Best Tires: A Comprehensive Buyer's Guide for 2024

Quality tires are an important, significant investment for every vehicle owner. The dedicated tire experts here at Car Talk are serious about our top tire recommendations because your safety on the road can depend on the quality of your tires. We took tire rating a step further and launched our Golden Wrench Awards for excellence in the tires space.

Take a look at our Golden Wrench winners for Best Tires in each category below.

Car Talk's Golden Wrench Award Winners

Best Tire Brand Overall - Michelin

Michelin has been a leader in the tire industry for over 100 years. They are a very well known option for consumers, as they maintain positive reviews and ratings with mechanics and owners alike. The company is one of the top-selling tire companies in the world. It also owns BF Goodrich, which is focused on SUV and performance tires, and the more budget-friendly Uniroyal brand. Michelin is known for its long history of innovation and receives consistently high marks for quality, and has a strong environmental ethic. Michelin has won multiple awards in our Golden Wrench Awards this year.

• Known for innovations in technology
• Highest quality
• Environmentally focused

Best Tire Brands - Full List

Best All Season Tire - Michelin CrossClimate2

The Michelin CrossClimate2 is an all-season grand touring tire that offers exceptional performance all year long. It features a tread compound designed to handle dry, wet, and winter weather with rubber that stays flexible in low temperatures. It also has a three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating, something not found on every all season offering. In addition to specially formulated rubber, the tread pattern has steep angles that funnel water away from the contact patch to reduce hydroplaning and increase traction. Michelin employs its PIANO noise reduction tuning, which has a tread pattern that reduces airborne noise. Based on over two years of testing by Car Talk this tire is a great replacement for any OEM all-season tire. Owners of electrified vehicles report no meaningful loss of range.

• Superior industry ranking
• Superior innovation
• Available sizes: 16" - 20"
• Great for those who need real winter capability but don’t want to own two sets of tires

Best All Season Tires - Full List

Best Performance Tire - Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

Michelin's Pilot Sport 4S is our Golden Wrench winner and top pick for Best Performance Tire on the market today. This superior tire scored the highest marks for flexibility, grip and traction. The Pilot Sport 4S is a precision tool that offers spectacular performance. The unique asymmetric tread pattern and innovative, durable rubber compound used in the creation of this tire make for superior handling and wet braking performance. This tire maintains excellent reviews and ratings for performance and traction. This excellent performance tire was developed and designed with care for the serious sport driver. This is a tire that Car Talk's test team often finds on our high performance media test vehicles.

• Excellent durability
• Superior performance
• Available sizes: 17" - 23"

Best Performance Tires - Full List

Best Truck Tire - Michelin Defender LTX M/S

The Michelin Defender LTX M/S is an all-season tire that combines true all season capabilities with durability and long treadlife. This tire offers a smooth, quiet ride with traction in dry, wet, and winter conditions, including light snow. The rubber compound used for the Defender series holds up better in tough situations with a tread pattern to manage a variety of road conditions. Its four-channel pattern has multiple grooves to help push water away from the contact patch and improve traction. There are also twin steel belts to provide strength and durability for handling heavy loads.

• Excellent durability
• High ratings and reviews
• Available sizes: 15" - 22"

Best Truck Tires - Full List

Best Car/Sedan Tire - Michelin CrossClimate2

The Michelin CrossClimate2 is our Golden Wrench winner and top pick for Best Car/Sedan Tire as well as Best All Season Tire. This tire was designed with stunning innovation and a thermal adaptive all-season tread compound. The CrossClimate2 has superior dry, wet and winter handling with a tread compound that stays flexible in low temperatures. It also has a three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating. In addition to specially formulated rubber, the tread pattern has steep angles that funnel water away from the contact patch to reduce hydroplaning and increase traction. Michelin employs its PIANO noise reduction tuning, which has a tread pattern that reduces airborne noise.

• Superior industry ratings and reviews
• Superior innovation
• Available sizes: 16" - 20"

Best Car/Sedan Tires - Full List

Best SUV/Crossover Tire - Continental CrossContact LX25

The Continental CrossContact LX25 is our Golden Wrench winner for Best SUV/Crossover tire due to its impressive all-season capabilities as well as great handling and traction in dry, wet and light snow conditions. The CrossContact LX25 employs multiple technologies to provide a luxurious ride quality while providing true all-season traction. From sound deadening integrated directly below the tread layer, continuous ribs to minimize the noise, and a tread compound designed to maximize fuel economy and tread life, Continental has achieved an elusive combination of excellent traction, stunning handling and enduring, quiet tread.

• Excellent handling and traction
• Impressive endurance
• Available sizes: 16" - 22"

Best SUV/Crossover Tires - Full List

Best Minivan Tire - Michelin CrossClimate2

Michelin's CrossClimate2 is our Golden Wrench winner and top pick for Best Tire for your minivan, as well as Best All Season Tire and Best Car/Sedan Tire. This truly unique tire is a top of the line offering, due to its superior industry ranking, innovative design and thermal adaptive all-season tread compound. The CrossClimate2 continues to gain excellent consumer reviews, safety ratings and industry reviews. This tire carries the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) rating for use in wintery conditions as well as superior performance when used for all-season performance.

