so many winter tyres now available, which is the right product to buy? Auto Bild has made purchase decisions easier by testing 51 models in 225/40 R18, a size worn by compact but rapid cars such as the VW Golf GTI & R, Hyundai i30 N and Mercedes-AMG A35. The Auto Bild team conducted its testing using a BMW M135i.

Triangle Tyre has launched the EffeXWinter TW421, a directional ultra-high-performance (UHP) winter tyre engineered for safety, precision, and comfort in winter conditions. Developed after “extensive” research and development in Europe, the TW421 combines advanced materials and innovative design to cater to sports cars, premium saloons, and high-performance SUVs.

In its 2025 winter test, Auto Bild Sportscars looks at 11 tyres in 235/50 R19, a size found upon quite a few SUV and crossover models, as well as older versions of the Audi S8. Using an Audi Q3 Sportback 45 TFSI Quattro as test vehicle, it evaluated premium tyres head-to-head against mid-range and budget competitors. It gave three products its top rating, but withheld a recommendation from one tyre.

Winter tyres were always going to be difficult items to shift in an island devoid of any true Alpine regions, but many brands nonetheless offer them in the UK with commendable persistence. These products have a small but dedicated customer base who often support their purchasing decisions with comparative tests published in European countries with much higher winter tyre uptake. The latest of these tests comes from German motoring publication auto motor und sport (ams), which evaluated ten tyre brands in 215/55 R17. It was largely happy with the results and only withheld its recommendation from one product.

The all-season tyre is one of the biggest successes of recent years, growing from almost nothing in the early 2000s to occupy a sizeable chunk of the UK tyre market. Today, the best of the bunch represent a viable alternative to standard summer tyres, particularly in the colder months. In its 2025 all-season test, Auto Bild allrad looks at 11 brands of SUV tyres, declaring four of these to be ‘exemplary’ – including one of the most affordable candidates.

For winter 2025, European motoring organisation ADAC and its partners have conducted their largest tyre test to-date, with 31 premium, mid-range and budget tyre brands battling it out. The tyre size of choice for this year is 225/40 R18. ADAC found just six of the 31 tyres to be ‘good’ products and gave 11 of them the lowest rating possible.