The electric car market has been extremely dynamic for years now, with new, specialist manufacturers rubbing shoulders with EV editions of familiar shapes from the world’s biggest auto brands. With the needs of fully electric cars different in a few ways to internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars, tyre manufacturers have been working out their product strategies for the segment, many in conjunction with the car makers, who need the product to be suitable enough for their new models to roll off production lines and into customers’ hands.
Many of the tyres originally fitted to these vehicles are altered in order to improve synergy with the vehicle – this is nothing unusual, but the difference in a characteristic such as wear rate with EVs is much more stark than normal variations between ICE vehicles. Michelin, a leading supplier of original tyres to EV models in their initial growth phase, estimates that the same tyre variant fitted to a comparable EV will wear 20 per cent faster than the same tyre fitted to an ICE powered car.
This is a key statistic informing this year’s list of recommended electric car tyres, because the tyre market is, and will remain for some time, in a transition phase when it comes to EVs. Most tyre manufacturers now have models that they say are suitable for fitment on EVs – or “EV-Ready”. In the case of Continental, for example, this EV-readiness extends to all of its current range. While Michelin warned about the reduction in tyre life motorists can expect when fitting its non-EV-tuned tyres to their Tesla, amounting to paying the same rate for four-fifths of the tyre life, it also said that there was nothing necessarily wrong with fitting its conventional tyres as long as they are the correct size and meet the load and speed ratings required.
Underlining the need to take care when selecting replacement tyres for EVs. road safety organisation TyreSafe advises that motorists should be more aware of the requirements an EV has for its tyres versus a standard ICE car. It said drivers of EVs should “pay close attention to the tyres they choose when the originals need replacing” because “increasingly, the tyres fitted are specifically designed for use on EVs and can be significantly different to the ‘normal’ tyres…”. Specifically, TyreSafe is warning EV owners that fitting the wrong type of tyre could result in “loss of range, extra noise, accelerated wear and the risk of failing while being driven, which could result in a serious incident.”
Tyre manufacturers have been successful in supplying ‘market transition’ products like Bridgestone’s Turanza Eco to new EVs, like the Skoda Enyaq (Photo: Bridgestone)
Should I buy specialist EV tyres for your electric car?
This year’s list of recommended tyres for electric cars is broader than our 2023 edition, including only products that have integrated technologies designed to make the tyres especially suited to EVs. These include harder-wearing compounds, structures designed to carry the heavier loads of EVs, and a greater focus on measures to improve energy efficiency (and therefore boosting range), such as reduced weight, more aerodynamic sidewall, and treads that reduce rolling resistance.
With few independent tests to consult, we also looked at the original equipment fitments won by tyre models as proof of quality. We also noted underlying data on tyre manufacturers indicating their sustainability credentials, while also requiring the tyres to be available in one of our four sample sizes, representing the most popular new EV models of the last year.
Competition in this segment is already fierce, but there are also many new specialist products beginning to appear from Asia-based manufacturers, so this segment will continue to develop quickly; our winning tyre this year gets the nod primarily because its manufacturer was the earliest and most committed adopter of specialist tyres for EVs.
WhatTyre Electric Car Tyre of the Year 2024
The WhatTyre Electric Car Tyre of the Year 2024 is the Hankook iON evo. The core launch product of Hankook’s EV tyre range is a summer tyre that introduces the brand’s “iON innovative technologies” suite, now being rolled out to new winter, all-season, sportscar and commercial tyres too. Hankook has positioned itself as the new global authority on specialist EV tyres, both through having the most complete range and by activating the brand in such arenas as Formula E, But this is also backed by the performance of the iON evo.
One of the few EV tyres to receive an independent magazine test, Auto Bild noted no particular weaknesses, praising the tyre for its balance, high performance potential, stability, safe handling, short wet and dry braking distances, quiet passing noise, high mileage, and good economy. It features foam dampening inside the tyre to reduce tyre noise, high grip to ensure the efficient transmission of power to the road from torquey EVs, and a tread compound designed to offer extended tyre life over non-specialised alternatives. The tyre is the forerunner of the more specialised tyres we can expect to see in this segment in the future.
