Best tyres 2024: the safest tyres reviewed and rated

Tyres deserve rather more consideration than many drivers give them. Those four strips of rubber provide the only contact between a car and the road, making them crucial to your car’s safety and performance.

Yet 40% of drivers don’t know which brand of tyre is fitted to their vehicle, and more than half of tyre buyers don’t ask which brand made them.

Grip levels vary drastically between the best and worst tyres on the market, and this has a huge effect on stopping distances. In our wet weather tyre tests, we found a 10.4-metre difference between the stopping distances of the best and worst tyres. That’s about the length of a double-decker bus, and in an emergency situation it could mean the difference between being involved in a collision or not.

Such is the importance of tyres that many car manufacturers spend three to four years working closely with their chosen tyre brand to ensure their new models have the right rubber when they reach the showroom. The tyres fitted as original equipment must provide a high level of safety and performance, as well as being durable and of high quality.

With some cars, it’s worth sticking with the same model of tyre that it was fitted with when brand new, because this should be the one best suited to it. However, there are plenty of alternative brands available, and cost is a factor for many drivers. After all, tyres from premium brands can cost more than £150 each and you’re likely to need to replace two at once, so you could save more than £100 by opting for a cheaper brand.

However, with more than 200 tyre brands currently available, many of which will be unknown to most, it’s difficult to know how to choose the best. That’s why we’ve tested a range of tyres for a popular family SUV, to see how well they bring the car to a stop in both wet and dry conditions, as well as how well they cope with fast cornering in both types of weather.

The test car we chose was a Volkswagen Tiguan; it’s one of the best-selling family SUVs, and this makes our tyre test relevant to a wide range of car owners. Our test Tiguan was a 1.4 TSI petrol model. We opted to test our tyres in the popular 235/55 R18 fitment; it’s the most common tyre size for the current-generation Tiguan, and popular among family SUVs.

We put the tyres through a series of stringent tests, and you can read more about that at the bottom of the page.

Best tyres reviewed: the best tyres for family cars, including family SUVs

1. Continental PremiumContact 7 

What Car? Rating 5

Price (per tyre fitted) £143

The PremiumContact 7 topped the table in our braking tests, and its overall performance shows it to be an excellent all-weather tyre.

It was the best at stopping in the dry, bringing the Tiguan to a halt from 50mph in 34.5m. It was also the best on test for wet-weather braking, stopping the Tiguan from 62mph in 33.5m – beating the Hankook by a metre.

The Continental wasn’t quite the top performer for wet handling, putting in a lap time of 85.5sec, but that put it only 0.1sec behind the Hankook. Besides, the Continental gripped well on the wet track, and when it lost traction, it did so in an undramatic way that made it easy for our tester to regain control of the car and adjust its balance at the limit.

There was even less of a gap between the Continental and Hankook when it came to dry handling; the dry lap took 53.94sec, just 0.02sec slower than with the Hankook. The Continental gave the test driver good feedback, letting them know exactly how much grip they had to play with. When grip was lost, it tailed off in a progressive, controllable way, with the car feeling nicely balanced from front to rear.

While the Continental wasn’t the best overall performer in the aquaplaning tests, it was still towards the top of the pack, and it did turn in the strongest performance on the small wet circular track. Its lap time of 11.6sec was only 0.2sec quicker than that of the Firestone, though.

The Continental’s performance was strong enough to make it our overall winner. However, noise levels were higher than most other tyres tested at both 30mph and 60mph, and its rolling resistance was the second highest here, so it’s not the quietest or most fuel efficient tyre you can buy. It’s also the third most expensive tyre here.

2. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 SUV

What Car? Rating 5

Price (per tyre fitted) £126

The Hankook is a great all-rounder, providing exemplary wet and dry braking and handling performance at a more affordable price than the other premium offerings on test. The only areas in which it scored significantly lower than the Continental were some of the aquaplaning tests.

In the wet, the Hankook took only a metre more to bring the Tiguan to a halt than the Continentals, stopping it in 34.5m, and it turned in the fastest overall wet handling lap time, at 85.4sec. It inspired confidence on the wet track, biting into the surface through high-speed corners and remaining controllable when it did surrender its grip.

Performance in the dry was also strong; the Hankook stopped the Tiguan in 35.8m and posted the fastest lap time (53.9sec) on the dry handling track. Not only did it feel crisp and consistent on the way into a corner, but the predictable way in which it lost grip allowed the driver to adjust their line, even at the limit.

However, the Hankook managed only the third-best score on the longitudinal aquaplaning test, achieving a speed of 47.5mph before it lost grip. It also managed only a mid-table finish in the lateral aquaplaning test. Performance on the wet circle was better, with an 11.8sec lap time – just behind the Continental.

