Choosing the best car tyres and how to get them most from them
In this guide we give you the facts and advice to answer the question: Which tyres should I buy? We give you lowdown on tyres from Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear and Continental, as well as details on what to look for when buying and how to make your tyres last longer.
Sample Tyre Prices
Which companies make the best tyres?
The biggest tyre brands are all household names and these manufacturers are the ones that have a 'premium' offering. They're very rarely the cheapest, but they offer good quality and can last longer than those that are initially cheaper.
The premium brands also offer specialist tyres for performance models and for use in snow/all-weather conditions.
Our advice for tyres is to buy the best you can afford. Don't skimp on quality - tyres are so vital when it comes to safety. When it comes to fitting the right tyres, make sure you choose versions of those that are recommended in your service book; fitting incorrect tyres can have an adverse effect on your car's handling.
Tyre labels were brought in a few years ago (see an example below). These can give you a better steer when it comes to budget tyres and how they perform against premium rivals. Some will give good grip in the dry, for example, but this will be at the expense of other criteria, such as road noise.
Every tyre sold now comes with one of these labels, allowing you to compare.
Michelin Tyres
Michelin is one of the world's oldest tyre companies and remains one of the largest, alongside Goodyear and Continental. As well as cars, it makes tyres for all kinds of vehicles - this was the firm that made the tyres for Concorde. As well as selling tyres under its own Michelin brand, it also owns BFGoodrich, Kleber, Tigar, Riken and Kormoran.
Its mascot - Bibendum - has been the company's logo since the very start. You may know him better as "The Michelin Man". Today, collectables of the Michelin Man are highly sought-after, especially those from before the 1970s, with advertising signs and promotional items becoming particularly collectible.
What will you pay for Michelin tyres?
175/65/14 | 185/65/15 | 195/60/15 | 195/65/15 | 205/55/16 | 225/45/17 |
£61.82 (Energy Saver+)* | £65.10 (Energy Saver+)* |
£75.89 (Energy Saver+)* | £64.74 (Energy Saver+)* | £73.98 (Energy Saver)* |
*Prices sourced from Blackcircles.com*, include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Tyre-shopper.co.uk*, and Tyresonthedrive.com.
Pirelli Tyres
Pirelli is another tyre company that's been around just as long as cars themselves. Along with Michelin. Continental, Bridgestone and Goodyear.
The firm is well known for producing the "Pirelli Calendar", which it has done every year since 1967.
It sells tyres under the P Zero, Cinturato, Winte Sottozero and Scorpion names.
What will you pay for Pirelli tyres?
175/65/14 | 185/65/15 | 195/60/15 | 195/65/15 | 205/55/16 | 225/45/17 |
*Prices sourced from Blackcircles.com* and include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Tyre-shopper.co.uk* and Tyresonthedrive.com.
Bridgestone Tyres
In spite of the English/Amercian-sounding name, Bridgestone is in fact a Japanese company founded in the early 1930s. It also owns the Firestone brand and is the largest tyre manufacturer in the world.
The firm as a wide range of summer and winter tyres, including the Potenza and Turanza brands.
What will you pay for Bridgestone tyres?
175/65/14 | 185/65/15 | 195/60/15 | 195/65/15 | 205/55/16 | 225/45/17 |
*Prices sourced from Blackcircles.com*, include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Tyre-shopper.co.uk* and Tyresonthedrive.com.
Continental Winter Tyres
Continental is a tyre company with a long history - in this case it can trace its origins back to the 1870s. These days it supplies many major car manufacturers and produces summer, winter and all-season tyres.
Among others, they sell tyres under the EcoContact, PremiumContact and WinterContact brands.
Continental was winner of the Honest John Kit Tyre of the Year Award 2019
What will you pay for Continental tyres?
175/65/14 | 185/65/15 | 195/60/15 | 195/65/15 | 205/55/16 | 225/45/17 |
*Prices sourced from Blackcircles.com*, include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Tyre-shopper.co.uk* and Tyresonthedrive.com.
Goodyear Tyres
Goodyear is one of the biggest and best known tyre manufacturers. It began as a company before 1900 and, as well as manufacturing tyres, is well known for the "Goodyear Blimp".