Michelin e.Primacy (Photo: Michelin)
Three Highly Recommended EV Tyres
While the manufacturer has not been as fast to promote specialist EV products, the Michelin e.Primacy remains a formidable early entry, having claimed this award in 2022 and 2023. 2023 tests by ADAC and Auto Motor und Sport noted the tyre’s quiet running noise and low rolling resistance, though it was less convincing in comfort, perhaps a sign that the tyre is beginning to show its age. It certainly remains a high-quality early entry in the specialist EV tyre market.
The Bridgestone Turanza Eco was the first tyre to benefit from the company’s Enliten technology suite. While Bridgestone does not say this is a specialist EV product, Enliten promotes all the typical characteristics needed for a high-quality EV fitment, especially lightness – Enliten reduces tyre weight by around 20 per cent. The tyre has previously demonstrated its eco-friendliness by winning WhatTyre’s Eco Tyre of the Year award in 2022 and 2023; we are now including it in the Electric Car category due to an overhaul in the way we are interpreting the other category, which has obvious overlaps with the Electric Car segment. This is the leading example of a tyre designed to boost energy efficiency of any powered vehicle, but convinces as an EV replacement tyre.
Finally, the Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV is Highly Recommended as an EV replacement tyre for its innovation of being the first all-season EV tyre on the market. The tyre features a range of advanced design features and high-quality materials, delivering impressive levels of grip and traction in all conditions, while also promoting range via low rolling resistance and lighter construction. It is also designed for a quiet and comfortable ride.
The Highly Recommended Vredestein Quatrac Pro EV claimed a first when it became ‘the first all-season EV tyre’ (Photo: Apollo Tyres)
Commended Electric Car Tyres
The Continental UltraContact range is the manufacturer’s touring car tyre focused on efficiency through durability. Conti uses a new compound called “YellowChili” to achieve its high mileage target, making it harder wearing due to “a special network of durable polymer compounds that ensure less abrasion” compared to other compounds. Its tread pattern, which contains an unusual number of sipes (or cuts in the tread blocks), is also designed to support regular wear, boosting milage potential, while also ensuring safety. Conti is also adding the UltraContact NXT, which uses up to 65 per cent renewable, recycled and mass balance certified materials, demonstrating another approach to designing sustainable tyres suitable for EVs.
While many specialist EV tyres come with an inflated price-tag, the Falken e.Ziex offers a more affordable entry into this segment. It’s no slouch in EV-ready performances either; Auto Bild noted short dry braking distances, an extended range, and low rolling resistance. Only reports of slightly reduced milage potential prevented the e.Ziex from reaching our Highly Recommended tier, but this shouldn’t prevent price-conscious EV drivers from considering it as a lower-priced fully specialist alternative.
Similarly, Kumho’s VS31 Wattrun, which is beginning to be phased out in favour of the new Ecsta PS71 EV, is Commended for being ahead of the curve on specialist products for EVs. Both tyres, like the winning Hankook iON evo, show how East Asian headquartered manufacturers (from South Korea and Japan) can demonstrate a longer history of EV tyre specialism within their product ranges, boosted by the world-leading adoption of EVs in the region.
The Hankook Ventus S1 evo 3 ev has been a particular favourite of EV manufacturers, notably with Hyundai entrusting its Ioniq 6 to the tyre, which offers low rolling resistance and a lightweight, robust construction.
Premium vehicle brands like BMW and new EV specialists like Polestar have adopted Pirelli tyres with an enthusiasm similar to their fitment on ICE-powered cars, in which the Italian superbrand is a global leader. The Pirelli P Zero Elect integrates the brand’s EV tyre technology into its flagship performance tyre range to bring sporty handling to premium electric cars. Similarly, the Bridgestone Potenza Sport Enliten and Michelin Pilot Sport EV have also been successful in carrying over performance car original equipment fitments from ICE vehicles to these OEMs’ new electric models, demonstrating how the world’s biggest tyre brands are transitioning to the electrification of the car parc by adding EV technologies – harder-wearing compounds, noise dampening, lighter aerodynamic constructions, and so on – to their existing tried-and-trusted product ranges.
