Tyre News

TyreSafe is warning that just two illegal tyres could cost new drivers their licence in its new flagship Young Driver Campaign. The campaign coincides with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Operation Spotlight – a nationwide road safety operation targeting young drivers – running from 22 September to 5 October. The simple core message is that driving with unsafe or illegal tyres carries fines of up to £2,500 and three penalty points per tyre. For new drivers in their first two years on the road the six penalty points accrued for two unsafe tyres is enough for an automatic licence revocation.

The sacrifices that the team at Auto Bild make for us. This year, in the interests of better-informed tyre purchases, they headed to the ski fields of New Zealand. In this snowy landscape at the far end of the world, testers Dierk Möller and Martin Westerhoff evaluated the performance of 30 all-season tyre models. Afterwards, they intensively tested the 15 tyres with the shortest combined wet and dry braking distances, and found that while five of these finalists delivered “performance at the highest level,” not all tyres were up to the job.

UK tyre brand Davanti Tyres is encouraging drivers not to get complacent in checking the basic elements of a car, including tyres, as the weather turns autumnal. It says that many drivers rely on advanced safety features, like anti-lock braking and tyre pressure monitoring systems, to stay safe on the road. However, regular manual tyre checks remain essential for ensuring safety and legal compliance. As part of Tyre Safety Month, Davanti shares simple yet crucial tyre care tips to help motorists maintain tyre health and drive safely.

Promoted as a “sporty and stylish EV designed for Europe,” the Cadillac Optiq is a compact electric crossover that General Motors first sold in China before bringing to global markets. It is scheduled to arrive across the Channel soon with UK sales to follow. Continental is supplying its CrossContact RX all-weather touring tyre as original equipment in 20- and 21-inch sizes, with Optiq models sold in the UK and Ireland wearing the tyre in 275/40 R21 107H XL FR ContiSeal. Continental is additionally providing the CrossContact RX for the Chevrolet Equinox EV, an SUV built on the same platform as the Optiq but not sold outside of North America.

Following its 2025 summer UHP tyre test, Auto Express has published its latest survey of eight leading winter tyres. Auto Express tested four premium brand tyres, the Continental WinterContact TS 870, Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3, Bridgestone Blizzak 6, and the Michelin Alpin 7, which made up the top four overall. It also looked at two top mid-range tyres in the Vredestein Wintrac Pro+ and the Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro and two tyres from a couple of China’s biggest tyre-makers, the Linglong Sport Master Winter and the Triangle WinterX TW401. The magazine tested the tyres on snow and in wet and dry conditions. 

Tyres don’t immediately spring to mind when the talk turns to climate change, but warmer conditions influence purchasing choice. Never more than a niche product in the UK, an absence of snow means there is less reason than ever to buy winter tyres – particularly when a capable all-season tyre can effectively deal with the occasional spot of ice or slush. German test specialist Die Reifentester compares seven winter fitments and one year-round tyre in size 215/55 R17.