It sells tyres under a wide range of names, including Eage, EfficientGrip and Ultragrip brands.
How much do Goodyear Tyres cost?
175/65/14 | 185/65/15 | 195/60/15 | 195/65/15 | 205/55/16 | 225/45/17 |
3)* |
*Prices sourced from Blackcircles.com*, include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Tyre-shopper.co.uk* and Tyresonthedrive.com.
As well as those above, Vredstein, Cooper, Hankook and Dunlop are usually found in the price categories as the big five.
What is a tyre label and how does it work?
Under current EU rules, tyres are measured for noise, rolling resistance and wet weather performance when they're new and typically have 7mm of tread depth. The ratings, which span A - F, indicate a wet braking distance of three meters between each category. This means a car with a set of A-rated tyres will 18 metres shorter than one on F-rated tyres.
However, Michelin says that the EU system is unreliable as wet braking distances can vary dramatically as a tyres becomes worn.
“We want a minimum performance standard for all tyres. This means testing tyres when they're new (7mm) and when they're worn to the 1.6mm tread limit.” said Cyrille Roget, technical communication manager of Michelin.
“Tyre compounds and performance levels change over time and it can be very difficult for drivers to understand how much wet grip they will get from a tyre as it becomes worn. Likewise fuel economy also changes and a worn labelling system would make it easier for everyone to understand whole life tyre performance. We already have plans to implement such a system for all of our products."
What Is My Tyre Size?
The size of the tyres on your car contributes significantly to the way it behaves on the road, which is why it is so important to choose the correct size for your car when replacing them - or to make careful consideration should you wish to change the size of the wheels on your car.
The width of a tyre dictates how much grip is available for cornering, braking and acceleration. The wider a tyre is, the bigger the contact patch - the bit of the tyre in contact with the road - and the bigger the contact patch, the more grip is available. Although a lot of other factors are involved, a wider tyre will in general have a higher rolling resistance, which is a trade-off for the increased grip. This is why cars with modest performance and high economy have narrower tyres for efficiency, whereas high-performance cars have wider tyres and prioritise grip over efficiency.
The aspect ratio of a tyre also has an effect on the way your car behaves on the road. The higher the aspect ratio the taller the tyre is in relation to its width, or how tall the sidewall is. A tall sidewall contributes to ride comfort by helping to absorb bumps in the road, but the trade-off here is that a tall sidewall deflects more during cornering, giving less accurate response through the steering wheel. A high-performance car will usually wear a low aspect-ratio tyre for this reason, while economy or comfort-biased cars will have higher aspect ratios.
As a comparison, prices for the Michelin Energy Saver + were checked at in a variety of sizes:
Tyre size |
Michelin Energy Saver + |
165/70 R14 B |
£60.99 |
175/65 R14 T |
£58.99 |
175/65 R15 H |
£69.00 |
195/65 R15 H |
£64.50 |
195/55 R16 T |
|
195/55 R16 V |
What are the most common tyre sizes in the UK?
Below are the most popular tyre sizes in the UK. These are the most popular tyre sizes as they tend to be the tyre sizes that are fitted to the UK's best-selling cars.
We've put together the table below, which shows roughly what you should expect to pay from each of the main tyre brands for these sizes. This is, naturally, a rough guide and you should shop around and compare prices before buying your new tyres.
