Most Satisfying Tire Brands
CR's exclusive survey covers brands from Bridgestone to Yokohama
There are substantial differences between the most and least satisfying tire brands, according to our recent study of over 52,000 sets of tires bought by Consumer Reports members over the past four years. This is true when comparing brands overall, and it is also the case when looking at brand rankings among four popular tire categories.
The common thread: Tires that live up to their promise of performance or longevity tend to have higher satisfaction ratings—a similar concept that we routinely see play out in car owner satisfaction surveys. This means that tire shoppers would be wise to purchase based on test results, rather than rely on brand reputation, to ensure they get the performance they want. (See our Top Pick Tires.)
Satisfaction Highlights
• All-season tires are by far the most popular type of tire. In this survey, 85 percent of CR members who purchased tires bought all-season tires.
• Just two of the 30 all-season brands we rated claimed our highest satisfaction rating.
• In total, just two brands had top marks for satisfaction among all-season tires: Michelin and Vredestein. Significantly, 10 all-season tire brands were given our lowest rating.
• The all-terrain tire category was judged to be more satisfying, with 11 of 26 brands found by owners to have favorable satisfaction.
• Satisfaction is widely distributed among the winter/snow tire category, with four brands receiving the highest ratings, then six or seven brands earning each of the other four ratings.
• Summer tires have three brands at the top and three at the bottom. Once again, results vary widely.
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, there are other considerations. Satisfaction may be influenced by perceived value and whether the product fulfills a marketing promise—elements that aren’t part of our tests. And there is the reality that almost any new tire, whose installation includes proper suspension alignment and wheel balancing, is certain to be an improvement over the worn-out tires being replaced. (The one notable exception is that rolling resistance can improve as a tire wears.)
For these reasons, it is not surprising that there were more favorable ratings for all-terrain, winter/snow, and summer tires than with general-purpose all-season 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 because they fulfill their specific advertised mission—but that doesn’t mean they provide balanced, all-around performance.
“The satisfaction ratings provide added color to our test findings,” says Gordon Gingras, a tire technician at Consumer Reports. Gingras recommends that shoppers start with the Overall Score when making their tire selections, because that represents the complete synthesis of CR’s test and survey findings, then prioritize factors that matter most based on driving needs.
“Given how expensive tires are, and how important they are to safety, the mixed feedback from owners in every category reinforces the reasons to check our test results before buying,” says Ryan Pszczolkowski, Consumer Reports’ tire program manager.
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.
Tire Brand Satisfaction
