In the quest to find the best tyres through the thorough, real-world testing undertaken by our sister publication, Auto Zeitung in Germany, we can report the best-performing winter tyres for 2023. But first, some questions to answer. Winter tyres are not off-road tyres with massive tractor-like treads. Winter tyres are designed to work in low temperatures and over a range of surfaces, be that wet roads, dry roads, or ice and snow-covered roads.
Winter tyres achieve this by containing more natural rubber and are made from a lower compound (i.e. are softer) than normal tyres. This lets them stay supple and, well, rubbery, when temperatures drop below 7 degrees Celsius. Normal summer tyres become harder and less grippy below this temperature.
If you inspect a winter tyre you can see the difference between it and a regular tyre: it has more little grooves in it called sipes to help warm them up and provides increased tread. The downside of winter tyres compared to regular ones is that they do not perform as well in milder temperatures.
The best winter tyres at a glance:
Editor’s choice: Continental WinterContact TS 870 – Buy now from Kwik-Fit
Best for wet braking: Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 – Buy now from Mytyres.co.uk
Best for overall safety: Michelin Alpin 6 – Buy now from Mytyres.co.uk
The best winter tyres 2023
The best winter tyre
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 147/150
Wet 147/140
Dry 136/150
Total 430/450
Pros
- Excellent grip
- Shortest braking distance
Cons
- Average rolling resistance
The best winter tyre for wet braking
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 122/150
Wet 145/140
Dry 136/150
Total 403/450
Pros
- Shortest wet braking distance
- Good in dry weather
Cons
- Not so good for tough winters
The best winter tyre for overall safety
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 134/150
Wet 130/140
Dry 119/150
Total 383/450
Pros
- Good all-rounder
- Traction good on snow
Cons
- Understeers in dry conditions
The best winter tyre for fuel efficiency
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 129/150
Wet 84/140
Dry 143/150
Total 356/450
Pros
- Good rolling resistance
- Good performance in snow
Cons
- Could do better in wet conditions
Recommended
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 119/150
Wet 113/140
Dry 121/150
Total 353/450
Pros
- Better performance than non-winter tyres
- All-round adequate performer
Cons
- Rolling resistance could be better
The best winter tyre for snow
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 142/150
Wet 96/140
Dry 110/150
Total 348/450
Pros
- Great in snow
- Improved balance on ice
Cons
- Poor wet braking
Auto Zeitung rankings
Snow 105/150
Wet 112/140
Dry 120/150
Total 337/450
Pros
- Good rolling resistance
- Durable
Cons
- Poor performance in snow
The best winter tyres for 2023
Auto Zeitung tested eight winter tyres and the results are as follows (the eight-place option, the GitiWinter W2 is not reliably available in the UK and so has been omitted):
Should you buy winter tyres?
Winter tyres certainly offer better performance (a two-wheel-drive car with winter tyres performs better than a four-wheel-drive one without) and, therefore safer driving. However, the cold weather in which they excel is not guaranteed in much of the temperate UK. What’s more, while the grip is improved, handling does suffer somewhat, as does ride and comfort.
Ultimately, it’s a question of budget and storage space. If you can afford both, winter tyres do a lot to keep you mobile if a nasty Arctic snap blunders into your neck of the woods. If you can’t, consider snow chains. Where winter tyres work in any cold conditions, snow chains are for snow only. So they aren’t as widely useable but they are much more affordable.
How the tyres were tested
All tyres were bought anonymously from independent retailers; there was no help from manufacturers.
Each tyre was examined through several driving manoeuvres at the limit on snow, wet, and dry surfaces, both with and without ESP stability control engaged. This shows how a tyre performs during a spontaneous evasive manoeuvre.
Tyres’ comfort properties were subjectively evaluated.
Each tyre had its rolling resistance tested.
Designing winter tyres
Official labels on tyres categorise efficiency, wet grip for braking and rolling noise, and are represented by letters. Auto Zeitung tested a range of parameters, including deceleration, traction, steering precision and driving stability on various surfaces and under the same parallel conditions. Comfort and resistance to aquaplaning (when the tyre floats on standing water, losing grip) were also tested.
Designing a winter tyre that can excel in every discipline is quite a challenge. Tyre makers have to juggle compound, tread design and overall construction to find the elusive sweet spot where the rubber can cut through ice and slush, find grip in all conditions – whether slippery or dry – and serve up ride comfort and peace and quiet for drivers. On top of this, tyres must also last a long time and not disintegrate when the temperature climbs.
All these different requirements conflict with each other. If you improve a tyre’s efficiency, for example, grip in wet conditions decreases. If you reduce the profile depth to gain steering precision, the tyre will float faster. If you design more slats in the profile to improve grip on snow, dry grip suffers. Designing all-rounders is extremely difficult, and all-season tyres will never compete when it comes to snow driving.
Finding the correct tyres for your car
Whatever online tyre retailer you wish to use, will have a search tool that allows you to filter the relevant tyre sizes, either by entering your car registration number or the tyre details.
Chris Williams is an Automotive Content Writer for Parkers and CAR Magazine, but he also contributes to Live For The Outdoors and What’s The Best.
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