A tyre with good grip can save your life, so we put most emphasis on this aspect when choosing our Best Buys. All our Best Buy tyres had good total test scores, as well as good or excellent ratings for wet and dry grip. They also scored satisfactory, or better, ratings for comfort, noise, rolling resistance and wear.
Shop around

Bigger tyres are generally more expensive. The reason we give a range in the tables is that prices (and availability) vary hugely between outlets. We found that independent tyre sellers can be slightly cheaper than national chains, but they don’t necessarily carry the same range of tyres in stock. Considering the range of prices we were quoted, it can be well worth phoning several tyre fitters to compare. You may have to anyway, as some types of tyre can be harder to find. Make sure that prices quoted include the cost of fitting and balancing, plus the cost of new valves and VAT.

You can see the results of all our tests in the tables.

165/70 R14 T

This tyre is commonly fitted to small to medium-sized cars like the Citroën C3, Skoda Fabia, Vauxhall Astra and the Toyota Corolla, as well as to small MPVs like the Renault Kangoo.
Bridgestone B330 Evo

The Bridgestone B330 Evo has excellent grip in the wet and good dry performance. It’s priced between £39 and £51 and should be fairly easy to find.

Continental EcoContact 3

The Continental EcoContact 3 has good grip and just pips the Bridgestone for comfort. It’s widely available and should cost between £32 and £44.

175/65 R14 T

This tyre is commonly fitted to superminis like the Ford Fiesta, Honda Jazz, Renault Clio and Vauxhall Corsa, medium-sized cars like the Mitsubishi Colt and the Smart Forfour, as well as to small MPVs like the Citroën Berlingo and the Renault Kangoo.

Continental EcoContact 3

The Continental EcoContact 3 has good grip on wet and dry roads and acceptable or better performance in all other areas. We found it fairly widely available, priced at between £37 and £54.

Pirelli P3000 Energy

The Pirelli P3000 Energy is a well-balanced tyre with good grip and a very good wear rate, too. It’s priced between £40 and £53, with good availability.

185/60 R14 H

These are commonly fitted to small and medium cars like the Alfa Romeo 145, Citroën Saxo, Daewoo Lanos, Fiat Bravo and Brava, Ford Escort and the Golf III.

Continental EcoContact 3

The Continental EcoContact 3 offers excellent wet grip and good dry grip. It has very low rolling resistance and it gave acceptable performance in all our other tests. It’s widely available and should cost between £41 and £52.

Michelin Energy XH3

The Michelin Energy XH3 is good for dry and wet grip. It has very good rolling resistance and acceptable wear rate and noise. Availability is good and it’s likely to cost between £57 and £64.

195/65 R15 H

This tyre is commonly fitted to medium cars like the VW Golf (IV and V), Vauxhall Astra and Seat Leon, large cars like the Audi A4, Citroën C5, Rover 75, Skoda Octavia and Volvo S40 and to small MPVs like the Honda FR-V, Nissan Almera Tino, Renault Scenic and Vauxhall Zafira.

Bridgestone Turanza ER 300

The Bridgestone Turanza ER 300 is good for wet grip, dry grip, comfort, noise and wear. You should find it at a fair range of outlets at between £58 and £78.

Goodyear Hydragrip

The Goodyear Hydragrip is a well-balanced tyre, just slightly weaker on wear than on the rest of its performance. It costs around £54 to £70 but is not widely available.

195/65 R15 V

This tyre is commonly fitted to large cars such as the Audi A4 and A6, BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-Class, Peugeot 406 and Skoda Octavia as well as to MPVs like the Ford Galaxy and the Renault Espace.

Continental Premium Contact

The Continental Premium Contact is good for wet and dry grip, and gives a quiet and comfortable ride. It’s widely available and should cost between £67 and £73.

Dunlop SP Sport

The Dunlop SP Sport 01 is very good for dry grip and good for wet grip, comfort and noise. It costs around £70 to £74 and is fairly widely available.

Fulda Carat Attiro

The Fulda Carat Attiro is very good for dry grip and good for wet grip, comfort and noise. It costs around £58, but you may have to hunt around to find it.

Goodyear Eagle NCT 5

The Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 is very good for dry grip and good for wet grip, comfort and noise. It costs around £62 to £70 and is widely available.

Pirelli P7

The Pirelli P7 is good for wet grip, dry grip, comfort and noise. It costs around £67 to £74 and is fairly widely available.

Uniroyal Rallye 540

The Uniroyal Rallye 540 is good for wet grip, dry grip, comfort and noise. It costs around £58 to £63 and is fairly widely available.

205/55 R16 V

This tyre is fitted on medium cars such as the Renault Mégane and VW Golf, and larger cars such as the BMW 3-series, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6 and the Volvo S60. It’s also used on MPVs like the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Renault Espace.
Bridgestone Potenza RE 720

The Bridgestone Potenza RE 720 offers excellent dry grip, good wet grip and a good wear rate. It’s fairly widely available and should cost around £100

Firestone Firehawk TZ 200

The Firestone Firehawk TZ 200 offers good wet and dry grip, good comfort and low noise. It’s fairly widely available and should cost around £88.

Michelin Pilot Exalto

The Michelin Pilot Exalto is also excellent for dry grip and good for wet grip and is slightly quieter than the Bridgestone. It’s also widely available for around £100 to £112.

Pirelli P7

The Pirelli P7 will provide good wet and dry grip, good comfort and low noise, as well as a good wear rate. It costs between £72 and £98 and is fairly widely available.

225/45 R17 W

This tyre is fitted to sportier versions of medium cars, such as the Renault Mégane and VW Golf, and larger cars such as the BMW 3-series, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6 and the Volvo S60. And it can be chosen as an option on some MPVs such as the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Renault Espace.

Continental Sport Contact 2

The Continental Sport Contact 2 offers excellent dry grip and good wet grip. It’s fairly widely available and costs around £130.

Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D

The Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-Doffers excellent dry grip, good wet grip and quiet performance. It’s widely available and costs around £127.

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