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 number of SUV and 4×4 tyres sold in the UK went up a healthy 7 per cent last year, according to the latest third-party market data. Growth was even stronger still in the greater-than-19-inch part of the SUV tyre market, where sales went up 11 per cent per cent last year (see “The increasingly all-season SUV tyre market: Budget share grows in premium-dominated segment” – Tyres & Accessories magazine, March 2024 or online at tyrepress.com).
And that means, not only do we have to include a category along these lines once again in our 2024 awards, but we also need to reflect the growing popularity of SUVs in our approach to judging. Primarily that means making sure the key sizes we use as the basis for our shortlisting process in conjunction with our database of over 300,000 tyres is up to date.
The top three SUV tyres sizes in the UK were 235/60/18, 235/55/19 and 215/60/17 last year. These three alone equate to around 16 per cent of the market, so there is a good argument that they are representative of the wider SUV tyre sector. With that in mind, we trawled our database for the best tyres in each of these sizes, singling out the highest grade whenever we found duplicates within a range. While we understand that some CUVs look like SUVs, we wanted to both acknowledge that reality and take into account the fact that larger SUVs not only have different sizes, but must carry more weight. Therefore, we required shortlisted products to bear a load rating of 100 or above.
From here, we made sure that all the tyres at the top scored at least 7 – at least in the key tyre sizes. That makes more sense in the SUV categories than in others where we want to know more about the averages across an entire range. But the fact is that the performance requirements of a Vauxhall Corsa or Kia Picanto are somewhat different to a Land Rover Defender or even an Evoque.
Once we had done that, the picture began to get clearer as to which products stand out. Once again it is worth saying – all the tyres that make it into our shortlists have endured significant scrutiny (beginning with tyre label data, cross-referenced with magazine tyre tests and then subjected to segment-specific filtering as well as original equipment and ESG considerations), so they are all good tyres. However, there has to be a winner.
Whether your sports utility vehicle never leaves the road or not, our research of the most popular and representative tyre sizes in the market can give you a steer when it comes to buying replacement tyres (Photo: Franz W; Pixabay)
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is WhatTyre’s SUV Tyre of the Year 2024
With any further details, Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is WhatTyre’s SUV Tyre of the Year 2024. The 235/55/19 key size variant of this tyre achieved 9.2 in our tyre score, which is amongst the highest of any tyre in any category in our entire database. That result not only reflects a B-A label rating, but also consistently strong performance in virtually every German magazine tyre test for the last couple of years. Importantly, this year’s AutoBild and AutoBild Allrad test (conducted in April and March respectively) tested the exact size and speed rating that we used as a key size. That makes sense since it is the second most popular size in the SUV sector, but it also reflects the performance of the product as well as our conclusion.
Launched in late 2022, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 is designed to take on “dramatic shifts in the market”. Specifically, it is no-longer uncommon to have wheel sizes of 22 inches and indeed 19-inch fitments are in the top three sizes in this particular segment. With that comes extra load-carrying and handling duties, which the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 handles with aplomb.
Next up is the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV, which won the award last year and continues to offer SUV drivers premium performance. Indeed, it was the only tyre to really challenge this year’s winner and it has to be said there is some clear water between the top two and the rest of the pack. Therefore, while it might not have won this time round, it remains highly recommended.
The Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV has been a strong contender since its launch and began winning tyre tests soon after launch, continuing to fare well in tests published this year and 12 months ago, with strengths in braking and wet handling. With the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV Acoustic, extending the product range and designed with electric vehicles in mind, this product family looks likely to secure an enduring legacy.
For years, tyre industry professionals have told us to keep an eye-out for the Falken Azenis FK520, which follows-on from the FK510, which was something of a tyre dealer favourite. The word was that the FK520 would not only outperform its predecessor, but also give the biggest names out there a run for their money. It has done that, offering consistently high performance across its range after not only achieving a CA rating on the label for fuel consumption and wet grip respectively in its key size, but is also one of the top three most consistent ranges across the board.
The Falken Azenis FK520 entered our coverage in the 2023 What Tyre Buyer’s guide. Back then, it came sixth. As we say throughout our analysis, just getting into our final lists is an achievement in and of itself. This year’s research takes into account the latest European magazine tyre tests from just a few months ago, that simply were not available last time round. As the rumours suggested, these tests shows that the Falken Azenis FK520 is a force to be reckoned with. Falken’s flagship SUV tyre does that at a competitive price point, so not only do we commend the FK520 to your consideration, it is also this year’s SUV Value Champion as well.
Nokian Tyres Wetproof SUV (Photo: Nokian Tyres)
British weather demands a tyre that’s designed for rain. And SUV drivers want to cut through precipitation and standing water as much as anyone. Enter the Nokian Tyres Wetproof SUV, which calls itself the “enemy of aquaplaning.” According to our research, the leading key size achieves premium level performance and is, unsurprisingly, A-rated in wet-grip, with the range averaging just a third of a point less when it comes to our Tyrescore across the board. The Nokian Tyres Wetproof SUV continues to hold its own, with a Tyrescore north of eight-out-of-ten in its key size and with an average variance of just 0.22 from that across the line-up. In order to improve its performance further magazine tyre tests would be required, but such is the product lifecycle, it is just as likely to be updated before that happens.
Then there’s the Continental SportContact 5. Why the Continental SportContact 5? We double-checked our results by entering our key size details into the Continental UK website and were recommended: ContiCrossContact UHP for 235/55/19, the ContiVanContact 200 for 215/60/17 and the Continental SportContact 5 for 235/60/18. The first two didn’t meet the criteria set out in our methodology. Indeed, from its name alone is obvious that the second tyre clearly wasn’t the right product at all. And so we were left using the Continental SportContact 5 in 235/60/18 for our analysis. It might not be the newest tyre out there, but the fact remains, it still competes.
Maxxis Victra Sport 5 SUV (Photo: Maxxis)
Next up is the Maxxis Victra Sport 5. A new entrant on the 2023 table, further magazine testing earlier this year provided additional datapoints verifying the quality of this tyre. The Maxxis Victra Sport 5 SUV was a new entrant in our 2023 research. On that occasion, it came in at 11th and close to 10th position. This year it benefits from the closer scrutiny of two well-known German magazine tyre tests. Since well over 90 per cent of tyre makes and models never get tested, it is generally a very good sign when brands are willing to have third parties test their products where the rubber hits the road.
Yokohama BluEarth RV-02 (Photo: Yokohama)
And finally, there’s the Yokohama BluEarth RV-02, which is a new entrant in our coverage. This A-rated wet grip product (in 235/65/18 106 V, the most popular SUV size) was the last remaining product in our database to surpass all our stringent criteria and is therefore commended for your tyre-buying consideration. Yokohama BluEarth RV-02 is commended due to its A-rated wet grip in the key size (235/65/18) and because its performance was the most consistent in this category on average across the range, deviating just 0.13 Tyrescore points. With Yokohama strategically investing in the development of SUV and 4×4 tyres, the arrival of this tyre in our top seven is likely to be a harbinger of future success.
