Winter Tyres 2026: Best of the ADAC Tests, 9 of 32 Failed

The best winter tyres of 2026, on the ADAC’s September tests, are the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 (winner in 225/50 R17, grade 2.2) and the Continental WinterContact TS 870 (winner in 185/65 R15, also 2.2). The Continental and the Michelin Alpin 7 were rated “good” in both sizes. That leaves out most of the field: of the 32 tyres tested, only six earned “good” and nine were rated deficient.

That spread is the real reason to read a test before buying. In the 225/50 R17 test, the two best tyres stopped from 80 km/h on a wet road in about 35 metres. The worst was still doing about 40 km/h at that point and needed almost 12 metres more, roughly three car lengths.

ADAC winter tyre test 2026: 225/50 R17

This is a mid-size fitment (the ADAC names the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class). Snow testing took place in Ivalo, Finland. Grades follow the German school scale: 1 is best, and anything from 4.6 down is “mangelhaft” (deficient).

The Pirelli won on driving safety, with the best wet results in the test. The Goodyear stood out for tread life, and the Michelin for its grip on snow and ice. The ADAC singles out the Sunwide Snowide as a warning: strong on snow, but vague handling on dry roads and weak in the wet sank it. The best environmental score (tread life, abrasion, rolling resistance, noise) went to the Dunlop Winter, with a projected life of about 59,300 km.

ADAC winter tyre test 2026: 185/65 R15

This is the small-car size (Škoda Fabia, VW Polo, Renault Clio, Peugeot 208 and many others). The ADAC called the result disappointing: 9 of 16 tyres are not recommended.

Two lessons carry over to any purchase. First, a brand does not guarantee a result in every size: the Goodyear rated “good” in 225/50 R17 is only “satisfactory” in 185/65 R15, and the ADAC notes that some makers do not offer their newest model in small sizes (Bridgestone, for example, sells the older Blizzak LM 005 here). Second, tread life in this size was modest across the board; the highest projected figure was the Kumho’s, at about 40,000 km.

Your size is not listed? The ADAC says a result transfers to another size if the width differs by no more than 10 mm and the aspect ratio by no more than 5 points, with the same rim diameter and construction. Standard, XL and HL tyres are different load classes, so compare like with like. Our tyre size calculator shows how two sizes differ.

All-season vs winter tyres

An all-season tyre is a compromise, and the ADAC’s June 2026 all-season test in 185/65 R15 shows how wide the quality range is:

• Only the Continental AllSeasonContact 2 was rated good (2.3). The Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 3 and Michelin CrossClimate 2 followed at 2.6.
• Five tyres were rated deficient, mostly for weak grip on snow and ice, even though they carry the 3PMSF snowflake and so count legally as winter tyres. The Bridgestone Weather Control A005-Evo was one of them.

The ADAC’s advice depends on how you drive. If you cover long motorway distances, drive in high temperatures or carry heavy loads (holiday trips, for example), separate summer and winter tyres are usually the better choice. If you mostly drive on ordinary roads, use the motorway only now and then, and do not need the sharpest steering, a good all-season tyre can be enough. For the full comparison, see our all-season vs winter tyre guide.

3PMSF vs M+S: which marking the law accepts

• 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake, the Alpine symbol) is granted only after a braking test on compacted snow under Annex 7 of UNECE Regulation 117, according to the European Commission. A separate ice symbol marks Nordic ice tyres, which the Commission says usually perform poorly on wet roads and are not meant for southern countries.
• M+S (“mud and snow”) is the older marking. It does not certify a passed snow test, which is why Germany no longer accepts it on its own.

Where the difference matters legally:

• 3PMSF required: Germany (M+S-only tyres stopped counting on 1 October 2024), Finland (non-studded winter tyres, since 1 December 2024) and Estonia.
• M+S still accepted: Austria, Italy, Czechia, Slovenia and Croatia, among others.

In Germany, a winter tyre may have a lower speed rating than the car’s top speed, as long as a sticker in the driver’s field of view shows the lower limit (ADAC).

Winter tyre dates and minimum tread by country, 2026–27

No winter tyre requirement applies in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Hungary, Denmark or Switzerland, although local chain signs can still apply. Every country we cover, with downloadable data, is on our winter tyre law map. Studs have rules of their own: see studded tyres by country.

When to fit them, and when to replace them

The ADAC’s rule of thumb is “O to O”: winter tyres from October to Easter (Ostern). Where a country sets dates, the table above takes priority. The ADAC also points out that in those months you spend more time on cold, wet roads than on snow, so a good winter tyre has to work in the wet too. That is exactly where the deficient tyres in its tests failed.

Replace winter tyres once the tread drops below 4 mm. Below that depth, the ADAC says, their aquaplaning reserve falls off markedly. In several countries 3 or 4 mm is also the legal limit in winter (see the table). Fit four tyres of the same model, and if the depths differ, put the better pair on the rear axle. Our tyre wear calculator estimates how much tread a set has left.

Driving an electric car? Load rating comes first, and the Alpine-symbol rule applies to every drive type: see our EV tyre guide. To store a set between seasons and handle the changeover, read the storage and changeover guide.

Sources

• ADAC Winterreifentest 225/50 R17 (published 22 September 2026): https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifentest/winterreifen/225-50-r17-2026/
• ADAC Winterreifentest 185/65 R15 (published 22 September 2026): https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifentest/winterreifen/185-65-r15-2026/
• ADAC Ganzjahresreifentest 185/65 R15 (published 23 June 2026): https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifentest/ganzjahresreifen/185-65-r15-2026/
• ADAC, “Reifenkennzeichnung: Von DOT bis Speedindex” (4 April 2025), on the Alpine symbol in Germany: https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifenkauf/reifenkennzeichnung/
• ADAC, “Die wichtigsten Tipps zum Reifenkauf” (3 April 2025), on winter speed ratings: https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifenkauf/tipps-reifenkauf/
• European Commission, Energy Efficient Products: Tyres (3PMSF and ice symbols under Regulation (EU) 2020/740): https://energy-efficient-products.ec.europa.eu/product-list/tyres_en
• Country dates, tread depths and fines: our country tyre-law pages, each citing the national legislation.