ADAC 2025 winter tyre test: Hands off cheap tyres
The ADAC's 2025 test included 31 winter tyres in 225/40 R18, suitable for many common cars. The best tyres scored "good", half were "not recommended".
(Image: ADAC)
Braking distance, lateral control, handling—Tires are more important for primary driving safety than any driving assistance system, as they ensure that the vehicle can transfer all dynamic driving forces to the road surface as well as possible. To achieve this, they have to fulfill a compromise of many different criteria, which is a challenge in itself. Added to this are the now high demands on comfort and the environmental impact of microplastics, which have been included in the ADAC's rating since 2023. However, the varying road conditions throughout the seasons exceed the capacity for compromise of even the most meticulous engineering product. For this good reason, winter tires are still available, and there is no indication that this will change any time soon.
Common dimension for the middle class
The ADAC's now traditional winter tire test had a test field of 31 225/40 R18 tires in 2025. It included dry driving tests in Italy, wet and ice tests in Hanover and snow tests in the north of Finland. The dimension was chosen because it fits many compact and mid-range cars, such as the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A-Class, Opel Astra, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Camry, VW Golf, and many other cars.
The historically large test field should help to clarify, among other things, whether the so-called budget segment has now learnt something new. First of all, it should be revealed that you are still not making a mistake if you stick to the expensive quality products. Good tires can meet many different requirements at the same time. This makes their development and production complex and expensive. Compared to their performance, however, cheap tires are far too expensive. Not to mention the risk of damage to the vehicle or the health of road users.
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Only four tires are "good"
Out of 31 tires, only four are “good,” twelve are only recommended to a limited extent by the experts and are rated “satisfactory.” Almost half of the test field failed with “not recommended.” Although some of them achieved quite good performance in certain criteria, none of them managed to fulfill the conflicting objectives that can arise from different road conditions.
(Image:Â ADAC)
Not even the best tire achieved the top rating. The test engineers gave the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 a school grade of “two,” i.e., “good.” Its strength lies in its good performance in the wet, which is the most common winter road condition in Central Europe, even before snow, which is why this is the main criterion with the highest rating of 40 percent. Despite a more grippy rubber compound, it achieves the highest mileage at 76,000 kilometers, which puts the price of over 170 euros into perspective: one set would generate costs of around ten euros per month, assuming a half-year mileage of 7500 km.
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The Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 performed almost as well with a score of 2.1 or second place. In terms of driving safety, the Blizzak 6 from Bridgestone and the Winter Sport 5 from Dunlop also achieved a good rating. The overall judgement is made up of 70 percent of the score for driving safety and 30 percent of the score for environmental performance, with both of these in turn being subdivided into further criteria.
Saving money with a suitable application profile
Twelve tires, including test winner Continental, follow with a “satisfactory” in the decisive safety assessment. From the club's perspective, they are still recommendable to a limited extent, but not always so much cheaper that it is worth saving money here. These also include the Kleber Krisalp HP3, Nokian Tyres Snowproof P, Ceat WinterDrive, Uniroyal WinterExpert, Fulda Kristall Control HP2, Semperit Speed-Grip 5, GT Radial WinterPro 2 Sport, and Giti GitiWinter W2 tires, if their performance profile matches the planned use.
(Image:Â ADAC)
Measured against their prices, the Momo W-20 North Pole and the Matador MP93 Nordicca achieve a grade 3, i.e., “satisfactory” in terms of driving performance, which is still worth a “limited recommendation for occasional drivers in moderate areas” according to the ADAC. However, the club also sees a good all-season tire as an alternative for such users. You just shouldn't have to rely on your car to be able to leave it parked in extreme weather.
“Absolute safety risk”
14 tires from the budget category are “not recommended,” eleven of them achieve the grade [5], i.e., “poor,” in one evaluation category. The ADAC writes: “There is an absolute safety risk for car drivers with these products.” A clear example of the risk is the braking distance on wet roads. The car equipped with the test winner stops after 31.7 meters, but only after 47.1 meters with the worst tire. In other words, if the test car with Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 tires had already come to a standstill, a car of the same design with Syron Everest 2 tires would still be traveling at over 45 km/h. A speed at which not only unprotected road users but also the car occupants themselves must expect serious injuries in the event of a collision. This should provide a sufficient answer to the additional initial question.
(fpi)