Michelin | Continental | Bridgestone | Goodyear | Pirelli | |
165/70/14 |
£53.98 (CrossClimate) |
£45.50 (Premium Contact 5) |
£29.40 (RP28) |
£42.40 (EfficientGrip Compact) |
£44.10 (Cinturato) |
175/65/14 | £49.20 (Energy Saver+) |
£41.30 (EcoContact 3) |
£40.40 (Blizzak LM30) |
£35.30 (EfficientGrip Compact) |
£40.30 (Cinturato P1 Verde) |
185/65/15 |
£56.10 (Energy Saver+) |
£47.30 (EcoContact 5) |
£46.00 (B280) |
£45.40 (GT-3) |
£47.10 (Cinturato P1 Verde) |
195/60/15 | £63.96 (Energy Saver+) |
£56.90 (EcoContact 5) |
£56.10 (Turanza T001 Evo) |
£55 (EfficientGrip) |
£54.70 (Cinturato P1 Verde) |
195/65/15 | £57.42 (Energy Saver+) |
£52.95 (EcoContact 5) |
£46.60 (Turanza T005) |
£44.60 (EfficientGrip Performance) |
£58.50 (Cinturato P1 Verde) |
205/55/16 | £65.67 (Energy Saver) |
£60.03 (Premium Contact 2) |
£57.90 (Turanza T005) |
£53.50 (EfficientGrip Performance) |
£57.80 (Cinturato P7) |
215/55/16 | £102.23 (Primacy 4) |
£89.97 (EcoContact 6) |
£72.10 (Blizzak LM001) |
£81.10 (EfficientGrip Performance) | £90.20 (Cinturato P7) |
225/45/17 | £78.04 (Primacy 4) |
£72.40 (Sport Contact 5) |
£66.10 (Turanza T001) |
£65.10 (Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3) | £63.30 (Cinturato P7) |
225/40/18 | £88.47 (Primacy 4) |
£82.31 (Sport Contact 5) |
£82.31 (Turanza T001) |
£77.77 (Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3) |
£80.09 (Cinturato P7) |
275/40/20 | £176.58 (Latitude Sport 3) | £167.80 (Premium Contact6) | £204.50 (Turanza T005 RFT) | £170.83 (F1 Asymmetric 3) | £125.74 (P Zero) |
*Prices include VAT, but not fitting.
Prices may vary from the above, so make sure that you check a number of retailers for current pricing and to shop around, including Blackcircles.com*, Tyre-shopper.co.uk* and Tyresonthedrive.com.
What should I know about Winter Tyres?
Confused about winter tyres and whether it's worth fitting them? While the tyre manufacturers are obviously keen for you to invest in another set of nice shiny new tyres (and possibly wheels) we bring you the answers to the most common questions we get asked about winter tyres so you can decided whether they're a worthwhile investment.
Which manufacturers offer a spare wheel as standard?
Full-size spare wheels and spacesavers are becoming a thing of the past, with an increasing amount of manufacturers opting for either tyre repair kits or run-flat tyres. The table below shows which manufacturers offer a spare wheel and which offer an alternative.
Manufacturer | Has a full size spare | Has a space saver spare | Has a repair kit | Has run-flat tyres |
Alfa Romeo | - | Mito Super, Speciale and Veloce, £100 on other trims; Stelvio: £275 | 4C, Giulia, Mito, Stelvio | Giulia Speciale and Veloce, £250 other trims |
Audi | - | A £199 option | A1, A3 e-tron, Q2, Q5, Q7, R8, TT | - |
BMW | - | On 2 Series for £75 | 1 Series, i3 |
£180 on 1 Series, 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 6 Series, 7 Series, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6
|
Citroen | On Space Tourer | Berlingo Multispace, C1, C3, C3 Aircross (£75 on Touch), C4 Cactus, C4 / Grand C4 Picasso | Berlingo Multispace Touch, C1 Touch, C3 Touch, C3 Aircross Touch, C4 Cactus Touch, C4 / Grand C4 Picasso with Blue HDI 150 engine, Space Tourer Touch | - |
Dacia | - | Duster £150, Logan and Sandero £100 | Duster, Logan, Sandero | - |
Fiat | 500X £175, Doblo £170, Qubo £100 | Tipo, 500 £100, 500L £125, 500X £100, Panda £60 | 124 Spider, 500, 500L, 500X, Doblo, Panda, Punto, Qubo | - |
Ford | Fiesta £100 (not Style), Focus £100 (Zetec and Titanium), Ka+ £100, Mondeo £100 | Edge, Focus, Galaxy, Kuga, Mondeo, S-Max, | Ecosport, Fiesta, Ka+, Mustang | - |
