Best Tire Brands of 2023
Consumer Reports' test results reveal which companies make the best-performing tires
Tire shoppers cite brand as a key factor when they’re choosing a replacement, based on our last survey of Consumer Reports members about tires. The leading purchase considerations are all-weather grip (54 percent); brand (43 percent); handling (40 percent); and manufacturer treadwear warranty (40 percent), according to the survey of 15,945 members, who reported on their tire purchase and/or installation experiences.
Consumer Reports’ extensive tire testing has found there are significant differences among brands and models, particularly in grip and tread life. To steer you in the right direction, we developed a brand rating based on individual tire tests. Brand scores are presented below for 16 of the 29 brands tested. We tested four or more models under each of these brand names.
How We Test Tires
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
Our tests measure performance in braking, comfort, handling, hydroplaning (when water gets between the tire and the pavement), noise, snow traction, and other important areas. We test braking on ice at a local skating rink, and an outside lab assesses the rolling resistance of tires, which affects fuel economy. Plus, we evaluate tread life by driving thousands of miles on a road course in western Texas and use that information to predict tread life.
Combined, this extensive information can help you find the best tires from 29 tested brands from BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Falken, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho, Michelin, Nexen, Nitto, Nokian, Pirelli, Toyo, Uniroyal, Vredestein, and Yokohama.
A tire must excel at performance and safety in our tests to earn a Consumer Reports recommendation.
If you’re a CR member, you can access the rankings below and see our dynamic tire ratings, where you can search for the tire type you’re interested in and see specific test results.