It was also the noisiest tyre tested at 30mph, and it was average on rolling resistance. Cost is a strong point, though; the average fitted price for the Hankook is £39 lower than that of the most expensive tyre on test.

3. Michelin Primacy 4+

What Car? Rating 4

Price (per tyre fitted) £165

The Michelin completed the wet handling test in 87.7sec – just over two seconds slower than the top-performing tyres. While it didn’t match the outright grip of the best performers on the wet handling circuit, the effect was gradual when it did lose grip, giving the driver time to react and minimise slippage. Wheelspin on the exit of slow corners was also easy to manage, requiring just a brief lift of the accelerator. Although the Michelin took only 2.2 m longer to stop in the wet than the best tyre, this meant the Tiguan was still doing 12mph when the best tyre would have brought it to a halt.

The Michelin was the fourth fastest around the dry handling track, posting a time of 54.4sec. It provided the driver with good feedback, making it easy to manage slippage and prevent the car from getting out of control. However, it ultimately generated less outright grip than the Continental and Hankook. Dry braking was the third best on test, with the Michelin taking 36.4m to bring the car to a stop. This meant the Tiguan was still doing 14mph when the best tyre had brought it to a stop.

Interior noise levels at 30mph and 60mph were lower than those recorded with the Continental and Hankook. 

Rolling resistance is another area in which the Michelin shone; it’s likely to bring the best fuel efficiency of all the tyres here. However, it was also the costliest tyre tested. Its average price is £72 higher than you’d pay for the cheapest tyre here, and it’s around £20 more expensive than its premium rivals.

4. Firestone Roadhawk 2

What Car? Rating 4

Price (per tyre fitted) £129

The Firestone performed better in the dry braking and handling tests than it did in the wet, but it achieved the highest score overall for coping with standing water.

In the wet braking test, the Firestone needed 38.2m to stop the Tiguan; this means the car would still be travelling at 18mph at the point when the best tyre here had stopped. It posted a mid-table wet handling lap time of 88.0sec. In slower corners, feedback was good (better than that provided by the Landsail, Triangle and GT Radial), but when our tester reached the limit of grip when trying for a quick lap time, the tyres tended to break away quite suddenly, with a slide that took a lot of input to correct.

Dry braking was average; the Firestone took 37.8m to bring the Tiguan to a halt. This meant it would still be doing 18mph when the best-performing tyre had stopped. The dry handling lap time of 54.6sec was nearly 2.0sec down on the best tyre, and the Firestone gave little confidence. It generated more outright traction than the Landsail, but surrendered grip in an unpredictable manner, and poor driver feedback was a limiting factor.

The Firestone did better on the aquaplaning tests, posting the second best scores for lateral and longitudinal grip and achieving a lap time of 11.8sec on the small wet circle test – just behind the Continental. 

Noise levels were lower than those of the Continental and Michelin, and rolling resistance was the second best on test. The Firestone is the fourth most expensive tyre here, but it costs £14 less than our winner.

5. Yokohama BluEarth-XT AE61

What Car? Rating 3

Price (per tyre fitted) £146

While the Yokohama’s wet performance wasn’t too bad, it lost marks in the dry tests and for aquaplaning, in which it finished last but one. 

The Yokohama’s wet braking distance of 37.8m was a little better than the Firestone’s, and so was its wet handling lap time of 87.7sec. Although the Yokohama didn’t have as much outright grip as the Continental, Hankook and Michelin, it provided enough feedback for the car to feel safe and controllable at its limits.

In the dry braking test, the Yokohama took slightly longer to stop than it had in the wet: 37.9m. That’s 3.0m farther than the best tyre here. Its average dry handling lap time was a little slower than the best, at 54.8sec. 

Despite not generating as much outright grip as its premium rivals, the Yokohama felt consistent on corner entry and mid-corner. Only on corner exit was it difficult to stop the inside wheel from spinning – the only solution being simply to lift off the accelerator.

The Yokohama came second to last for its lateral aquaplaning performance, and it finished third from last in the longitudinal test, taking the Tiguan to only 45mph before the loss of traction exceeded the permitted limit. The Yokohama’s performance on the wet circle was better, with a recorded lap time of 11.8sec – only 0.2sec slower than the best on test.

Noise at 30mph was joint worst, tying with the Hankook, and third from worst at 60mph. Rolling resistance, meanwhile, was average. 

Overall, a disappointing performance from the second most expensive tyre in the test.