Honda | - | CR-V | Civic, HR-V, Jazz, NSX | - |
Hyundai | i800, Santa Fe, Tucson | i10, i20, i30, ix20, i40, Ioniq Hybrid, Kona | i10 (S/SE Blue), i20 S, S Air, SE and Prem Nav 1.0 TDGi, i30 S, Ioniq Plug-In Hybrid and electric, Kona S, Tucson S | - |
Infiniti | - | Q70, QX70 | Q30, QX30 | Q30 Sport, QX30 with 19-inch alloys, Q50, Q60 |
Jaguar | F-Pace £370 | XE £160, XF £190, XJ £140 Luxury/Premium, sandard on Portfolio, Autobiography and R-Sport, E-Pace £272, F-Pace £160, F-Type £377 | XE, XF, XJ Luxury and Premium, E-Pace, F-Pace, F-Type | - |
Jeep | Wrangler, Renegade £200 | Grand Cherokee, Cherokee Trailhawk £120, Compass £120, Renegade £150 | Cherokee, Compass, Renegade | - |
Kia | Niro, Sorento | Std on Carens, Ceed, Optima, Soul, Sportage, Venga, Picanto £30, Rio £42, Stinger £41, Stonic £38 | Ceed GT, Optima 3, GT Line S, SW and PHEV, Picanto, Rio, Soul Sport and EV, Stinger, Stonic, | - |
Land Rover | - | Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Velar, Evoque £165 | Discovery Sport (seven-seater), Evoque, Range Rover Hybrid, Range Rover Sport Hybrid | Discovery, Discovery Sport (five-seater) |
Mazda | - | - | 2, 3, 6, CX3, CX5, MX5 | - |
Mercedes-Benz | - | - | A-Class, B-Class, C-Class, GLA, GLC, GLE 500e | S-Class, E-Class, GLE, GLS, GLA AMG Line, C-Class £595 with AMG alloys |
MG | - | - | GS, MG3, ZS | - |
MINI | - | £100 on Clubman, £100 on Countryman | Three-door, five-door, Convertible, Clubman, Countryman | - |
Mitsubishi | Shogun | Outlander (diesel) | ASX, Eclipse Cross, Mirage, Outlander PHEV | - |
Nissan | - | Juke Y N-Connecta and Tekna DIG-T 4WD CVT and X-Trail, Leaf £170, Qashqai £215 | Juke, Leaf, Micra, Qashqai | - |
Peugeot | 208 GTI Prestige, 2008 petrols, Traveller, 308 £98, 3008 £98 | 108, 208, 308, 2008 diesel, 3008, 5008, 508 | 108 Access/Active, 5008 2.0 HDI | - |
Porsche | - | £270 on Cayenne | 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, 911, Panamera, Macan, Cayenne | - |
Renault | - | Captur £110, Clio £110, Kadjar £110, Koleos £110, Megane £110, Scenic / Grand Scenic £110, Twingo £110 | Captur, Clio, Kadjar, Koleos, Megane, Scenic / Grand Scenic, Twingo, Twizy, Zoe | - |
SEAT | - | Arona, Ateca, Ibiza, Leon, Toledo | Mii | - |
Skoda | Karoq (£250) | Citigo £55, Fabia £90, Karoq £150, Kodiaq £105, Octavia £105, Rapid £85, Superb £105 | Citigo, Fabia, Karoq, Kodiaq, Octavia, Rapid, Superb | - |
Subaru | Forester, Levorg, Outback, WRX STI | - | BRZ, Impreza, XV | - |
Suzuki | Jimny | Baleno £219, Celerio £219, Ignis £219 (4WD £249), S-Cross £219, Swift £219 (4WD £249), Vitara £219 | Baleno, Celerio, Ignis, S-Cross, Swift, Vitara | - |
Toyota | Land Cruiser | Auris, Avensis, Prius Active and Bus Ed, Prius+, Rav-4 | Aygo, Avensis Touring Sports, C-HR, GT86, Prius Excel and Bus Ed+, Verso, Prius plug-in | - |
Vauxhall | - | Adam £110, Astra £110, Cascada £110, Corsa £110, Crossland X £110, Grandland X £110, GTC £110, Insignia £110, Mokka X £110, Viva £110, Zafira Tourer £110 | Adam, Astra, Cascada, Corsa, Crossland X, Grandland X, GTX, Insignia, Mokka X, Viva, Zafira Tourer | - |
Volkswagen | Arteon, Passat GT & Alltrack, other Passat models £165 | Beetle, Golf, Golf SV, Passat, Polo, Tiguan, T-Roc, Touareg, Up £50 take Up, Up beats and Up GTI | Golf GTE and e-Golf, Passat GTE and GTE Advance, Polo beats, Sharan, Tiguan 2.0 BiTDI DSG, Tiguan Allspace, Touran, Up. | - |
Volvo | - | S60 £150, S90 £150 (not Twin Engine), V40 petrols £150, V60 £150, V90 £150 (not Twin Engine), XC60 £150 (not Twin Engine), XC90 £150 (not Twin Engine) | S60, S90, V40, V60, V90, XC60, XC90 | - |
What is the legal tread depth in the UK and how can I check my tyres?
