Introducing its latest summer tyre test, German publication Auto Zeitung commented on what makes a good tyre. Safety is paramount, but it must also be economical, quiet, comfortable, long lasting and environmentally friendly – all while providing driving pleasure. At the lowest possible price. A tall order indeed, and Auto Zeitung has looked at ten tyres in size 235/45 R18 to see how they’ve managed.
The focus for this year’s test was on all-rounders, tyres that sit somewhere between UHP and more comfort-oriented touring models. Auto Zeitung selected products from the premium, mid-range and budget segments.
What Auto Zeiting found is that as long as road conditions were good, all the tested tyres delivered good safety performance, but each displayed its own handling, comfort and mileage characteristics. On wet asphalt, however, the Auto Zeitung tester experienced enormous differences in grip.
Auto Zeitung declared the Continental Premium Contact 7 “clear winner” of its 2026 summer tyre test, and also recommends the Goodyear EagleF1 Asymmetric 6, Pirelli Cinturato 3, Firestone Roadhawk 2, BF Goodrich Advantage 2 and Michelin Primacy 5.
Test winner – highly recommendable
Continental PremiumContact 7: Outstanding in wet conditions, very good in dry conditions – the Continental PremiumContact 7 emerges as the clear winner of this test. An all-round impressive tyre that showed many strengths and no weaknesses.
Highly recommendable:
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6: Once again, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 proves its versatility and earns Autozeitung’s recommendation with its sporty virtues, high safety reserves and durability.
Pirelli Cinturato C3: Balanced performance in wet and dry conditions earns the new Pirelli Cinturato 3 an unconditional recommendation and third place – just one point behind the runner-up.
Firestone Roadhawk 2: The Firestone Roadhawk 2 performed very well, not only offering good wet grip but also competing with premium tyres. This secured it the price-performance recommendation and fourth place.
BFGoodrich Advantage 2: Fifth place for the BFGoodrich Advantage 2. It builds up solid wet grip and offers well-balanced performance overall. Its rolling resistance is also pleasingly low, saving energy and money.
Michelin Primacy 5: The Michelin Primacy 5 promises the highest mileage, lowest energy consumption, low abrasion and quiet rolling noise, making it the most environmentally friendly tyre. However, Autozeitung noted shortcomings in wet conditions.
Without recommendation
Maxxis HP6 Premitra 6: In tests on wet roads, the new Maxxis Premitra 6 does not exactly cover itself in glory, with long braking distances. As it also performs poorly in terms of abrasion and mileage, it fails to earn a recommendation.
Westlake Z-007 Zuper Ace: The high abrasion leads to reduced mileage expectations for the Z-007 Zuper Ace. Its relatively long braking distance in dry conditions is acceptable, but in the wet it takes too long to come to a stop.
Laufenn S Fit EQ+: Insufficient grip on wet roads results in the longest braking distances. This means that the Laufenn S Fit EQ+ misses out on a recommendation. On dry roads, however, it achieves quite respectable results.
Tercelo Sport D1: The Sport D1 is the most affordable tyre in this size category to be tested. However, it lags behind in almost every discipline and ultimately comes in last. This greatly relativises its price: Autozeitung opines that this tyre is not worth buying.