6. Triangle EffexSport TH202

What Car? Rating 3

Price (per tyre fitted) £93

This tyre acquitted itself better in some areas than other budget models. However, wet braking and handling aren’t its strong suits.

In the wet braking test, it took 40.7m to stop the Tiguan, and the car would have still been doing 21mph when one fitted with the best-performing tyre had stopped.

The Triangle’s average lap time on the wet handling track was 89.3sec, nearly four seconds slower than the best tyres. Although it had more grip than the GT Radial, the Triangle performed unpredictably when it reached the limit of grip. This robbed the driver of confidence and made it difficult for them to deliver consistent laps.

The Triangle’s 39.2m stopping distance on the dry track was the second-longest distance overall, and it meant the car was still moving at 21.5mph when the best tyres had brought the car to a halt.

Dry handling was slightly better, with an average lap time of 54.8sec – the same as the Yokohama. The Triangle provided the driver with more feedback through the steering wheel than the Firestone, GT Radial and Landsail, but the tyre’s grip was modest to start off with and deteriorated after only a couple of laps as its temperature increased.

However, the Triangle topped the table in both the lateral and longitudinal aquaplaning tests. In the latter, it took the car to 51.6mph before the loss of traction was too great to continue the test. That’s nearly 7mph faster than the weakest performer here. Its performance on the wet circle was reasonable, too, with an average lap time of 11.9sec.

The Triangle was the quietest tyre at 30mph but the second loudest at 60mph. Rolling resistance was the worst of our contenders – bad news for fuel economy. However, it’s by far the cheapest tyre here.

7. GT Radial FE2 SUV

What Car? Rating 3

Price (per tyre fitted) £121

If you’re after a high level of wet grip, this isn’t the tyre for you. With a stopping distance of 43.9m in the wet, the GT Radial took almost 10m farther to stop than the best on test. That meant the GT Radial-shod car was still doing 24mph when the car with the grippiest tyres had stopped.

Wet handling was poor, too; the tyre’s overall level of traction was the worst in the test, and when the GT Radial lost grip, it happened shockingly quickly, sapping driver confidence. Hence, the average lap time on the wet handling track was 91.0sec, more than five seconds slower than the best tyres.

Dry braking was also the worst among the tyres tested. Equipped with GT Radials, the Tiguan needed 39.6m to stop; it would still be doing 22mph when a car with the best tyres here had stopped. Dry handling was better, though; the GT Radial’s 54.4sec lap time is the same as the Michelin’s. Outright grip was surprisingly decent (considering the wet-weather performance), but there was little steering feel and our tester had to concentrate hard to extract consistent lap times.

The GT Radial notched up fairly good scores for aquaplaning. The average lap time on the wet circle was 11.9sec, and it took the car to 45.9mph in the longitudinal test before wheel slip became too excessive.

Noise levels were impressively low: second best at 30mph and best of all at 60mph. And with rolling resistance being the second best on test and a lower average price than most, the GT Radial does have running costs in its favour.

8. Landsail LS588 SUV

What Car? Rating 2

Price (per tyre fitted) £113

This tyre performed poorly in both wet and dry conditions. Its wet braking distance of 38.1m is better than the GT Radial and Triangle tyres, but it meant the test car was still doing 17mph when the car with the best-performing tyres had stopped. Wet-weather handling was also marginally better than with those two rivals, with an average wet lap time of 88.9sec.

However, overall traction was poor, and when the tyre lost grip, it did so without warning and in an alarmingly dramatic way, making it hard to stop the car from sliding off the track.

The dry braking distance of 39.1m is a little better than the GT Radial’s and Triangle’s but still leaves the car travelling at 21mph when the best tyres have stopped. The Landsail’s dry handling, meanwhile, is the worst here; its average lap time of 55.0sec is more than a second slower than the best performer. The Landsail had less outright grip than the other tyres tested, overheated surprisingly quickly and generated very little traction on the exit of low-speed corners. 

This tyre was also the worst in all three aquaplaning tests. It lost grip at 44.9mph on the longitudinal test and couldn’t complete the wet circle any faster than 12.1sec.

Interior noise at 30mph was reasonable, but the Landsail was the loudest at 60mph. Rolling resistance was only average. It is the second-cheapest tyre in this test, though.

Tyre test scores in detail 

Claire Evans, consumer editor for What Car?, said: “It’s a tricky balancing act to develop a tyre that can deal with all the British weather can throw at it, but the Continental PremiumContact 7 does a great job of dealing with wet and dry conditions, and standing water. It stopped our test car swiftly and offered an abundance of grip in all situations. When it did falter, it did so without drama so the driver could back off the power and regain control.

