This Performance Tire Brand Gets JD Power's Lowest Customer Satisfaction Score In 2026

Every year, J.D. Power releases its annual vehicle tire customer satisfaction survey, and some brands receive glowing feedback, while others aren't so lucky. In 2026, the survey's performance tire category remained small, with the outlet only comparing four brands. 

Out of the four, the lowest ranked was Bridgestone, which received 768 points. It was the only brand to score lower than the segment average of 796 points. Meanwhile, Michelin scored the highest of any brand, with 818 points. Goodyear took the second place spot with 805 points, while Pirelli was third out of the four brands with 801 points.

Meanwhile, the lowest-rated passenger car tire brand was Dunlop, which received a score of 723 points. That's a long way below the passenger car segment average of 788, and the worst score of any brand in the survey. Bridgestone's last-place finish in the performance tire segment was reflective of a generally low-scoring year for the brand. 

In the luxury tire segment, Bridgestone finished in second-last place, just ahead of Hankook, while in the passenger car tire segment, the historic publicly-owned Japanese brand finished below the segment average. Only in the truck/utility segment did Bridgestone fare better, scoring slightly ahead of the segment average, but still behind the best in class.

While J.D. Power's data is useful for getting an overall picture about how satisfied customers are with a brand, it doesn't delve into the satisfaction differences between specific models of tire. However, survey data from Tire Rack can help fill in the details. The retailer's long-running survey has seen more than 250,000 customers give their feedback about the models it stocks, and this survey data shows some significant differences between different Bridgestone performance tire models when it comes to customer satisfaction.

In the ultra high performance summer tire category, Bridgestone's Potenza S005 ranks at the very back of the pack, with high ratings for its dry-weather grip, but notable concerns about its treadwear. However, the ultra high performance all-season category sees the brand's Potenza RE980AS+ model receive excellent ratings, placing it among the top in its class. In the same category, its Potenza Sport AS model is also well-liked.

Move to the high performance all-season category, and Bridgestone is again a poor scorer, with its Potenza RE92 tire being the worst-scoring tire in its segment. Primarily, that's down to its performance in wet and snowy conditions. Evidently, there's a significant variation in customer satisfaction between different models of Bridgestone tire, and that inconsistency might be the reason behind its low ranking in the latest JD Power survey.