AvD winter tire test 225/45 R17 2026

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.