Thanks to a range of legislative changes, demand from consumers, and the desire to boost sustainability in all aspects of the business, tyres have never been as eco-friendly. While tyre manufacturers are continuing to push the limits of what they can achieve, tyre buyers can be assured that the products making WhatTyre’s list of the best eco tyres in 2022 offer the best in sustainable motoring. These tyres are all made by manufacturers that have proven the sustainability of their operations via independent accreditation of their environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) responsibility. In service, they offer low running costs and are designed to last.
As with every tyre on the UK market, WhatTyre has awarded each of these products a Tyrescore out of 10 according to our newest independent algorithm, Tyrescore 2.1 “Bentley”. The latest iteration of our dynamic tyre rating accounts for safety, fuel economy and noise tyre labelling grades and more than 7,000 independent tyre test results. The 2.0 version of the algorithm added credit for tyre models that are chosen by car manufacturers for factory fitment or approval. Version 2.1 also considered the provenance of the tyre, offering additional credit to tyre makers who could demonstrate their ESG responsibility.
To pick the best eco tyres, we searched three popular tyre sizes in WhatTyre, noting those achieving top Tyrescores in one or more sizes – tyre variations achieving 8.00 or above represent the best of the best. After this we looked at the average Tyrescore across the size range, meaning that tyres that only scored well in certain sizes could not be considered for our recommendations. We then filtered these tyres to those achieving A-grade fuel efficiency on the tyre label, indicating low rolling resistance performance. Because we do not believe in sacrificing excellent safety for fuel economy, we also required these tyres to score B or above for wet grip.
Next, we considered recent independent tyre tests (since 2019), which removed older products still in the market from the running, since their technologies have been improved since they achieved excellent results. Finally we removed tyres that are not specifically designated eco tyres within their manufacturers’ ranges. There is an obvious overlap with the Electric Car segment in 2022, though specialist EV tyres have also been removed. Many summer, performance, SUV, and even all-season products have excellent eco credentials, as is noted in those segment guides.
WhatTyre Eco Tyre of the Year 2022
Bridgestone Turanza Eco gained top spot in the Eco Tyre category (Photo: Bridgestone)
The best eco tyre of 2022 is the Bridgestone Turanza Eco. The first tyre to include the manufacturer’s low rolling resistance, reduced materials technology, Enliten, the tyre requires 2kg fewer raw materials than a conventional tyre. The tyre’s lower weight also helps reduce rolling resistance – it is up to 20% lighter than standard summer tyres. The tyre has won several contracts for Bridgestone to supply original equipment tyres to global car manufacturers’ latest models, supporting automotive industry efforts to increase sustainability.
Highly Recommended eco tyres
The Continental EcoContact 6 delivers substantial improvements in terms of rolling resistance, mileage, steering precision and braking distances. Another favourite of car-makers looking for low rolling resistance products, the tyre has approvals from more than a dozen European vehicle manufacturers for subcompact to mid-range cars. The tyre offers up to 20% better mileage and 15% lower rolling resistance compared with the predecessor tyre. While primarily impressing in fuel economy, independent testers have been impressed with the potential longevity and grippiness of the tyre.
The Hankook Kinergy Eco 2 also offers low rolling resistance and increased mileage. The Korean tyre-maker also reduced tyre noise from the product while retaining the durability of its predecessor. A test by Auto Bild Klassik called the tyre faultless, with harmoniously precise performance on wet and dry roads, and short braking distances. While averaging a slightly lower Tyrescore than the others, the tyre can regularly be found at a lower price point than the Bridgestone and Continental products, boosting the value of its running cost savings further.
Our market survey showed that there are a lot of very good tyres offering high fuel efficiency, particularly those featured in this year’s Summer recommendations. Other, less heralded brands that came close to achieving a commendation include Yokohama’s BluEarth range of tyres, the Nexen N’Blue series, Kumho’s Ecowing, and the Nokian eLine 2.
