Top Pick Tires: Best Car, SUV, and Truck Tires
Consumer Reports testing reveals the best tires for each type of vehicle
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Tires may look similar, but Consumer Reports’ testing shows that performance can vary significantly as far as grip, braking distances, and even resistance to hydroplaning. To help members quickly select the best tires for their needs, we present the best tire models in popular categories based on their Overall Score.
These scores come from the extensive tire-testing program at Consumer Reports. We evaluate about 40 models each year, totaling more than 800 tires, to provide shoppers with insightful data and advice for buying replacements. Much of that testing is done at our 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut. We also drive in snow (often in northern Michigan), evaluate ice braking at a local skating rink, and run lab simulations to measure rolling resistance.
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
Top Pick Tire for Cars and Small SUVs
Most mainstream cars and small SUVs can use all-season tires, the most common tire type. All-seasons are known for balanced performance, long tread life, and relatively low cost, making them a good option for many drivers.
Hankook Kinergy XP
Top Pick Tires for Sports Cars
Sports cars, sporty luxury cars, and some performance-tuned SUVs wear ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires to make the most of their power and road-hugging suspensions. These tires are specifically designed for serious grip in any season, with significantly better handling, more responsive steering, and higher levels of grip in wet and dry conditions than regular all-season tires. The compromise is that UHP tires typically sacrifice ride comfort and don’t last as long as regular all-seasons. For those who are comfortable with those trade-offs, the top UHP all-season tire is the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4.
Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6
Top Pick Tire for Midsized SUVs
All-season SUV tires are mostly engineered for midsized SUVs. The design of these tires is between regular all-season tires for cars and compact SUVs, and the more rugged tires made for larger trucks. They’re tuned for the performance, ride comfort, load capacity, and light-duty towing needed from this category of two- and three-row vehicles.
Michelin CrossClimate2
Top Pick Tire for Pickup Trucks
Good all-season truck tires perform well in most conditions, and they’re specifically designed for the rigors of a full-sized pickup truck or SUV, and in the sizes intended for trucks. Specifically, these tires are engineered to support the heavy payloads and trailers these larger vehicles are capable of moving.
Hankook Dynapro HT2
Top Pick Tire for Off-Roaders
All-terrain truck tires are engineered for some off-road use, with a rugged tread designed to provide good traction whether they’re holding on to pavement or clawing through loose dirt. But all-terrain tires typically have slightly less grip when braking (both dry and wet) and lower handling limits than road-focused tires. Many of these pricey, tough-looking tires also bring noise and rolling-resistance compromises.
Kumho Road Venture AT52
Top Pick Tire for Cars in Winter
Winter/snow tires offer superior winter grip. In cold and snowy weather, they can accelerate and stop better than other tire types. The trade-off is that winter/snow tires will wear faster than all-season tires because the rubber is specially formulated to stay pliable at freezing temperatures, and the tread is designed to prioritize grip in snow and ice over longevity. Most winter/snow tires don’t carry a mileage warranty and are intended only for seasonal use.
Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5
Video: When to Replace Your Tires
The experts at CR show you how to check your tires so you’ll know exactly when to replace them.
