ADAC Winter Tyre Test 185/65 R15 2026
Winter tire test 185/65 R15 (ADAC 2026)
Top 3 from the test
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Braking distance in the wet m · ↓ lower is better 
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Only two good ones, nine not recommended
The size 185/65 R15 is among the best-selling. It fits the Škoda Fabia, VW Polo, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208 or Renault Clio. The German automobile club ADAC tested 16 winter tyres in this size, and the result is disappointing: only two received a "good" rating, while as many as nine are not recommended by ADAC. Well-known brands are also among the weaker performers.
How ADAC tested
Each discipline took place where it could be tested most precisely:
- snow: Ivalo in Finland,
- ice: an ice testing hall,
- wet: a test track in Germany,
- dry: test tracks in Italy and Bavaria,
- wear: convoy drives on regular roads.
The overall rating consists of 70% safety and 30% environmental impact, i.e. mileage, wear, efficiency, noise and sustainability. Within safety, the highest weight is given to wet roads (40%).
Test winner: Continental WinterContact TS 870
The best result was achieved by the Continental WinterContact TS 870. According to ADAC, it "convinces in everything": precise handling on dry roads, large safety margins on wet roads, and good snow performance.
Second place: Michelin Alpin 7
The Michelin Alpin 7 is the only other tyre rated "good". ADAC recommends it without reservations. It is balanced on all surfaces and only slightly behind the winner.
Mid-range: a surprise from cheaper brands
Five tyres received a "satisfactory" rating:
- Hankook Winter i*cept RS3
- Linglong Sport Master Winter
- Optimo Winter Touring OW41
- Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
- GT Radial WinterPro2 Evo
Interestingly, the cheaper Linglong and Optimo finished ahead of Goodyear and an entire group of other well-known brands. For drivers on a limited budget, these are sensible alternatives.
Well-known brands that disappointed
A "sufficient" rating, meaning not recommended, was given to:
- Bridgestone Blizzak LM 005: paradoxically, it has the best braking on wet roads, but is imprecise on dry roads and has weak lateral grip in corners on snow. It also has the lowest estimated mileage in the test. This is an older model, as the newest generation is not available in this size.
- Nokian Snowproof 2, Vredestein Wintrac, Barum Polaris 6, Kumho WinterCraft WP52+ and Viking WinTech NewGen: all lost points mainly on dry roads.
These winter tyres failed
A "insufficient" rating was given to:
- Sunny Winter-max NW611
- Atlas Polarbear HP
- Rockblade Rock 868S
All three share a common problem: a dangerously long braking distance on wet roads. When the best tyre had already stopped, cars fitted with these tyres were still moving at a speed of approximately 40 km/h. In the event of an accident, this can have serious consequences.
The paradox is Rockblade, which had the best rating on snow in the entire test. This shows that a winter tyre cannot be good only on snow. In Central Europe, driving on wet roads during winter is much more common.
The 185/65 R15 size fits these cars
Škoda Fabia, VW Polo, Seat Ibiza, Opel Corsa, Opel Adam, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Audi A1, Kia Stonic, Fiat 500e, Alfa Romeo MiTo.
Before purchasing, please verify the size in the vehicle's technical certificate or directly on the tyre.
ADAC Winter Tyre Test 185/65 R15 2026
16 products · click a column to sort| # | Tyre | Price from | Dry braking [m] ↕ | Wet braking [m] ↕ | Aquaplaning straight [km/h] ↕ | Aquaplaning cornering [m/s2] ↕ | Snow braking [m] ↕ | Snow traction [dN] ↕ | Ice braking [m] ↕ | Volume [dB] ↕ | Wear [mg/km/t] ↕ | Durability [km] ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Continental WINTERCONTACT TS 870 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 30 208 Ft | 44.5 | 36.1 | 95.1 | 4.1 | 10.4 | 277.2 | 21.5 | 72.1 | 82 | 34300 |
| 2. | Michelin ALPIN 7 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 32 150 Ft | 44.5 | 37.1 | 85.9 | 3.5 | 10.5 | 285.1 | 20.1 | 72.3 | 79 | 33100 |
| 3. | Hankook W462 WINTER I*CEPT RS3 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 22 288 Ft | 45.2 | 37.1 | 96.1 | 4 | 10.7 | 281.1 | 22 | 72.5 | 93 | 27300 |
| 4. | Linglong SPORT MASTER WINTER ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 26 094 Ft | 43.3 | 37.7 | 83.7 | 2.9 | 10.9 | 256.9 | 22.4 | 71.6 | 82 | 29000 |
| 5. | Optimo Winter Touring OW41 ✕ Unavailable in size 185/65 R15 | — | 44.6 | 39.1 | 94.5 | 3.9 | 10.7 | 284.2 | 21.5 | 72.3 | 110 | 28200 |
| 6. | Goodyear ULTRAGRIP PERFORMANCE 3 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 28 168 Ft | 44.2 | 36.5 | 98.6 | 4.3 | 10.1 | 280 | 22.6 | 70.5 | 77 | 32000 |
| 7. | Gt radial WINTERPRO 2 EVO ✕ Unavailable in size 185/65 R15 | — | 44.3 | 38.9 | 86.1 | 3.2 | 10.4 | 280.9 | 21 | 71.5 | 107 | 29800 |
| 8. | Bridgestone LM005 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 27 778 Ft | 45 | 33.5 | 97.2 | 4.4 | 10.7 | 282.8 | 22 | 72.9 | 117 | 22400 |
| 9. | Nokian Tyres SNOWPROOF 2 SUV ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 23 305 Ft | 44.3 | 38.5 | 93.5 | 3.9 | 10.3 | 280.9 | 21.2 | 72.4 | 87 | 30700 |
| 10. | Vredestein WINTRAC ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 24 955 Ft | 44.9 | 37.1 | 88 | 3.2 | 10.6 | 282.5 | 21 | 71.2 | 73 | 28300 |
| 11. | Barum POLARIS 6 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 21 224 Ft | 47.4 | 39.8 | 85.9 | 3.3 | 10 | 292.7 | 20.2 | 69.9 | 108 | 29000 |
| 12. | Kumho WINTERCRAFT WP52+ ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 21 433 Ft | 43.8 | 35.3 | 87.3 | 3.2 | 10.2 | 286.8 | 21.5 | 73.1 | 95 | 40000 |
| 13. | Viking WinTech NewGen ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 22 375 Ft | 48.4 | 39.8 | 86.8 | 3.4 | 10.2 | 290.4 | 19.6 | 70.2 | 113 | 29500 |
| 14. | Sunny NW611 ✓ Available in size 185/65 R15 | from 36 883 Ft | 46.2 | 43.5 | 73.6 | 2.2 | 10.2 | 283.7 | 20.9 | 71.5 | 82 | 35300 |
| 15. | Atlas POLARBEAR HP XL M+S 3PMSF ✕ Unavailable in size 185/65 R15 | — | 46.1 | 48.7 | 78.2 | 3 | 11 | 277.5 | 21.9 | 71.5 | 63 | 35800 |
| 16. | Rockblade ROCK 868S XL BSW M+S 3PMSF ✕ Unavailable in size 185/65 R15 | — | 46.4 | 51.4 | 67.4 | 1.3 | 10.2 | 296.1 | 19.4 | 71.3 | 72 | 30500 |
Dry braking [m]
Wet braking [m]
Aquaplaning straight [km/h]
Aquaplaning cornering [m/s2]
Snow braking [m]
Snow traction [dN]
Ice braking [m]
Volume [dB]
Wear [mg/km/t]
Durability [km]
Winter tire test 185/65 R15 (ADAC 2026)