AvD winter tire test 225/45 R17 2026
Winter Tire Test 2026 (AvD)
Top 3 from the test
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Braking distance in the wet b · ↑ higher is better 
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Pirelli narrowly ahead of Michelin, cheap Linglong surprises
The German automobile club AvD has published a major winter tire test for 2026. Together with the TEMPOTIRE testing facility, it tested 15 models in the popular size 225/45 R17. Not even a single point separated the winner from second place, and a cheap Chinese tire received the award for the best price-performance ratio. However, AvD does not recommend three of the tires.
How AvD tested
AvD purchased all the tires anonymously from a regular store, not from manufacturers, in order to test the same goods a customer would receive. The test vehicle was an Audi A3. All tires were purchased by AvD anonymously from a regular store, not from manufacturers, in order to test the same goods a customer would receive. The test vehicle was an Audi A3.
Weighting of individual disciplines:
- snow: 30%
- wet: 30%
- dry: 20%
- economy and environment: 20%
AvD expresses the results using a 5-star system. Tires that significantly fall behind in any safety discipline receive a worse overall rating, even if they score highly elsewhere.
Test winner: Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3
Pirelli and Michelin achieved an equal number of points. Pirelli's victory was decided by minor advantages in aquaplaning in a curve and in handling on wet roads. For winters in Central Europe, which are more often wet than snowy, these are important qualities.
Second place: Michelin Alpin 7
Michelin Alpin 7 finished with the same score as the winner and is an equally solid choice. The difference between them in everyday use is minimal.
Other "very good" tires
The "very good" rating was also received by:
- Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 (3rd place)
- Continental WinterContact TS 870 (4th place)
- Bridgestone Blizzak 6 (5th place)
Only tenths of a point separate the top five. With premium brands, you basically can't go wrong today.
Best price-performance ratio: Linglong Sport Master Winter
The surprise of the test is the Linglong Sport Master Winter. According to AvD, it achieves good to very good ratings almost everywhere, yet costs approximately half as much as premium tires. Overall, it received a "good" rating and the award for the best price-performance ratio.
The "good" rating was also received by the Kumho WinterCraft WP52+, Hankook Winter i*cept RS3, and Nexen Winguard Sport 3.
Recommended, but with weaknesses
These tires have relatively high scores, but fell behind in one discipline, which is why AvD lowered their rating:
- Giti GitiWinter W2: weaker in wet conditions
- Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro: weaker on snow
- Toyo Observe EWS1: weaker on snow
For Falken and Toyo, this is an important note: these are winter tires from well-known brands that fall behind specifically on snow.
Not recommended winter tires
AvD does not recommend three tires:
- Triangle WinterX TW401: weak in both wet and dry conditions,
- Double Coin DW-300: shortcomings in several disciplines, especially a critical weakness when driving in wet conditions,
- Rockblade Icecruiser 1: the weakest in the test, with very poor performance in wet conditions and a significant shortcoming also on dry roads.
What the test shows
- Premium brands are nearly evenly matched, with only tenths of a point separating the winner from fifth place.
- Cheap tires have improved significantly, as shown by Linglong.
- large differences in safety. What matters is how the specific model brakes and grips on wet and snowy surfaces, not just the price.
AvD winter tire test 225/45 R17 2026
15 products · click a column to sort| # | Tyre | Price from | Dry braking [b] ↕ | Dry manoeuvring [b] ↕ | Wet braking [b] ↕ | Wet manoeuvring [b] ↕ | Aquaplaning straight [b] ↕ | Aquaplaning cornering [b] ↕ | Snow braking [b] ↕ | Snow manoeuvring [b] ↕ | Snow traction [b] ↕ | Volume [b] ↕ | Wear [b] ↕ | Durability [b] ↕ | Rolling resistance [b] ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Pirelli CINTURATO WINTER 3 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 52 796 Ft | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| 2. | Michelin ALPIN 7 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 52 987 Ft | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 5 | 5 | 4.5 |
| 3. | Goodyear ULTRAGRIP PERFORMANCE 3 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 51 397 Ft | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 | 4.8 | 4 |
| 4. | Continental WINTERCONTACT TS 870 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 49 447 Ft | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| 5. | Bridgestone BLIZZAK 6 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 46 877 Ft | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.8 |
| 6. | Kumho WINTERCRAFT WP52+ ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 34 532 Ft | 4.5 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| 7. | Hankook W462 WINTER I*CEPT RS3 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 38 287 Ft | 4.1 | 4 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| 8. | Nexen WINGUARD SPORT 3 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 31 552 Ft | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4 | 4 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| 9. | Linglong SPORT MASTER WINTER ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 29 806 Ft | 4.2 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 4 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4 | 4.5 | 4 | 3.9 |
| 10. | Giti GITIWINTER W2 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 36 577 Ft | 4.1 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4 | 3.8 |
| 11. | Falken EUROWINTER HS02PRO ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 35 138 Ft | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 4 | 4.2 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4 | 3.8 |
| 12. | Toyo Observe EWS1 XL ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 34 436 Ft | 4.5 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 | 4 |
| 13. | Triangle WINTERX TW401 ✓ Available in size 225/45 R17 | from 25 049 Ft | 4.1 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 4.4 | 4 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| 14. | Double Coin DW-300 ✕ Unavailable in size 225/45 R17 | — | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2 | 2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 15. | Rockblade Icecruiser 1 ✕ Unavailable in size 225/45 R17 | — | 3.8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.1 |
Dry braking [b]
Dry manoeuvring [b]
Wet braking [b]
Wet manoeuvring [b]
Aquaplaning straight [b]
Aquaplaning cornering [b]
Snow braking [b]
Snow manoeuvring [b]
Snow traction [b]
Volume [b]
Wear [b]
Durability [b]
Rolling resistance [b]
Winter Tire Test 2026 (AvD)