Test Summary | |
Wet Braking | Bridgestone Weather Control A005 |
Dry Braking | Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Continental AllSeasonContact |
Wet Handling | Nokian WeatherProof |
Rolling Resistance | Nokian WeatherProof |
Noise | Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 |
Snow Braking | Michelin CrossClimate Plus |
Snow Handling | Hankook Kinergy 4S2 Vredestein Quatrac 5 Nexen N Blue 4 Season |
The New Tire
The most interesting part of this test must be the inclusion of the new Bridgestone Weather Control A005, as it's the first time this new tire has featured in a full all season tire test.
If you're just looking at the results as the overall standings, you'd be forgiven for dismissing the Bridgestone as a purchase option, but for the most of the UK this new tire might actually be one of the BEST options for year round motoring in the UK.
Why? Because it has significant advantages in wet and dry braking, even beating the dry master the Michelin CrossClimate+, and matches the excellent performance in dry and wet handling. While it's snow performance is it's weakness, it's still significantly better than the reference summer tire in the test. With the UK climate being dry or wet 99% of the year, the balance of performance the Bridgestone offers is more acceptable to our climate than it is to the German testers.
The Rest
Ignoring the Bridgestone in last place, the top five results aren't surprising. The Goodyear and Continental all season tires performed excellently as ever, the Nokian was more like a winter tire and won the snow testing, and the Michelin excellent in the dry.
If you've not already seen our all season tire recommendation video, we explain the balance of performances between various all season tires, and explain why for example the Nokian might not be the best idea for the south of the UK, and the Michelin not the best for northern Scotland. Have a watch here.
Dry
As mentioned above, the Bridgestone was the star of the dry testing, winning both the dry braking and dry handling tests. The Michelin CrossClimate also faired extremely well, a significant step ahead of the rest during dry braking, and joint second place during dry handling.
Wet
Wet braking once again saw the Bridgestone leading the way, however no all season tire could get close to the summer tire which had a large advantage.
During the wet handling testing the Goodyear was the best of the all season tires, with the Bridgestone and Continental in second and third places.
The Continental again proved it's wet weather credentials and won the aquaplaning testing.
Snow
While the Bridgestone was exceptional in the dry and wet, it's struggled in the snow testing. The Nokian all season tire once again showed winter-tire like qualities in the snow, with the Continental showing an extremely balanced wet/snow performance blend.
Value
As in other tests, the Michelin had the best wear scores, but it was the Falken that proved to have the best price / wear balance costing just 4.84 euros per 1,000 km.
Environment
The Nokian had the lowest fuel use, with most of the all season tires on test beating the summer tire.
The good value Nexen tire proved to also be the quietest on test.
Results
1st: Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2 | |
| An excellent all round performance, excellent value for money, good steering precision and excellent handling in the snow and wet, safe aquaplaning, good comfort, low wear. High price. Read Reviews Buy from £72.00 |
2nd: Continental AllSeasonContact | |
| Excellent in the snow, good steering precision, handling and grip in the wet, very good aquaplaning results, good wear. Average dry handling. Read Reviews Buy from £89.99 |
3rd: Nokian WeatherProof | |
| Winter specialist with the qualities of a winter tire in snow, good aquaplaning results, lowest rolling resistance. Average wet grip, high wear. Read Reviews |
4th: Michelin CrossClimate+ | |
| Safe handling in the wet and dry, best wear on test, very good price to performance ratio. Average curved aquaplaning, average snow cornering. Read Reviews |
5th: Hankook Kinergy 4S2 | |
| Good steering precision, feedback and handling in the wet and dry, good aquaplaning, very comfortable. Average snow cornering, high wear. Read Reviews Buy from £73.24 |
6th: Falken EUROALL SEASON AS210 | |
| Winter specialist with good traction and sporty snow handling, good aquaplaning result, comfortable, low wear. Average wet grip, slow steering and significant understeer in the wet, high noise. Read Reviews Buy from £72.60 |
7th: Vredestein Quatrac 5 | |
| A balanced all season tire with safe handling in all conditions, good steering response and grip in the wet, low noise. Limited aquaplaning results, slow steering in the dry. Read Reviews |
8th: Nexen N Blue 4 Season | |
| Short braking and good cornering in the snow, low noise, good price to performance ratio. Limited aquaplaning results, understeer in the dry and wet, high rolling resistance. Read Reviews Buy from £62.95 |
9th: Pirelli Cinturato All Season+ | |
| Good traction and secure cornering on snow and ice, balanced dry handling, precise steering. Average aquaplaning, long wet and dry braking, high rolling resistance, high wear. Read Reviews |
10th: Bridgestone Weather Control A005 | |
| Dynamic wet and dry handling, shortest braking distances on wet and dry roads. Poor winter performance on snow and ice. Read Reviews |