Summer tyre test 255/45 R19 - Auto Bild 2026
Summer Wet and dry disciplines were run at the Goodyear proving ground in Mireval, southern France. Off-road handling was tested on the Drive Control rally course in nearby Monteils. The overall weighting was 20% off-road, 40% wet, and 40% dry.
Auto Bild does not name a single reference car. The test targets all-wheel-drive SUVs and crossover EVs using size 255/45 R19, including VW Tiguan, Audi Q3, Seat Tarraco, Tesla Model Y, and Volvo XC40.
Price vs Quality
See how tyre price relates to test performance at a glance
Results
Agenda:Best value in test
Better than average value
Worse than average value
Worst value in test
Falken delivers the shortest dry braking distance at 32.5 m from 100 km/h, followed by Hankook at 32.8 m and Goodyear at 32.9 m. Bridgestone is the dry-handling leader at 106.6 km/h, ahead of Toyo at 104.9 km/h and Kumho at 104.6 km/h.
1
1
Rating: Exemplary (test winner)
£174 104 Y
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
Wet2-
Dry2+
Offroad2+
Rolling resistance2+
Noise1-
Stopping distance on dry1-
Stopping distance on wet2+
Comfort2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/9
Wet Braking#1/9
Wet Circle Cornering#1/9
Wet Handling#1/9
Aquaplaning Cross#3/9
Dry
Dry Braking#1/9
Dry Handling#1/9
Offroad
Offroad Grass#1/9
Offroad Gravel#1/9
Gravel Handling#5/9
Offroad Sand#7/9
Strengths
Test winner with best wet properties, short braking distances, dynamic handling, good value for money
Weaknesses
Limited traction on sand
Summary
- Published overall result: 1.2 · 1/9
- Best discipline position: Longitudinal aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Sand traction (7/9)
Hankook is the wet benchmark with 50.2 m wet braking from 100 km/h and the fastest wet handling at 89.1 km/h. Michelin leads straight aquaplaning at 90.9 km/h, Toyo leads curve aquaplaning at 2.56 m/s2, and Giti is weakest in the wet at 60.1 m.
2
2
£195 104 Y
tyres-pneus-online.co.uk
Wet3+
Dry2+
Offroad2-
Rolling resistance2
Noise1-
Stopping distance on dry2+
Stopping distance on wet2+
Comfort1-
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/9
Wet Braking#1/9
Wet Circle Cornering#1/9
Aquaplaning Cross#5/9
Wet Handling#5/9
Dry
Dry Braking#2/9
Dry Handling#2/9
Offroad
Gravel Handling#1/9
Offroad Grass#2/9
Offroad Gravel#6/9
Offroad Sand#6/9
Strengths
Dynamic with direct steering response and agile behavior on all surfaces, short braking distances
Weaknesses
Most expensive candidate, slightly increased rolling resistance
Summary
- Published overall result: 1.3 · 2/9
- Best discipline position: Longitudinal aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Wet performance (9/9)
Auto Bild adds a real off-road chapter: gravel handling plus traction on grass, gravel, and sand, worth 20% of the final result.
Wet1-
Dry2+
Offroad1-
Rolling resistance2-
Noise2+
Stopping distance on dry2+
Stopping distance on wet2-
Comfort2-
Wet
Wet Handling#1/9
Aquaplaning Cross#3/9
Wet Circle Cornering#4/9
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#5/9
Wet Braking#5/9
Dry
Dry Braking#2/9
Dry Handling#2/9
Offroad
Gravel Handling#2/9
Offroad Sand#2/9
Offroad Grass#4/9
Offroad Gravel#8/9
Strengths
All-rounder with balanced and safe driving characteristics, lowest rolling resistance, fair price
Weaknesses
Limited traction on gravel
Summary
- Published overall result: 1.3 · 3/9
- Best discipline position: Dry performance (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Rolling resistance (8/9)
Bridgestone leads gravel handling at 64.2 km/h, Hankook leads grass and gravel traction with 3729 N and 11442 N, and Falken is the sand specialist with 10718 N.
