Summer tire test for electric cars by Auto Bild — 2025
The development of the electric car market has led to many tire manufacturers introducing separate models or even entire lines designed specifically for electric vehicles, while other companies claim that their tires are just as suitable for any type of vehicle. Advocates of the first approach argue that electric vehicles require special tires with low rolling resistance, which increases the range, and also need to reduce noise, as there is no engine sound and tire noise has a higher value, and in addition, the tires must be durable enough to handle the loads associated with the weight of heavy batteries and instantly available torque. At the same time, other manufacturers note that they have simply improved their tires, taking into account the features of electric cars, and some of them have added the corresponding marking to their products.
Which strategy is the most winning will show time, and for now, Auto Bild has decided to conduct another tire test and found out from manufacturers which option they consider the most suitable for the electric Hyundai Kona. As a result, the list of participants included two tires created specifically for electric cars: Falken e.Ziex and Hankook iON evo, as well as Continental PremiumContact 7, Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 SUV, Firestone Roadhawk 2 and Michelin Primacy 4+ from companies following the second approach. In addition, Yokohama recommended economical tires BluEarth-XT, and as a budget option, they took Goodride Solmax 1 from ZC Rubber, which last year announced that this model is now available in a version optimized for use on electric vehicles. The selected tire size: 215/55 R18.
All tires were tested according to the standard methodology, but an additional environmental rating was formed, which took into account factors such as the assessment of economy in the Euro marking system, the length of transport routes, etc.
Wet asphalt
The Continental PremiumContact 7 tires have already won several tests, and this time they take first place in the most important discipline - "braking on a wet surface". At the same time, in tests for lateral stability and handling on a wet track, Continental, although showing excellent results, conceded to Hankook tires from the iON line, created specifically for electric vehicles. The indicators of the other tires were also at least acceptable, and only the budget Goodride lost points, which have a very long braking distance on wet pavement.
In the tests for resistance to longitudinal and transverse aquaplaning, Firestone took the first place, followed by Hankook, and the worst results were shown by Michelin and Yokohama.
Dry asphalt
On the dry track, Hankook turned out to be the best thanks to their short braking distance and excellent handling, and they were able to leave behind the tires of premium brands, and the second place was taken by Continental. The Goodride tires again lag behind the other participants.
The quietest tires in the test were Yokohama, but overall, all tires received good ratings.
In Auto Bild, they also consider the potential mileage of tires, and here, with a rating of almost 50,000 km, Goodyear was the best, while Firestone's resource was almost half as much.
According to the price and resource ratio, Goodyear could also take the first place, but the leader in this discipline was Goodride due to their very low cost. The maximum costs per kilometer of travel will be when using premium Michelin.
Falken also provides the best range for the Hyundai Kona, while Continental reduces the distance that can be traveled on a single charge by approximately 65 km.
Test results
Despite the presence of electric car tires in the test, the "Green" tire award was not given to any of them, but to the "standard" model from Goodyear.
The first place in the overall rating was taken by the Hankook iON evo tire, which not only has low rolling resistance and increased durability but also provides a high level of safety, and the balance of characteristics allowed it to slightly outperform the Continental PremiumContact 7, which took second place. Continental traditionally has very good results on both dry and wet pavement, but energy efficiency was relatively low, although the manufacturer recommends these tires to electric vehicle owners. Both tires in the top spots received an "Exemplary" rating, as did the Goodyear EfficientGrip 2 SUV, which has not only excellent driving qualities in any conditions but also a very good price and resource ratio.
A "Good" rating was awarded to the "standard" Michelin Primacy 4+ and Falken e.Ziex for electric cars. Both tires received high ratings on the dry track, but on the wet pavement, they lost points due to reduced grip, and Falken also had increased wear. The Firestone Roadhawk 2 and Yokohama BluEarth-XT tires are also not durable, and the first has the lowest resource among all participants, and the second did not perform well in tests on wet asphalt. At the same time, the inexpensive Goodride Solmax 1 has low noise, but due to a very long braking distance on wet roads, it takes the last place with a rating of "Conditionally recommended".
Source: Auto Bild