Barum Polaris 5

The Barum Polaris 5 is a Touring Winter tire designed to be fitted to Passenger Cars.

Tire review data from 11 tire reviews averaging 67% over 26,600 miles driven, and 14 tests with an average result of 14th.

Dry Grip 70%
Wet Grip 71%
Road Feedback 66%
Handling 66%
Wear 68%
Comfort 73%
Buy again 57%
Snow Grip 73%
Ice Grip 57%

First On MarketMarch 2018
Wheel Size13 - 19"
Width135 - 255mm
Profile35 - 80
Rolling ResistanceC - E
Wet GripC - C
Noise (dB)71 - 73
Winter Rating3PMSF Rated

The Polaris 5 is ranked 74th of 100 Winter Touring tires.

This tire replaced the Barum Polaris 3.

Tests Included

14

Best Result

4th

Worst Result

26th

Average Result

14th

Latest Tire Test Results

2024 Auto Bild Winter Tire Test
16th of 23 tires
  • Convincing winter suitability, safe driving behavior on dry roads, low rolling resistance.
  • Little grip in wet conditions, low reserves in danger of aquaplaning.
  • The Barum Polaris 5 performs well in winter conditions and on dry roads, offering safe driving behavior. Its low rolling resistance is a plus for fuel efficiency. However, its poor performance in wet conditions and low resistance to aquaplaning are significant concerns. This tire might be suitable for areas with predominantly dry, cold winters but is less ideal for regions with wet winter conditions.
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2024 Winter 55 Tire Braking Test
18th of 55 tires
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2023 ADAC 16 Inch Tire Test
12th of 16 tires
  • The Barum POLARIS 5 provides inadequate steering feedback and precision on dry roads, requiring frequent corrections. The vehicle tends to oversteer during dynamic evasive maneuvers, earning the tire a barely satisfactory rating in limit behavior. Its braking distance is average and rated as good. On wet roads, the tire achieves a satisfactory overall rating, excelling only in longitudinal aquaplaning. It falls short in braking, lateral aquaplaning, and handling due to early understeer or oversteer. On winter roads, it also receives a satisfactory rating, narrowly missing good scores in traction and handling. Its ice braking performance is average. Environmentally, the tire performs well, with good projected lifespan and wear. It also scores well in weight and achieves the best fuel efficiency in the test.
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2024 Tire Tests

2023 Tire Tests

2022 Tire Tests

2021 Tire Tests

2020 Tire Tests

2019 Tire Tests

SizeFuelWetNoise
13 inch
155/80 R 13 79 TEC71
14 inch
175/65 R 14 82 TDC71
165/70 R 14 81 TEC71
175/65 R 14 86 T XLDC71
185/60 R 14 82 TEC71
185/70 R 14 88 TDC71
15 inch
195/65 R 15 91 TCC72
185/65 R 15 88 TDC71
195/65 R 15 95 T XLCC72
195/65 R 15 91 HCC72
195/55 R 15 85 HDC72
185/65 R 15 92 T XLDC71
16 inch
205/55 R 16 94 V XLCC72
205/55 R 16 94 H XLCC72
205/55 R 16 91 HCC72
205/55 R 16 91 TCC72
215/60 R 16 99 H XLDC72
205/60 R 16 96 H XLDC72
205/60 R 16 92 HDC72
215/70 R 16 100 HDC72
17 inch
205/50 R 17 93 V XLDC72
225/50 R 17 98 H XLDC72
225/50 R 17 98 V XLDC72
225/45 R 17 91 HDC72
225/45 R 17 94 V XLDC72
215/55 R 17 98 V XLDC72
235/65 R 17 108 V XLDC72
225/60 R 17 103 V XLCC72
18 inch
225/40 R 18 92 V XLDC72
245/40 R 18 97 V XLDC72
225/40 R 18 92 V XLDC72
235/60 R 18 107 V XLDC72
245/45 R 18 100 V XLDC72
View All Sizes and EU Label Scores for the Barum Polaris 5 >>

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Top 3 Barum Polaris 5 Reviews

Given 74% while driving a Volkswagen Golf R estate (225/40 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 1,000 spirited miles
Living in north of the UK. Oddly asymmetrical for a winter tire, but not to detriment of performance. Dry grip at extreme lacking compared to summer tires, as expected, but decent performance in wet and icy weather. This is from 'spirited' driving in all conditions. Unable to comment on wear at this stage. Having used Dunlop Wintersport, Michelin Crossclimate, Vredenstein Wintrac Xtreme and Hankook IceBear in the past these rate well with all, currently - but early days!

