Tyre Tests

The Auto Bild tyre test team has been busy, and in addition to evaluating 35 all-season tyres they’ve put 54 winter tyres through their paces. After a preliminary round of testing – braking from 80km/h in the wet and from 50km/h on snow – 20 tyres continue on as finalists.

As promised, Auto Bild has subjected the 16 remaining tyres in its 2023 all-season test to further and more intensive scrutiny after booting out 19 products that didn’t make the grade in a preliminary round of wet and dry braking tests. The motoring publication’s expert testers gave five of these size 225/45 R17 tyres their highest recommendation – an ‘exemplary’ rating – and declared a further three ‘good’ tyres. The remaining eight finished testing with ‘satisfactory’ or ‘conditionally recommended’ ratings.

Auto Bild is limbering up to publish its 2023 all-season tyre test, which includes a total of 35 premium, mid-range and budget products in size 225/45 R17. As in other years, the German motoring publication has whittled down this broad field of contenders by evaluating the wet and dry braking of each and every tyre in a preliminary test round. This leaves just 16 finalists to slug it out.

More 205/55 R16 tyres are sold in the UK than any other size, and this is the dimension Auto Express chose for its summer 2023 tyre test. In association with Blackcircles.com, the Auto Express team headed to the Contidrom proving ground in Germany and compared the performance of 11 tyre brands.

Auto Bild has published the second-round results of its size 225/45 R18 summer 2023 tyre test. Well, sort of. We know where each of the 20 finalists finished and have gained insights into overall performance in wet and dry conditions, as well as their value for money. But the motoring publication is keeping its readers in suspense regarding scores for individual tests and will make these known in good time.

For its summer 2023 test, Auto Bild Sportscars lined up 13 size 225/40 R18 tyres and fitted them to a Toyota GR Yaris, a car that highlighted “both the sporting qualities and the weak points” of each and every candidate after “just a few bends” of track. When the dust & water spray had settled, five tyres proudly wore Auto Bild Sportscars’ top ‘exemplary’ rating.

Comparative tests help when purchasing replacement tyres, and motoring organisation ADAC has provided clarity in this area for half a century. This month it published the results of its golden anniversary test in which it evaluated 50 tyres in 205/55 R16V – currently the most popular size.

In recent months almost 200 models and sizes of car and SUV tyre have been tested to see how they stop and handle, and how much efficiency and comfort they offer in the process. The results reflect the broad choice presently available to tyre buyers, with the test experts rating 41 of the products – including some affordably-priced models – as very good or even outstanding tyres. At the other end of the scale, they declined to recommend 16 tyres altogether.

Safe, efficient motoring shouldn’t be the preserve of the rich, and anyone looking for excellent value can find a small car that is both affordable and drives well. This rule also applies to the tyres that these cars wear. To help drivers find this balance between frugality and performance, European motoring associations ACE and ARBÖ, together with vehicle monitoring organisation GTÜ, looked at the popular small car tyre size 195/55 R16.