These Are Consumer Reports' Top-Ranked Tires For Winter & Snow

Consumer Reports (CR) recently published its review of the Best Winter/Snow Tires, selecting its highest-rated tires providing excellent grip in cold and wintry conditions. CR evaluated tires in seven different categories — winter/snow tires for crossovers and cars, performance winter/snow tires for vehicles with sporting intent, winter tires for SUVs and pickup trucks, all-weather tires for cars and SUVs that can stay on all year, as well as all-season tires and all-terrain tires for pickups and large SUVs. With the exception of the all-weather tire category, the other tires evaluated by CR here are for winter use only, with the downsides of poor performance and increased tread wear if you leave them on your vehicle during the spring and summer. 

CR's testing regimen for these winter/snow tires is at its Auto Test Center, located in northern Michigan, where snow traction testing is done. A skating rink located near the Michigan Test Center provides a venue for testing these tires' ability to brake on ice. These tires' performance is based primarily on their abilities under these two conditions, which are the reasons most car buyers seek out winter/snow tires.

Winter/snow tires are designed expressly for wintry conditions, which also makes them unsuitable for non-winter weather. They use aggressive designs that optimize their ability to dig into snowy surfaces, along with special tread compounds that stay soft at low temperatures for better grip in icy conditions. You will love these tires for winter driving, but most don't excel in dry or hot conditions.

For winter use on passenger cars and crossovers, CR selected the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5 as its top-rated recommended tire. While CR particularly appreciated the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5's "...excellent snow traction and ice braking...," other factors including tire noise, hydroplaning resistance, braking in the dry, and comfortable ride were rated as satisfactory. 

According to Nokian's press release on the Hakkapeliitta R5, this tire was developed to be a flagship winter tire that provides "...an innovative combination of pure winter grip, silence and driving comfort." The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 line of tires was introduced in a wide range of sizes to fit wheels ranging from 14 inches to 22 inches. Nokian's primary markets for the Hakkapeliitta R5 are North America and the Nordic countries, which consist of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland.

The R5's Double Block tread pattern has been upgraded compared to its predecessor, the R3, with an increase of 40% more tread blocks for better grip. This is combined with Nokian's Arctic Grip Crystals, tiny crystals in the tread that function like the studs in studded tires and are extremely effective on ice. These innovations have resulted in shorter braking distances compared to the R3, as well as improved performance in slushy conditions, increased fuel efficiency, and quieter running. Other winter/snow tires that came in right behind the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 in CR's testing were the Michelin X Ice Snow and the Continental VikingContact 7. 

CR's top-ranked tire for winter in the performance category is the France-based Michelin's Pilot Alpin PA4. The tires combine a very high level of both snow traction and grip on ice while retaining its ability to handle the curves in a winter-focused scenario. According to CR's testing, "It excels in hydroplaning resistance, snow traction, and ice braking-the very reasons you should consider this category." Michelin has been producing the Pilot Alpin series since 2012, with the PA4 being, "...rated highest overall in terms of braking, traction, handling and grip when cornering on wet, icy and snow-covered surfaces, compared with its main competitors." The current version of the Pilot Alpin PA4 is the latest iteration of Michelin's winter tire that is intended for vehicles capable of higher levels of performance. 

With the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA4, the company starts with a full silica-based rubber compound incorporating sunflower oil called HelioCompound, designed for improved low-temperature flexibility. This is good for a 5% improvement in stopping distances in rainy and wintry conditions. Its Ridge-n-Flex tread combines an intensely grooved pattern with 3-D StabiliGrip sipes to clear its tread of snow and slush quickly, producing 10% better acceleration and 5% better handling on snowy roads. A worthy second-place tire in this evaluation was the Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 3, which scored closely to the top-rated Michelin in the key testing parameters, but undercut it on price. This makes the Hankook performance tire a value alternative for tire shoppers on a budget.

Once again, CR selected the SUV version of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 as its best winter/snow tire for SUVs and light-duty pickups, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV. The Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV was noted for its great performance in the areas of traction in snow and braking in ice, but it also received kudos for its low rolling resistance, something which can improve your vehicle's fuel economy. KBB agrees with CR that the R5 is one of the best winter tires.

The SUV version of the Hakkapeliitta R5 features improved resistance to wear, plus the long-lasting qualities and stability required of a tire used by heavier trucks and SUVs. Its tread has been designed for SUV and truck use, with stiffer rubber and a stronger carcass than what is typically required for a passenger car. All of Nokian's SUV-type tires use its Aramid Strong Sidewalls for reinforcement and impact protection, and the Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV is no exception. 

Second place in this category went the GT Radial IcePro SUV 3. This is a tire that did very well in snow traction, braking in ice, and also had a low rolling resistance, but was priced a lot lower than the Nokian. Another plus for the GT Radial IcePro SUV 3 is that it is a studdable tire, if you live in a jurisdiction that permits tire studs.

The next category in CR's Best Winter/Snow Tires is the only one that lets you leave your winter-approved tires on all year round. This is the all-season tire category, dominated by tires that have gone beyond the all-season designation and have achieved all-weather tire status. All-weather tires proudly carry the 'mountain and snowflake' symbol on their sidewalls, which means that they are approved for winter use. These tires have also been designed to remain on your car for 12 months of the year. CR's winners in this class are the Nokian Tyres Remedy WRG5 for cars and the Michelin CrossClimate2 for SUVs. 

The Nokian Remedy WRG5 bills itself as "the only true year-round driving solution for all weather conditions." It was the only all-season/all-weather tire that CR tested that received excellent grades for traction in the snow, but it is projected to last only 50,000 miles. There was no runner-up tire listed, leaving the Nokian Remedy WRG5 standing on its own.

The Michelin CrossClimate2 is the landmark tire that started it all, topping all SUV tires in its category and projected to last 95,000 miles, but CR stated, "...it comes with a significant price tag." The CrossClimate2 features a distinctive 'V-formation' tread pattern plus a rubber compound that grips in all types of weather. The runner-up was the Vredestein HiTrac, with excellent braking on ice, great grip in the snow, and a much lower price.

The two final categories of the CR test were Best All-Season Truck Tire and Best All-Terrain Truck Tire. The Best All-Season Truck Tire category winner was the Continental TerrainContact H/T, which CR praised for a combination of excellent grip across a variety of weather conditions and long-wearing qualities, rating it at a projected tread life of 70,000 miles. It exhibited great grip in the snow and low levels of tread noise. The runner-up tire in this group was the Vredestein Pinza HT, chalking up great ratings for both dry road and icy road braking, resistance to hydroplaning, and snow grip. Both of these are among the longest-lasting tires.

The final category was the Best All-Terrain Truck Tire, involving tires designed to grip well in both on-road and off-road use. Some tradeoffs are involved when selecting this type of tire, particularly in the areas of noise, rolling resistance, handling, and braking. The top tire here was the Vredestein Pinza AT, shown above, which demonstrated superior traction in the snow and was very good in the areas of resistance to hydroplaning plus braking in both icy and dry conditions. Good alternatives to the Pinza AT are the Continental Terrain Contact A/T and Michelin LT A/T 2 — while the Continental was very noisy, the Michelin was very quiet and rated for 80,000 miles of tread wear. But the Vredestein Pinza AT undercuts them both on price and is projected to last up to 60,000 miles.