Auto motor und sport All-season Tire Test 195/55 R16 2026

Do you have a small car and drive mainly around town? Then you might not need to change tyres twice a year. The German magazine auto motor und sport tested 9 all-season tyres in the 195/55 R16 size from well-known brands. The good news is that none of them disappointed. However, there are differences, and it's worth knowing them before you buy tyres.

Small cars are often the second car in a household. A large SUV or estate car takes the family to the mountains, while the small car is mainly used for commuting, shopping, and driving around town. On cleared roads in flat terrain, quality all-season tyres can now replace winter tyres without any problems.

The advantages are clear: you don't have to change tyres, you don't pay for storage, and you don't have to buy two sets.

For an all-season tyre to handle snow, it needs deep grooves and lots of fine sipes, i.e. cuts in the tread. Thanks to these, it "bites" into the snow. On dry asphalt, however, this is a disadvantage: the tread blocks bend during hard braking, the tyre's contact patch shrinks, and the braking distance increases.

Summer tyres have stiffer longitudinal grooves and a harder compound, which is why they brake noticeably better on dry surfaces. That's also why the testers didn't award any tyre the highest rating of "excellent". You can't cheat physics.

An important difference: the best all-season tyres are now getting close to winter tyres in snow. On dry surfaces, however, they still clearly lag behind good summer tyres.

Which tyres were tested

9 models were tested in the size 195/55 R16 91H:

• Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6
• Continental AllSeasonContact 2
• Falken Euroall Season AS220
• Hankook Kinergy 4S² H750
• Kleber Quadraxer 3
• Nokian Seasonproof 2
• Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF3
• Uniroyal AllSeason Expert 3
• Vredestein Quatrac

The newest Goodyear and Michelin models in this size were not yet available at the time of the test.

The test car was a Hyundai i20. The tyres first covered 100 km on ordinary roads to remove residues from the manufacturing process. They were then sent to northern Finland for snow tests.

Each measurement was repeated up to nine times, as the differences were minimal. For example, when braking on packed snow from 50 km/h, the best-performing Hankook stopped after 30 metres, while the weakest, the Bridgestone, stopped after approximately 32 metres. The ranking was thus decided by centimetres.

Weighting of individual disciplines:

• Wet: 40%. A typical Central European winter brings more cold rain and slush than snow, and we also drive on wet roads in summer.
• Snow: 20%. Braking, traction, lateral grip, and handling on the track.
• Dry conditions, noise, comfort, rolling resistance, and high-speed durability make up the rest. The testers also evaluated sustainability.

Test results: all tyres "good"

No tyre received a rating worse than "good". If you buy a branded all-season tyre from this test, you won't go wrong. Prices are also fairly even. However, each model suits a different type of driver.

Continental offers the best overall package: high safety in all weather conditions, combined with the lowest rolling resistance, i.e. the lowest fuel/energy consumption. It is therefore the first choice for small electric vehicles, as lower rolling resistance means a longer range.

The new Vredestein Quatrac came very close to the winner. It is equally versatile, but cheaper. It suits drivers who want top quality at a reasonable price and for whom consumption is not the main criterion.

Both tyres finished with almost the same number of points. They suit those who are torn between winter and all-season tyres, live in the mountains, or drive in hilly cities.

• Nokian is somewhat weaker on wet surfaces, but better on dry ones.
• Pirelli is more balanced, but has higher consumption, i.e. a shorter range for electric vehicles.

Still recommended: Bridgestone and Uniroyal

• Bridgestone Turanza All Season 6 is clearly the sportiest tyre in the test. Snow is not its strong point, but it excels on dry, winding roads. It's worth it if you drive a lot on highways, can avoid snow, and care about handling dynamics.
• Uniroyal AllSeason Expert 3 performs at a slightly lower level in all disciplines and reacts more slowly, but is always safe and predictable.