These Are The Best Tires For Your Car, Truck Or SUV, According To Consumer Reports

If you just want a tire you can use year-round, it’s going to be hard to beat the $189 Michelin Defender2. It performed well in all weather conditions and also comes with a shockingly high predicted tread life of 100,000 miles. Alternatively, consider the Hankook Kinergy XP, which scored almost as well as the Michelin. It’s less expensive but has a lower projected tread life of 75,000 miles, which is still impressive.

While you probably don’t need performance tires on your Mazda CX-50, if you drive something sportier, it helps to pair it with tires that will help it handle and steer like it should. If you want one tire to do it all, you’re going to want the $195 Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. Rolling resistance is higher than average, but that’s to be expected from a performance tire, and it still has a 60,000-mile projected tread life.

Alternatively, you could go with the BFGoodrich G-force Comp-2 A/S plus, which barely lost to the Michelin. It really shines in dry weather and may be the better choice if you don’t get much rain.

All-season tires are a good choice for most drivers, but if you want to get the most out of your performance car, you probably want a pair of dedicated summer tires. If that’s the case, then the Michelin Pilot Sport 4s is still the tire to get. It costs more than $200, but Consumer Reports loves it, owners love it and you probably will, too.

You could also look at the Continental ExtremeContact Sport 02. It scored similarly but comes with a slightly shorter shelf life and lower owner satisfaction.

All-season and all-weather tires are significantly better than they were in the relatively recent past, but if you live in an area that gets extremely cold and snows a lot in winter, it’s likely worth it to invest in winter tires. If that’s the case, look at the $189 Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5. You’ll see the benefits more on snow or ice than on dry pavement, but it still did well there, too.

As far as alternatives go, Consumer Reports actually recommends two options here — the Continental Viking Contact and the Michelin X-Ice Snow.

It may sound crazy to drive a sports car in winter if it snows so much that you need dedicated tires for it, but why shouldn’t you get to enjoy your performance car just because a blizzard just blew through? Throw a set of pricey ($278!) Bridgestone Blizzak LM005s on your Corvette, though, and you’ll be free to drive all winter.

If you can’t justify paying so much for tires you only use part of the year, the next-best alternative is the Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 3, which scored nearly as well but is also cheaper.

Michelin has a reputation for making some of the best tires you can buy, but the Michelin CrossClimate2 really stands out among other all-weather and all-season SUV tires. They cost more than $250 each, but it’s also important to remember these tires are projected to last 95,000 miles and will last for years.

Alternatively, you could go for the Vredestein HiTrac that placed second. Its projected tread life is significantly shorter at 60,000 miles, though and isn’t as comfortable, so there will be tradeoffs even if it’s probably $50 cheaper per tire.

If you drive a truck, Consumer Reports recommends the Continental TerrainContact H/T. It also costs more than $200, but that’s just the price you have to pay to get the best all-around truck tire. It also stood out for being quiet, as well as its snow performance, and it has a projected tread life of 70,000 miles.

If you live in an area that gets a lot more rain than snow, you should probably look at the General Grabber HTS60 for its better hydroplaning resistance. Its projected tread life is shorter at 55,000 miles.

When choosing a truck tire, weather and temperature aren’t the only things to consider. You also have to think about how much off-roading you expect to do. If it’s going to be a regular thing, it may be worth investing in some all-terrain tires like the pricey Continental TerrainContact A/T. It should also last about 65,000 miles, which is pretty impressive for a good off-road tire.

If you want a longer tread life and don’t mind additional tire noise, the Michelin LTX A/T 2 and its 80,000-mile projected tread life would make a great alternative. Plus, it offers better resistance to hydroplaning.

If you own a high-riding vehicle of any kind, wouldn’t you know it, Consumer Reports still recommends you buy the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5. As far as alternatives go, the Continental Viking Contact 7 and Michelin X-Ice Snow are also recommended. Hey, a good tire’s a good tire, and your CR-V probably has more in common with a sedan than a Suburban.

(Either that, or some intern created a linking error while building the post.)

You can also get an SUV-specific version of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV if you want to make sure your SUV has the best possible tire for the winter. It’s not like the regular Hakkapeliitta R5 will cause you to crash, but it will likely be a bit better suited for an SUV. They’re more than $200, though, so you may want to consider the less expensive GT Radial IcePro SUV 3.