Test Summary
Wet Braking	Continental Premium Contact 6
Dry Braking	Continental Premium Contact 6
Wet Handling	Continental WinterContact TS 860
Wear	Continental WinterContact TS 860
Rolling Resistance	Nokian WeatherProof
Snow Handling	Continental WinterContact TS 860

As always, we keep our coverage of the Auto Express tire tests to a minimum, instead encouraging you to go and see the full article on the Auto Express website (link in comments), but there is one aspect of the test we'd like to mention.

For 2018, Auto Express have tested six 225/45 R17 all season tires, and included a summer and winter tire pattern for comparison. This in itself isn't unusual, but unlike many European tire tests who don't tell you what the reference tires are, Auto Express have named the summer and winter reference tires they've used, and they're the multiple test winning Continental WinterContact TS860, and the brand new Continental Premium Contact 6. These are two of the very best summer and winter tires money can buy, which makes for an insightful comparison.

The Reference Tires

So, how did they stack up? Well, pretty much exactly as you would expect. The summer tire was best in the dry and wet but failed in the snow, and the winter tire was best in the snow and worse during dry braking.

When you start to look further into the results, things get a little more interesting. Not only was the reference winter tire best in the snow, the Continental WinterContact TS860 also beat the all season tires in the wet, stopping a huge 5% better than the best all season tire (Michelin) during wet braking, and held its own in dry handling, finishing mid pack. Its only blemish was dry braking, but it still beat the Falken all season tire and almost matched the Nokian.

The summer tire was naturally useless in the snow, but had a bigger than usual advantage in the dry, stopping the car 10.9% better than the best all season tire (Michelin), which was already 5% ahead of the second best all season tire. If you take the  average all season tire, the summer tire was 20% better, which is a huge difference.

Are All Season Tires Right for You?

What can we conclude from this? All season and winter tires obviously have huge benefits in the snow, but even the best all season tire on test can't get close to the best summer tires during dry braking, a key safety quality. As we've recommended before on Tire Reviews, consider your own driving patterns as to whether you'd be best of running a summer tire year round, an all season tire year round, or switching between a dedicated summer / winter setup.

Results

1st: Continental AllSeasonContact
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1183.9 Dry: 195.1 Wet: 297.6 Snow: 398.5 Rolling Resistance: 93.5 Noise: 99.2 Overall: 100 A very well balanced all season tire with no obvious flaws. Read Reviews    Buy from £105.79
1st: Continental Premium Contact 6
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1016.7 Dry: 212.4 Wet: 320.3 Snow: 196.5 Rolling Resistance: 88.1 Noise: 99.2 Overall: 100.2 By far the best tire in the dry and wet, but not suitable for snow use. Read Reviews    Buy from £89.17
1st: Continental WinterContact TS 860
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1186.4 Dry: 184.9 Wet: 309.3 Snow: 404 Rolling Resistance: 87.5 Noise: 100.2 Overall: 100.5 A remarkable performance mixing strong snow ability with an excellent wet and dry performance. Read Reviews
2nd: Michelin CrossClimate+
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1169.6 Dry: 200 Wet: 296.2 Snow: 385.4 Rolling Resistance: 89.8 Noise: 99.2 Overall: 99 A great all rounder, with a big advantage in the dry compared to other all season tires. Read Reviews
3rd: Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen 2
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1156.6 Dry: 189.2 Wet: 295.3 Snow: 386.2 Rolling Resistance: 87 Noise: 100 Overall: 98.9 A good all round performance, very strong in the wet, and quietest tire on test. Read Reviews    Buy from £107.40
4th: Nokian WeatherProof
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1155.9 Dry: 185.8 Wet: 289.1 Snow: 383.6 Rolling Resistance: 100 Noise: 99.6 Overall: 97.8 Lowest fuel use on test, best snow braking, but a poor dry performance. Read Reviews
5th: Falken EUROALL SEASON AS200
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1121.3 Dry: 181.2 Wet: 276.6 Snow: 390.3 Rolling Resistance: 78.2 Noise: 99.7 Overall: 95.3 Excellent in the snow, but lacking in the dry and wet. Read Reviews
6th: Tristar Ecopower 4S
225/45 R17 3PMSF: no	Total: 1075.2 Dry: 190.7 Wet: 234.6 Snow: 379.7 Rolling Resistance: 79.2 Noise: 99.7 Overall: 91.3 Good in the dry, but a dangerous performance in the wet. Read Reviews