Most Satisfying Tire Brands

CR's exclusive survey covers brands from BFGoodrich to Yokohama

By Jeff S. Bartlett

Updated August 4, 2023

Photo: Getty Images

There are substantial differences between the most and least satisfying tire brands, according to our recent survey of more than 23,000 Consumer Reports members who reported on tire purchases from 2019 to 2022. This is true when comparing brands overall, and it is also the case when looking at rankings among the four tire categories we asked about.

The common thread: Tires that live up to their promise of performance or longevity tend to have higher satisfaction ratings—much like we’ve seen from our surveys on car owner satisfaction. And this means that tire shoppers would be wise to purchase based on test results, rather than rely on brand reputation.

The key factors that were most associated with high satisfaction were handling, value, wear, winter grip, and reliability.

Grip and handling are difficult to judge in a store, where information is based on sales staff advice and marketing materials. However, Consumer Reports’ tire ratings clearly highlight performance differences among models. Our yearlong tire testing process includes a number of grip-related evaluations, including wet and dry braking, handling, and snow traction. The ratings, based on that extensive testing, can take the guesswork out of shopping and steer shoppers to tires that are more likely to satisfy.

“Our extensive testing reveals how tires compare in every category based on several key measurements,” says Ryan Pszczolkowski, tire program manager at Consumer Reports. “But how happy customers are when they buy the tires provides a valuable complement to findings from our track, and that is why going forward, we have integrated satisfaction findings into our Overall Score.”

Below we present the brand satisfaction ratings among all-season, all-terrain, and summer tires.

Satisfaction Highlights

All-season tires are by far the most popular type of tire. In this survey, 84 percent of CR members who purchased tires bought all-season tires.
Just two of the 25 all-season brands we rated claimed our highest satisfaction rating.
In total, four brands had above-average satisfaction: Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, and Vredestein. Significantly, nine brands were rated below average.
The all-terrain tire category was judged to be more satisfying, with 12 of 22 brands found by owners to have above-average satisfaction.
The summer tires category sees most brands come in with an average rating. Just three brands were shown to be below average.
Satisfaction was widely distributed among the winter/snow tire category, with three brands with the highest rating and three with the lowest.

Satisfaction vs. Test Scores

Many of these satisfaction ratings align with our test findings. It’s no surprise: Well-performing products tend to satisfy. However, satisfaction may be influenced by perceived value and whether the product fulfills a marketing promise—elements that aren’t part of our tests.

For this reason, it is not surprising that CR members were more satisfied with their all-terrain, winter/snow, and summer tires than all-season tires. All-weather tires, a form of all-season tires with winter/snow capability, were the most satisfying overall. This emerging segment provides the convenience of all-season tires, with added winter traction denoted by a snowflake-mountain symbol on the sidewall, without the trade-offs and rapid wear common among dedicated winter/snow tires.

The rating for some specialty brands can be better understood when looking beyond their satisfaction scores. Tires that focus on a particular niche, such as off-roading or value, may be seen as more satisfying for fulfilling their specific advertised mission.

The tire brands we list below are presented in order of how they rate for overall owner satisfaction, starting with the top-rated brands. Detailed test results can be found on the tire model pages.

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