Falken

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. 

Although tyres for 17- and 18-inch rims are gradually losing market share to larger diameter products, the range of high-performance tyres available in the UK remains enormous, with budget brands accounting for around one third of purchases. However, cheaper options may not always offer the best handling and stopping power. Choosing the right tyre is therefore crucial for safety and performance.

To identify the best summer tyres for 2025, we leveraged our extensive Tyrepedia database, which houses performance data on hundreds of thousands of tyres from around 700 brands. We then applied our proprietary Tyrescore algorithm to narrow down the top contenders based on key performance indicators. The Tyrescore begins with an analysis of the EU-mandated tyre label, which includes ratings for wet grip, fuel efficiency (measured via rolling resistance), and external pass-by noise. These letter-based ratings are converted into numerical scores, with greater weight given to wet grip and fuel efficiency, reflecting their higher relevance to most drivers.

The increasing search for sustainable practices in mobility and the rising cost of living are two major themes informing this year’s WhatTyre Eco Tyre Award. In many ways, these two macrotrends appear to be in conflict, as manufacturers pass on the costs of producing their goods in more sustainable ways to the consumer. However, many of the best ecological methods in tyre production, such as reducing the materials needed to produce a tyre or sourcing materials from circular economy sources. For our 2025 guide to eco tyres, WhatTyre looks at some of the most sustainable products, but also some low-cost options that offer some other form of sustainability, whether this means the products’ performance, the product’s support for more sustainable motoring in the form of EV compatibility or high energy efficiency, or the manufacturer’s ability to comply with higher standards in ESG, an acronym that stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance.

The dynamism of the electric car market sees new, specialist manufacturers, especially those from China, rubbing shoulders with EV editions of familiar shapes from the world’s biggest auto brands. Electric-powered cars (EVs) are different in a few ways those with internal combustion engines (ICE) and tyre manufacturers have been altering their product strategies for the segment. Many alterations are in conjunction with the car makers, who need the product to be suitable enough for their new models to roll off production lines and into customers’ hands. The tyres originally fitted to these vehicles are altered in order to improve synergy with the vehicle – this is nothing unusual, but the difference in a characteristic such as wear rate with EVs is much more stark than normal variations between ICE vehicles. Michelin, a leading supplier of original tyres to EV models in their initial growth phase, estimates that the same tyre variant fitted to a comparable EV will wear 20% faster than the same tyre fitted to an ICE powered car.

Falken Motorsports has participated in the Nürburgring 24 Hours for a quarter century and speaks from experience when it says the race “doesn’t hand out victories easily.” Instead, the annual 24-hour endurance event “pushes you, punishes you and makes you wait.” Despite this, the Falken Motorsports team has never lost sight of their main aim. “Expectations remain. For 25 seasons, Falken Motorsports has arrived at the Nordschleife with the same goal: to win.” A new video tells the story of their latest visit to the Green Hell.

The electric car market has been extremely dynamic for years now, with new, specialist manufacturers rubbing shoulders with EV editions of familiar shapes from the world’s biggest auto brands. With the needs of fully electric cars different in a few ways to internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars, tyre manufacturers have been working out their product strategies for the segment, many in conjunction with the car makers, who need the product to be suitable enough for their new models to roll off production lines and into customers’ hands.

More and more of us are driving vehicles that at least look like they could tackle trails and off-road conditions. Of course, many cross-over utility vehicles – or CUVs – as they are known are not “true” Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) let alone mud-plugging 4x4s. However, that trend towards larger cars with higher seating positions has made a massive impact on the market and – in turn – the tyres people are buying are changing too.

The pinnacle of the performance tyre spectrum belongs to the Supersports or ultra-ultra-high performance (UUHP) tyre. While fully road legal, these tyres are meticulously engineered to deliver unparalleled performance on the track. Yet their primary mission is to offer a dynamic and safe driving experience for the world's most powerful cars, excelling in both wet and dry conditions. WhatTyre has spotlighted six Supersports tyres that epitomise excellence in this demanding category.