Hankook Winter i cept evo3 vs Kumho Winter Craft WP52

In this article we will be looking at independent tire test data, and real world driver reviews of the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 and the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 to find out which tire is best for your own driving.

There are a few basic differences between the two tires. The Hankook Winter i cept evo3 is an Ultra-High-Performance Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars, and the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 is an Premium-Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger-Cars

In This Article
Test Results Driver Reviews Conclusion Similar Comparisons
Winter-i-cept-evo3 VS Winter-Craft-WP52

Test Results

Independent comparison tire tests are the best source of data to get tire information from, and the good news is there have been five tests which compare both tires directly!

Out of these five tests:

  • Hankook Winter i cept evo3 finished ahead of the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 in five of the tests

While it might look like the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 is better than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 purely based on the higher number of test wins, tires are very complicated objects which means where one tire is better than the other can be more important in real world use.

Let's look at how the two tires compare across multiple tire test categories.

Dry Braking

Looking at data from three tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during two dry braking tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 stopped the vehicle in 1.04% less distance than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
43.3M
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
42.85M
Dry braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Dry Braking: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:43.49M ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 42.66M
2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:44.8M ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 44M
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:41.6M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 41.9M

Dry Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during one dry handling [s] tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was 0.32% faster around a lap than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
71.68s
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
71.45s
Dry handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Dry Handling [s]: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:71.68s ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 71.45s

Dry Handling [Km/H]

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during two dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was 0.1% faster around a lap than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
103.75Km/H
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
103.85Km/H
Dry Handling Average Speed, higher is better

Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:102.4Km/H ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 102.5Km/H
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:105.1Km/H ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 105.2Km/H

Subj. Dry Handling

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one subj. dry handling tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 scored 3.06% more points than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
98 Points
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
95 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:98 Points Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 95 Points

Wet Braking

Looking at data from five tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during five wet braking tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 stopped the vehicle in 3.68% less distance than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
35.81M
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
37.18M
Wet braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Wet Braking: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2022 Winter Tire Market Overview
215/55 R17		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:35.3M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 35.9M
2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:28.45M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 30.8M
2023 Winter Tire Test 54 Set Braking Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:35.2M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 36.9M
2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:47.8M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 49.7M
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:32.3M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 32.6M

Wet Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was 3.39% faster around a wet lap than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
58.15s
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
60.19s
Wet handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Wet Handling [s]: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:58.15s Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 60.19s

Wet Handling [Km/H]

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during two wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was 1.52% faster around a wet lap than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
82.15Km/H
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
80.9Km/H
Wet Handling Average Speed, higher is better

Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:81.2Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 79.1Km/H
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:83.1Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 82.7Km/H

Subj. Wet Handling

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 and Kumho Winter Craft WP52 performed equally well in subj. wet handling tests.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
98 Points
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
98 Points
Subjective Wet Handling Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Both tires performed equally well

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:98 Points Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 98 Points

Wet Circle

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one wet circle tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was 3.14% faster around a wet circle than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
16.02s
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
16.54s
Wet Circle Lap Time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Wet Circle: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:16.02s Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 16.54s

Straight Aqua

Looking at data from three tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during three straight aqua tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 floated at a 4.81% higher speed than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
91.72Km/H
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
87.31Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H, higher is better

Best In Straight Aqua: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:95.05Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 91.52Km/H
2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:102.2Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 95.1Km/H
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:77.9Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 75.3Km/H

Curved Aquaplaning

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during two curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 slipped out at a 19.62% higher speed than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
3.16m/sec2
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
2.54m/sec2
Remaining lateral acceleration, higher is better

Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:3.21m/sec2 Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 2.73m/sec2
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:3.1m/sec2 Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 2.35m/sec2

Snow Braking

Looking at data from five tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during five snow braking tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 stopped the vehicle in 3.2% less distance than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
25.43M
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
26.27M
Snow braking in meters, lower is better

Best In Snow Braking: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2022 Winter Tire Market Overview
215/55 R17		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:26.6M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 27.3M
2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:17.93M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 19.23M
2023 Winter Tire Test 54 Set Braking Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:30.3M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 31.4M
2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:30.8M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 31M
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:21.5M Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 22.4M

Snow Traction

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one snow traction tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 accelerated 5.52% faster than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
5.65s
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
5.98s
Snow acceleration time, lower is better

Best In Snow Traction: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:5.65s Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 5.98s

Snow Traction

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during two snow traction tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 had 2.28% better snow traction than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
2454.5N
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
2398.5N
Pulling Force in Newtons, higher is better

Best In Snow Traction: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:2164N Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 2096N
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:2745N Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 2701N

Snow Handling [s]

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one snow handling [s] tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was 1.79% faster around a lap than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
85.24s
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
86.79s
Snow handling time in seconds, lower is better

Best In Snow Handling [s]: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:85.24s Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 86.79s

Snow Handling [Km/H]

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one snow handling [km/h] tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was 0.51% faster around a lap than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
59Km/H
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
58.7Km/H
Snow handling average speed, higher is better

Best In Snow Handling [Km/H]: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:54.8Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 54.2Km/H
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:63.2Km/H Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 63.2Km/H