Wet2+
Dry2+
Offroad2+
Rolling resistance2
Noise1-
Stopping distance on dry2
Stopping distance on wet2
Comfort2
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/9
Wet Braking#3/9
Wet Circle Cornering#3/9
Wet Handling#5/9
Aquaplaning Cross#7/9
Dry
Dry Braking#5/9
Dry Handling#5/9
Offroad
Gravel Handling#2/9
Offroad Grass#2/9
Offroad Sand#2/9
Offroad Gravel#4/9
Strengths
Gravel specialist with high safety reserves on all test surfaces, short dry braking distances, low rolling resistance
Weaknesses
Slightly weaker in aquaplaning
Summary
- Published overall result: 1.4 · 4/9
- Best discipline position: Longitudinal aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Cornering aquaplaning (7/9)
Wet2-
Dry2
Offroad2
Rolling resistance2+
Noise2
Stopping distance on dry2+
Stopping distance on wet2
Comfort2
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#1/9
Wet Handling#1/9
Wet Braking#3/9
Wet Circle Cornering#4/9
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#5/9
Dry
Dry Braking#2/9
Dry Handling#5/9
Offroad
Offroad Gravel#2/9
Offroad Sand#2/9
Offroad Grass#4/9
Gravel Handling#5/9
Strengths
Wet specialist with great reserves in aquaplaning, good traction on gravel, pleasant rolling comfort
Weaknesses
Limited load capacity, approved up to 240 km/h (V)
Summary
- Published overall result: 1.8 · 5/9
- Best discipline position: Cornering aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Wet performance (6/9)
Michelin has the strongest aquaplaning reserve, while Vredestein stands out on efficiency with the lowest rolling resistance at 6.92 kg/t.
Wet2
Dry2
Offroad2-
Rolling resistance2
Noise2
Stopping distance on dry2-
Stopping distance on wet2-
Comfort2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#1/9
Aquaplaning Cross#5/9
Wet Braking#5/9
Wet Handling#5/9
Wet Circle Cornering#6/9
Dry
Dry Handling#7/9
Dry Braking#8/9
Offroad
Gravel Handling#2/9
Offroad Gravel#2/9
Offroad Sand#2/9
Offroad Grass#4/9
Strengths
Convincing performance off-road, dynamic behavior on dry track, cheapest tire in the test
Weaknesses
Slightly weaker in wet
Summary
- Published overall result: 2.1 · 6/9
- Best discipline position: Longitudinal aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Dry braking (8/9)
Hankook Ventus Evo wins with 1.2 and an exemplary verdict thanks to top wet safety, short braking distances, and strong value.
Wet2-
Dry2
Offroad2
Rolling resistance2+
Noise2
Stopping distance on dry2
Stopping distance on wet2-
Comfort2+
Wet
Aquaplaning Cross#1/9
Wet Handling#1/9
Wet Braking#5/9
Wet Circle Cornering#6/9
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#8/9
Dry
Dry Braking#5/9
Dry Handling#7/9
Offroad
Offroad Grass#4/9
Offroad Gravel#6/9
Offroad Sand#7/9
Gravel Handling#9/9
Strengths
Good safety reserves in aquaplaning, dynamic behavior on dry track, good comfort
Weaknesses
Weaknesses in gravel handling and sand traction
Summary
- Published overall result: 2.1 · 7/9
- Best discipline position: Cornering aquaplaning (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Handling on gravel (9/9)
Bridgestone Potenza Sport Evo, Vredestein Ultrac Pro, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 also score exemplary, forming a tight top group from 1.2 to 1.4.
Wet2+
Dry2
Offroad2+
Rolling resistance2
Noise1-
Stopping distance on dry2
Stopping distance on wet2-
Comfort3+
Wet
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#5/9
Wet Braking#5/9
Wet Circle Cornering#6/9
Aquaplaning Cross#7/9
Wet Handling#9/9
Dry
Dry Handling#2/9
Dry Braking#5/9
Offroad
Offroad Sand#1/9
Offroad Grass#4/9
Gravel Handling#7/9
Offroad Gravel#8/9
Strengths
Braking ace with short braking distances on wet and dry asphalt, best traction on sand, low rolling resistance
Weaknesses
Weak traction on gravel
Summary
- Published overall result: 2.5 · 8/9
- Best discipline position: Exterior noise (1/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Wet handling (9/9)
The off-road section changes the order in a meaningful way: Bridgestone and Kumho gain, while Toyo and Giti lose ground once terrain scores are included.
Wet2
Dry2
Offroad2
Rolling resistance3+
Noise2
Stopping distance on dry3+
Stopping distance on wet3+
Comfort2
Wet
Wet Handling#5/9
Aquaplaning Cross#7/9
Aquaplaning Longitudinal#8/9
Wet Braking#9/9
Wet Circle Cornering#9/9
Dry
Dry Braking#9/9
Dry Handling#9/9
Offroad
Offroad Grass#4/9
Offroad Gravel#4/9
Gravel Handling#7/9
Offroad Sand#7/9
Strengths
Dry specialist with decent traction on grass and gravel
Weaknesses
Limited grip level with extended braking distances in wet, weaker on sand
Summary
- Published overall result: 2.7 · 9/9
- Best discipline position: Grass traction (4/9)
- Lowest discipline position: Wet circle cornering (9/9)
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