"The Hankook Ventus S1 didn’t quite have the stopping power of the Continental, but it brought slightly better handling in the wet and dry, providing an exemplary level of grip and controllable behaviour at the limits. It’s also cheaper to buy, making it a highly recommendable choice.

"Although the Landsail LS588 costs less than the premium brands, it’s not a tyre we would advise people to buy. It loses grip on the road too soon in wet and dry conditions and does so in an unpredictable and alarming way. 

"Likewise, the GT Radial FE2 is not recommended. Its handling isn’t much better, and it took more than 10 metres longer to stop in the wet than the best tyre in our test. That could make the difference between stopping in time and having an accident."

How we tested the tyres

To properly test a set of tyres, it’s necessary to drive the car on which they’re fitted to the extremes of its handling abilities. So, for safety’s sake, we conducted our tyre testing on a closed test track in Hannover, Germany.

Prior to testing, each test car’s traction control system was turned off so it was possible to measure when the car lost grip and how gradual or immediate the loss was, as well as how controllable it was. The test vehicles were fitted with a digital box that recorded lap times and logged the weather conditions immediately before each test, so that any significant changes in temperature or precipitation could be taken into account. Each test was carried out three times and the average of the results was used.

The tests carried out were dry braking, dry handling, wet braking, wet handling, aquaplaning and noise measurement. A separate test of each tyre’s rolling resistance was also conducted in a laboratory. Because safety is the most important factor with tyres, the test scores for braking, handling and aquaplaning account for 80% of each tyre’s overall rating. The scores for noise, rolling resistance and price make up the other 20%. All tyres on test were inflated to the same pressure. 

Dry and wet braking

We measured the stopping distance from 62mph to zero in the dry. The same test was carried out for wet braking, but with the car braking from 50mph. The data enabled comparisons to show how fast each contender was still travelling at the point at which the car with the best-performing tyres had stopped.

Dry and wet handling

The test cars were driven around a one-mile circuit with corners of various types. After three laps, the average lap time was taken. The grippiest tyres enabled the test car to complete the lap faster than those that lost traction when accelerating or let go of the road in corners.

Aquaplaning

Three tests showed how well the tyres coped with standing water. For longitudinal (straight line) aquaplaning, the car started at 44mph and drove through a section of standing water 9mm deep. The speed was increased by 5mph for every run, and when the car experienced more than 15% slip, the test ended.

The lateral (cornering) aquaplaning test took place on a 200m circular track that was mostly dry, with a small section of 5mm deep standing water. The car was driven faster between 37 and 56mph and the sideways slippage was measured at each speed.

For the third test, the car was driven around a waterlogged 58m diameter circle at increasing speeds until it lost grip.

Noise

The level of noise generated by the tyres at 30mph and 60mph was measured inside the car using a sound level meter. Measurements were taken on smooth asphalt and concrete surfaces comparable with many UK motorways.

Rolling resistance

This is the friction (or drag) the tyre generates as it rolls along the road. The higher the rolling resistance, the more energy will be needed to keep the car at a given speed, and this has a big effect on economy; a 30% difference in rolling resistance can equate to an increase of 3-5% in fuel consumption.

This test involves each tyre being rotated against a large steel drum at the equivalent of 50mph, with sensors measuring the level of resistance. All tyres were tested with the same load and inflation pressure.

Price

We’ve gathered prices for all eight tyres, including fitting, from three different online retailers, and rated them for average cost.

About the report authors

Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, much of that time spent specialising in consumer issues. She was a troubleshooting advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, helping car owners with faulty cars get the right level of reparation from car makers.

She also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?, and it is here she oversaw the running of the charity's annual used car reliability survey and its regular tyre tests, which highlighted the best and worst tyres for all types of cars and weather conditions. 

Claire launched the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2017, and since then has helped thousands of buyers choose the most reliable new cars and SUVs, as well as the most dependable used cars. The survey data is also shared with car makers, who use it to find out more about issues with models and the areas where they could look provide better customer service.

Neil Winn is deputy reviews editor at What Car? and a regular contributor to Autocar and Move Electric. 

Neil entered the automotive industry after creating a successful motoring blog while completing his legal training. Taking a leap of faith to pursue his true passion, Neil joined the car enthusiast website Car Throttle as staff writer, where he produced varied and highly engaging content, while also introducing the platform to the world of motorcycles. 

Since then, Neil has established himself at What Car? joining as a reviewer, and progressing through the ranks to his current position. 

Neil is also a keen amateur racing driver, having won two BRSCC Formula Ford championships, and relishes any opportunity to drive on tracks when he can.

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