Subj. Snow Handling

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during one subj. snow handling tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 scored 3.16% more points than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
95 Points
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
92 Points
Subjective Snow Handling Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Snow Handling: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:95 Points Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 92 Points

Snow Slalom

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during one snow slalom tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was 0.28% faster through a slalom than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
3.53m/sec2
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
3.54m/sec2
Lateral acceleration, higher is better

Best In Snow Slalom: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:3.53m/sec2 ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 3.54m/sec2

Subj. Comfort

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
95 Points
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
90 Points
Subjective Comfort Score, higher is better

Best In Subj. Comfort: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

Noise

Looking at data from two tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during two noise tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 measured 2.02% quieter than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
74.1dB
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
72.6dB
External noise in dB, lower is better

Best In Noise: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:73.6dB ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 72.3dB
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:74.6dB ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 72.9dB

Price

Looking at data from one tire tests, the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 was better during one price tests. On average the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 cost 11.5% less than the Hankook Winter i cept evo3.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
125.19
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
110.79
Price in local currency, lower is better

Best In Price: Kumho Winter Craft WP52

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:125.19 ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 110.79

Rolling Resistance

Looking at data from three tire tests, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 was better during two rolling resistance tests. On average the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 had a 0.93% lower rolling resistance than the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3
8.51kg / t
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
8.59kg / t
Rolling resistance in kg t, lower is better

Best In Rolling Resistance: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

2023 Tire Reviews Winter Tire Test
225/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:8.49kg / t Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 8.6kg / t
2023 Sports Cars Winter Tire Test
225/40 R18		 Hankook Winter i cept evo3:9.36kg / t ✓ Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 9.22kg / t
2024 Auto Bild SUV Winter Tire Test
245/45 R18		 ✓ Hankook Winter i cept evo3:7.68kg / t Kumho Winter Craft WP52: 7.95kg / t

Real World Driver Reviews

Tire Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 and Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

In total the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 has been reviewed 14 times and drivers have given the tire 86% overall.

The Kumho Winter Craft WP52 has been reviewed 7 times and drivers have given the tire 68% overall.

This means in real world driving, people prefer the Kumho Winter Craft WP52.

Best Review for the Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Given 48% 225/40 R18 V on a combination of roads for 900 spirited miles
Very uncomfortable tire, the sidewall also looks different than on the website, I sold them after a couple of weeks.
Helpful 220 - tire reviewed on November 1, 2020
View all Hankook Winter i cept evo3 driver reviews >>
Best Review for the Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Given 60% 225/45 R17 on mostly country roads for 8,000 average miles
Good dry handling and traction, average wet and below expectations on snow as for a winter tire. Noise depends a lot on tire pressure
Helpful 58 - tire reviewed on February 28, 2023
View all Kumho Winter Craft WP52 driver reviews >>

Conclusion

In conclusion the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 performed better in subj. dry handling, wet braking, wet handling [s], wet handling [km/h], wet circle, straight aqua, curved aquaplaning, snow braking, snow traction, snow traction, snow handling [s], snow handling [km/h], subj. snow handling and rolling resistance, while the Kumho Winter Craft WP52 performed better in dry braking, dry handling [s], dry handling [km/h], snow slalom, noise and price.

Interestingly, both tires performed equally well in subj. wet handling, showing that they are closely matched in these areas.

Which tire is best for you depends a lot on your driving style and situation, plus what you want from the tire. Comparing all the data in the tire reviews database, on balance Hankook Winter i cept evo3 seems to be the best tire overall.

However, it's important to note that both tires have their strengths.

Remember, the best tire for you might depend on which of these factors are most important for your specific driving needs and conditions.

Hankook Winter i cept evo3

Overall Winner: Hankook Winter i cept evo3

Based on the tire test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Hankook Winter i cept evo3 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tire has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tire buying choice.

Similar Comparisons

Looking for more tire comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tires:

Bridgestone Blizzak 6
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Bridgestone Blizzak 6 VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Hankook Winter i cept evo3 VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Giti GitiWinterW2
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Giti GitiWinterW2 VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005
VS
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Bridgestone Blizzak LM005 VS Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
VS
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Dunlop Winter Sport 5 VS Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro
VS
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Falken EUROWINTER HS02 Pro VS Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
VS
Vredestein Wintrac Pro
Kumho Winter Craft WP52 VS Vredestein Wintrac Pro
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
VS
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P VS Kumho Winter Craft WP52
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
VS
Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
Kumho Winter Craft WP52 VS Maxxis Premitra Snow WP6
Kumho Winter Craft WP52
VS
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Kumho Winter Craft WP52 VS Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
VS
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Hankook Winter i cept evo3 VS Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
VS
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 VS Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P
VS
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Continental WinterContact TS 870 P VS Hankook Winter i cept evo3
Hankook Winter i cept evo3
VS
Vredestein Wintrac Pro
Hankook Winter i cept evo3 VS Vredestein Wintrac Pro

Footnote

This page has been developed using tire industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tires in the same test.

Why is this important? Tire testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tire test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tire tests performed on different days or at different locations.

As a result you will see other tests on Tire Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.

Lots of other websites do this sort of tire comparison, Tire Reviews doesn't.