Jalopnik    •   10 min read

Take The Guesswork Out Of Tire Shopping With Tire Rack's Comparison Tests

WHAT'S THE STORY?

screenshot showing the blue BMW M2 on a race track and text describing the video

Shopping for tires

is difficult, and it can be even more difficult for car enthusiasts. I spent an unreasonable amount of time deciding what tires to buy when I wanted summer tires for my Mini Cooper S, but Tire Rack's comparison tests were one resource I kept going back to. Tire Rack doesn't have allegiance to a single company, so it has no vested interest in what brand of tire wins its comparison tests, and these tests are very thorough and transparent.

Each year, Tire Rack puts new tires to the

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test, and last year it started compiling all of its annual comparison tests into one video playlist on YouTube. The 2025 tire comparison videos are hitting the internet now, so if you're looking at buying new tires or just doing your research ahead of time, these videos are a great resource. So far, Tire Rack has released videos comparing new EV-focused tires, touring tires, also known as all-season tires, and ultra high-performance tires.

These comparison videos are very comprehensive and test each model of tire in several different categories, so the best tire for you might not be the same as the best tire for someone else, depending on what you want from the tire.

Read more: These Are The Cars You'd Buy If They Were $20,000 Cheaper

Here Are The Very Abbreviated Findings For EV Tires

The first category Tire Rack tested were EV-specific tires, and it compared them with some other tires that are not aimed specifically at the EV market. For EV tires, Tire Rack used a Tesla Model 3 and evaluated each model of tire on how it impacted the car's maximum range, how it impacted the road ride (which includes ride quality, noise levels, steering feel and on-road handling,) how each model handles wet weather conditions, and how each model fared in a track setting.

Through its extensive tests, Tire Rack determined the Michelin e.Primacy All Season tires return the longest EV range of all tires tested, and it also scored highest in the on-road metrics.

If wet weather traction is a priority for you, the Kumho Tires Ecsta Sport performed the best in wet conditions.

Unsurprisingly, the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02 tires returned the best performance on a dry race track, but the overall winner in this comparison was the Kumho Tire Majesty 9 Solus TA91 EV tire.

Here Are The Abbreviated Results For Touring Tires

For touring tires, Tire Rack used a Toyota Camry as the test vehicle, and measured each tire's performance in road ride, which again considers ride quality, noise levels, steering feel, and on-road handling, how each tire performed on a wet race track, and how each tire performed on a dry race track.

For on-road performance, the Nokian Tyres Encompass AW02 scored the highest in this test, but it actually scores seventh when compared to other tires not included in this test. The Pirelli Cinturato WeatherActive tire scored highest in the all-season category for on-road performance.

In wet weather conditions, the Kumho Solus 4S HA32 won this test, but again falls in eighth place compared to other all-season tires. The Goodyear Assurance ComfortDrive earned the highest wet weather score among all-season tires Tire Rack has tested.

Overall, of the new tires tested this year the Nokian Encompass AW02 scored the highest, but it's not the best overall touring tire that Tire Rack has tested. That honor goes to the Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady2 tire that was tested last year.

Abbreviated High-Performance Tire Rankings

High-performance tires faced the same tests that the all-season tires faced, taking into consideration their road rides, performance on a wet track, and their performance on a dry track. Tire Rack used a BMW M2 as the control vehicle for this tire category.

For on-road behaviors, the Kumho Ecsta Sport S scored the highest in this year's tests, and its score is also the highest when compared to tires that Tire Rack has tested in the past.

For wet weather behaviors including braking, steering, cornering traction, and handling and balance, the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 readily scored the highest in this test, and its score was higher than all other high-performance tires that Tire Rack has tested, too.

When it comes to dry track performance, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S scored the highest in this year's tests and its score was higher than the high-performance tires tested previously.

With all categories considered, Tire Rack ranked the Kumho Ecsta Sport S highest in this year's tests, and overall, when considering prior results.

Use these resources as a guide to help you choose what tires best fit your specific priorities. And make sure you choose the correct size that fits your wheels – not all tires will fit your car properly, so use that as well as your budget as starting points when looking for fresh tires for your car.

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