Will update more once we've had decent snow but happy so far @ £70 a corner.
Helpful 136 - tire reviewed on October 29, 2018
Given 13% while driving a Citroën Xantia TD Estate (215/55 R16) on mostly country roads for 3,000 average miles
worst tires ever i have. changed 7 year old michelin alpin to new barum polaris, and in all conditions it worse than old tires was. this tires are actually dangerous, should not allowed to sell. what they doing in wet roads is totally dangerous! in +2-5 celsius wet roads absolutely no traction.
Helpful 37 - tire reviewed on December 31, 2022
Given 54% while driving a BMW E60 530d xDrive LCI (225/50 R17 W) on mostly town for 800 easy going miles
Fitted Barum Polaris 5 after owning Sava. The car even being an awd is almost unusable during the snow, even cars with rwd on michelin alpin are doing better. Certainly not reccomended as winter tire.
Helpful 91 - tire reviewed on January 25, 2019
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Latest Barum Polaris 5 Reviews

Given 25% while driving a Dacia Lodgy (185/65 R15) on mostly town for 300 easy going miles
I'm not going to buy them again cuz they're very loud inside the car, even at 10 kmh. They make a very low, base level thud and rumble as if the town fanfare beat 3 big drums... I've only driven them once, it was in the wet. They were brand new. I've driven them on my Dacia Lodgy (2013 model). I had just replaced my Semperit SpeedGrip2 with them. I had driven on Semperit SpeedGrip2 for 3 winters, those were very quiet.
Helpful 38 - tire reviewed on October 21, 2022
Given 60% while driving a BMW (205/60 R15) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
Surprisingly quiet, good snow traction, but quite a lot of wear and higgh fuel consumption, thats dissapointing because these two parameters were important for me and i guess for everybody who buys budget tires..
Helpful 47 - tire reviewed on March 7, 2021
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Given 79% while driving a Volkswagen Golf R estate (225/40 R18 W) on a combination of roads for 6,000 spirited miles
As an update to my initial impressions review from just over 12 months ago I can only say am more impressed with these tires as time goes on. When pushing on in dry and wet conditions at freezing to well above that they grip excellently and as a result my driving style hasn't needed to be adjusted (which is why I choose to use the right tires in the right season). Snow performance is excellent, but I never push on in those conditions so have been nowhere near the limit.

In summary, they're safe, predictable and you've got to push very hard to get them to break away in UK winter conditions. Let's me just focus on enjoying the driving. Glad I broke clear of the more expensive brands given my experience with them, and these - every bit as good.
Helpful 49 - tire reviewed on December 17, 2019
Given 90% while driving a Skoda Rapid TSI (185/60 R15 T) on a combination of roads for 5,000 easy going miles
Brilliant Winter tire, truly suited to frequent snow and ice.
They have so much grip in fact the only limiting factor is the ground clearance of the vehicle.
Dry grip is good and wet grip is impressive. Braking on wet roads, snow and ice is incredible. Better than the previous Polaris 3 tires. These tires are certainly for below 7 degrees, when the temperature gets above this the turn in handling and braking reduces quite quickly. The tires are reasonably quiet and offer decent fuel economy. Only 5-6 mpg less that the summer tires @ 25c deg .
Value wise there excellent, i got a set of 5x from my tires .com for £58 fitted and balanced each at a local tire shop.
If you live in the countryside or have a family or commuter car then these would be ideal, there designed really for proper winter conditions. If you have a sportier car like a jaguar or Maserati then I would advise you look at something like Pirelli sottozero winter or Goodyear Ultragrip Performance as these will perform better at higher speeds. But for the money you will not be disappointed at the winter grip and safety.
Helpful 64 - tire reviewed on February 4, 2019
Given 78% while driving a Honda Accord (195/60 R15 H) on a combination of roads for 6,000 spirited miles
In this size very good.
Solid dry and wet grip, at temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius better than summer tires.
As the temperature goes down the tires work better even on snow and ice.
Excellent snow and ice grip, except wet ice of course (there is no grip without spikes on wet ice).
This is not a tire to drive at the limit, but is excellent for the price.
After 6000km (at temperatures under 10 degrees Celsius) on front wheel drive car, front tires wear is under 1mm, rear tires as new.
Very comfortable, and very silent but Accords have good noise insulation so can't say for other cars.
Helpful 57 - tire reviewed on February 3, 2019
Given 82% while driving a Kia Motors Sportage (225/60 R17 V) on a combination of roads for 2,000 spirited miles
I've had them on an AWD small SUV for almost 3000 km so far. They are very comfortable compared to the 19inch Continental Sport Contact 5 that I have for summer, but that might be due to the size difference as well. Traction in the snow is very good, as well as handling.

I even pushed them on a winding mountain road, in the wet, and the grip was very good, though I wouldn't say they were made for this type of driving.

Considering the very low price, they're a great buy is your a normal, everyday driver and won't push them to the limits all the time.
Helpful 43 - tire reviewed on January 15, 2019