If you want to stay the right side of the law, your tyres need to have a tread septh of at least 1.6mm. Anything lower than this and it's not only an MoT failure, but also illegal.
There's a couple of way to check the tread on your tyres. Tread guages cost just a few pounds on Amazon and will give you a precise reading. Or you can use one the older-style 20p pieces. Insert the outer rim of the coin into the tread and if the outer rim is exposed, the tread is below the legal minimum.
See also: Tyre date codes explained / Tyre pressures explained
Checking your tyre pressures and picking a tyre inflator
How do I check my tyre pressures?
1. Make sure you know the correct tyre pressures for your car before starting (details of how to find this data are below).
2. To accurately measure the current pressure in your tyres you can use a handheld pressure gauge, a portable tyre inflator or an inflator at a fuel station or garage.
3. As tyre pressures rise slightly when the tyres are warm it is best to check them before a journey if possible.
4. Remove the dust cap from the tyre valve and push the connector firmly on - this should then give you a reading on the measuring device.
5. If you’re using an automatic device you simply set the tyre to the desired pressure and it will inflate until the correct reading has been achieved - and don’t forget to replace the dustcaps afterwards.
Converting Tyre Pressure In BAR to PSI
Tyre pressures are almost always expressed as PSI (then BAR). However, some compressors and inflators are in BAR. The chart below converts pressure in BAR to PSI.
BAR | PSI | BAR | PSI | BAR | PSI | BAR | PSI | BAR | PSI |
1.30 bar | 17 psi | 1.90 bar | 27 psi | 2.60 bar | 37 psi | 3.25 bar | 47 psi | 3.95 bar | 57 psi |
1.35 bar | 18 psi | 1.95 bar | 28 psi | 2.65 bar | 38 psi | 3.30 bar | 48 psi | 4.00 bar | 58 psi |
1.40 bar | 19 psi | 2.00 bar | 29 psi | 2.70 bar | 39 psi | 3.40 bar | 49 psi | 4.10 bar | 59 psi |
1.45 bar | 20 psi | 2.10 bar | 30 psi | 2.75 bar | 40 psi | 3.50 bar | 50 psi | 4.15 bar | 60 psi |
1.50 bar | 21 psi | 2.15 bar | 31 psi | 2.80 bar | 41 psi | 3.55 bar | 51 psi | 4.50 bar | 65 psi |
1.55 bar | 22 psi | 2.20 bar | 32 psi | 2.90 bar | 42 psi | 3.60 bar | 52 psi | 4.80 bar | 70 psi |
1.60 bar | 23 psi | 2.25 bar | 33 psi | 3.00 bar | 43 psi | 3.70 bar | 53 psi | 5.20 bar | 75 psi |
1.70 bar | 24 psi | 2.30 bar | 34 psi | 3.05 bar | 44 psi | 3.75 bar | 54 psi | 5.50 bar | 80 psi |
1.75 bar | 25 psi | 2.40 bar | 35 psi | 3.10 bar | 45 psi | 3.80 bar | 55 psi | 5.85 bar | 85 psi |
1.80 bar | 26 psi | 2.50 bar | 36 psi | 3.20 bar | 46 psi | 3.90 bar | 56 psi | 6.20 bar | 90 psi |
More on the right tyre pressures for your car
My car came with mixed tyre tread patterns but the dealer refuses to change them?
Are self-sealing tyres any good?
Further Tyre Advice
* Sometimes we show a link with a * next to it. It means that it is an affiliate link and as a result helps HonestJohn.co.uk stay free to use. It's tracked to us and if you go through it, it can sometimes result in a payment or benefit to the site.