There are several ways to explain the growing popularity of all-season tyres. There are those who point to changing weather patterns in Europe, while some view these products as a cost-effective guarantee of safe mobility throughout the year. For others, increasing all-season tyre sales reflect improving product performance and quality. But no matter what factors are at play, figures show that all-season tyres have trebled their share of Europe’s passenger car tyre market over the past decade.
Vredestein claims pioneer status in Europe’s all-season tyre market with a respectable list of firsts and has been active in the segment since the early 1990s. At the launch of its latest all-season tyre, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro 2, Mihar Ved, Product Manager for Passenger Car Tyres at Vredestein, highlighted several trends underpinning all-segment growth. Chief among these is, as far as the brand is concerned, the changing nature of European weather. “Less snow. More rain. More variability,” Ved observes when describing the shift in driving conditions across the continent. “The seasons are no longer clearly defined. They blend into each other – and that changes what drivers need from their tyres.”
Ved elaborates that motorists increasingly want tyres capable of coping with varying conditions throughout the year. “Back in 2017, about eight per cent of the market was taken by all-season tyres,” he notes. “Today, that figure has grown to 25 per cent. The reason is simple: all-season tyres fit the way people actually live – with less predictable weather and increasingly busy lives. One tyre that simply works.”
Vehicle development is also influencing the tyres we drive on. Electric vehicles are becoming more common, with Ved noting that while they only accounted for around nine per cent of Europe-wide new car registrations in 2019, today the figure is over 60 per cent, not far above the 2025 SMMT UK figure of 48.5 per cent for EV and hybrids.
“EVs are heavier. They deliver torque instantly. And the expectation is that the tyre responds instantly as well, with grip, control and stability,” Ved comments. At the same time, wheel sizes have grown steadily, with larger rim diameters becoming increasingly common across new vehicle segments.
“Cars are designed differently now: bigger wheels, lower profiles, more emphasis on design. And tyres have increasingly become part of a car’s identity as well.” Ved points to recent studies that show over 40 per cent of drivers consider the visual appearance of a tyre when making their choice.
“Putting all of this together, the direction of the market becomes very clear,” the Product Manager adds: “When we started designing and thinking about our next tyre generation, we did not ask, ‘How do we improve the previous generation tyre?’ Instead, we asked a different question: ‘What do we expect as drivers?’ – because we are drivers too.”
Vredestein paid particular attention to the Quatrac Pro 2 sidewall. Which features an asymmetric design divided into three sections that each represent “a different part of the seasonal journey” (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)
Freedom to go anywhere
Against this backdrop, Vredestein has introduced the Quatrac Pro 2, a next-generation ultra-high-performance all-season tyre designed to deliver drivers what Ved describes as “the freedom to go anywhere – rain, snow or sun,” together with sporty handling and improved efficiency.
“Traditionally, all-season tyres have meant compromise: comfort and mileage, or sporty driving. Even today, you still see that thinking in the market. We asked ourselves: why should our drivers have to choose? Why not bring both into one tyre?”
Compared with predecessor the Quatrac Pro+, the new tyre delivers measurable gains in several key performance areas. Ved reports improvements of seven per cent in wet braking, six per cent in dry braking and aquaplaning resistance, and two per cent in snow braking. Handling performance has also advanced significantly, with overall handling in dry, wet and snow conditions improving by between 15 and 17 per cent compared with the previous generation.
Independent testing conducted by organisations including Applus+ IDIADA, SKI and UTAC further underlines the tyre’s performance credentials. According to Ved, the Quatrac Pro 2 achieved the highest result in snow handling across its test group. Testers described the tyre as delivering “excellent response, stability and controllability under all circumstances,” ultimately concluding that it was “best in field in snow handling.”
The tyre also demonstrated strong results in comparisons with established competitors in the all-season segment. In wet braking – a performance area Ved says was a central focus during development – the Quatrac Pro 2 recorded a seven per cent advantage over one long-established competitor, and a six per cent advantage over another rival product.
Efficiency and durability have also been improved. Ved reports an eight per cent increase in abrasion resistance and a ten per cent reduction in rolling resistance, improvements intended to support longer tyre life and greater energy efficiency, particularly for electric vehicles.
Clean-sheet development
Much of this performance improvement stems from an entirely new design. Apollo Tyres adopted what it describes as a clean-sheet development approach, rethinking tread design, compound and structure rather than simply evolving the previous generation.
The resulting tyre features a directional tread pattern combining longitudinal grooves with a distinctive V-shaped layout designed to improve aquaplaning resistance while maintaining strong handling characteristics. A stable centre rib supports steering precision and braking stability, while advanced 3D interlocking sipes enhance grip on snow without compromising tread block stability in dry and wet conditions.
Central to the tyre’s performance is a next-generation traction compound developed using a blend of resins, polymers and multi-filler technology. This compound has been engineered to maintain flexibility at lower temperatures while retaining stiffness in warmer conditions, providing reliable grip across a broad operating window while also improving durability.
Vredestein claims pioneer status in Europe’s all-season tyre segment (Photo: Stephen Goodchild / Tyre Industry Publications Ltd)
The Quatrac Pro 2’s internal structure has also been redesigned. A stiffer bead area with a double taper bead design helps ensure consistent bead seating during high-speed manoeuvres while improving steering stability and ride comfort. A dedicated belt design optimises the tyre’s footprint shape to enhance mileage, while also supporting balanced handling characteristics in mixed-fitment applications.
The tyre carries the Three Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) marking, confirming compliance with winter performance regulations, and has been engineered to meet the specific requirements of electric and hybrid vehicles, including the ability to cope with higher vehicle mass and instantaneous torque delivery.
Addressing the needs of the many drivers who bring aesthetics into the tyre selection process, Vredestein paid particular attention to the Quatrac Pro 2 sidewall. This features an asymmetric design divided into three sections. Ved points out that each section “represents a different part of the seasonal journey” – spring, movement and wind, and the transition from rain into snow.
“The sidewall does not simply look distinctive, it tells the story of what the tyre was built to do: perform through every season,” the Product Manager adds. What’s more, to bring the sidewall design “design to life with even greater precision,” Vredestein employing laser engraving technology on the sidewall of larger rim SKUs, primarily 20-inch and above. “So, the tyre does not only perform like a premium product – it also looks like one.”
Large size range
Over time the Quatrac Pro 2 portfolio will grow to 120 sizes, with the first 38 dimensions arriving in the market from June 2026. Rim diameters start at 17-inch and go up to – a world first in the all-season segment – 24-inch. Section widths go up to 355 and speed ratings to Y (300 km/h), with HL fitments offered in the most popular dimensions. Vredestein is also introducing dedicated rear axle sizes for vehicles with mixed fitments.
Summing up, Ved comments that the appeal of Vredestein Quatrac Pro 2 ultimately comes down to something simple: confidence. Drivers, he explains, want tyres that allow them to enjoy driving without worrying about changing conditions. As he put it: “I do not want to think about my tyres. I want to trust them – in the dry, in the rain and in the unexpected.”