• Superior innovation
• Excellent design
• Available sizes: 16" - 20"

Best Minivan Tires - Full List

Best Winter Tire - Michelin X-Ice Xi3

The Michelin X-Ice Xi3 is a studless winter tire which has won our Best Winter Tire category. This tire works for sedans, minivans, and crossovers. The X-Ice Xi3 has excellent traction in snow and ice and solid handling in winter conditions. It’s also a low rolling resistance tire, which helps improve fuel economy. A silica-based rubber compound helps the tire stay firm when weather is warmer while remaining flexible at low temperatures. The unique tread design pushes water and slush to the side to avoid hydroplaning and the sipe pattern improves stiffness for better treadwear. These tires meet the industry’s severe snow service requirements and feature the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol.

• Superior traction
• Excellent in wintery conditions
• Available sizes: 14" - 19"

Best Winter Tires - Full List

Car Talk Community's favorite tires

Car Talk's very active online Community has many interesting and thoughtful perspectives on the best tires in the industry, based on real life user experience and knowledge.

"Michelin is easily my favorite brand."

- oldmoparguy

"Michelin for cars. I do also love Michelin truck tires, but I think Cooper truck tires are as good for 30% less."

- MikeInNH

"I’ve not had a problem with any brand, I research them, it helps: Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama, Vredestein, Goodyear. I stay away from the no-names."

- texases

Read more on the Best Tires in the industry according to the Car Talk Community here.

Why Trust Car Talk

Our Golden Wrench methodology is based on over 30 data points. Car Talk researchers took an in-depth look into the tire industry.

• Consumer Satisfaction: Consumers provided data about what their experience was using tire models within each of these brands.

• Industry Professionals: Car Talk researchers performed a nation-wide survey of over 800 mechanics and industry professionals for their opinions.

• Government Reporting: Statistics reported for safety and durability.

• Tire Quality and Engineering: A tire brand’s overall quality and engineering or innovation influenced a consumer’s decision to purchase.

• Performance: Car Talk looked at how tires from these particular brands performed in a variety of weather conditions.

• Our Own Testing: While we cannot test every tire on the market, we can test the most popular and highly rated models to see if they live up to the hype. If we have tested a tire in our rankings, we point that out.

Choosing a tire brand

If our Golden Wrench recommendations don't fit within your needs or budget, there are many reputable brands to choose from. If we can offer one piece of advice, it’s to choose a tire brand you’ve heard of. If somebody’s trying to talk you into a set of Riptide Ditchfinders from the gas station for a third what the same size Yokohama tire would cost, do yourself a favor and save your money. Getting the best tire deals is possible, if you do the research and go with a reputable brand.

There really aren’t that many tire brands that might ring a bell when somebody mentions them to you, so it really narrows down the wide field of brands you should be thinking about. In general, we always look to the following brands when we need to replace your tires:

• BF Goodrich
• Bridgestone
• Continental
• Cooper
• Dunlop
• Falken
• Firestone
• Fuzion
• General
• Goodyear
• Hankook
• Kumho
• Michelin
• Pirelli
• Sumitomo
• Toyo
• Yokohama

There are also a couple of specialty brands that specialize in tires that are top-shelf in that narrow field:

• Falken - Performance
• Dick Cepek - Off-Road Tires
• Hoosier - Racing Tires

Choosing a quality tire brand

Why bother spending more money on the best tire brands when you could save tons of money buying tires from some random hoops from the Dollar Store? Tires are all the same, right? Round, black and smelly.

Not so fast. There is an incredible amount of research that goes into just the rubber compound of specific tires, long before any design considerations are made on how the tread works, how the belts overlap or how heavy duty the sidewall is.

Depending on your usage, you could destroy a cheap set of tires in a day. Literally. If your mission is to take your vehicle off-road, for example, and you’ve chosen a sub-standard brand of tires, a sharp rock could easily puncture a hole in the sidewall and your day is over. Those are exactly the hazards that the brand name tire manufacturers are hoping to protect you from when they invest the money in research and development, rather than just fulfilling the round-black-smelly opening ante. Consider one tire, for example, BF Goodrich’s All-Terrain T/A K02. It’s one of the most popular all-terrain tires in the business and BF Goodrich has spent a ton of money marketing it since it was introduced in 2014, which is why you might think you could choose a lesser brand. Why pay more for a tire just because the company that makes it spent more on marketing?

But the money BF Goodrich spent went to prove that the K02 is the best tire in its class. When the tire was introduced, the company supplied these off-the-shelf tires for the Baja Challenge class in the Baja 1000 desert race. Every single vehicle that competed in that class wore the same tires that you could have delivered to your house today, and the point was to prove that tire’s durability during one of the world’s most punishing off-road races.

You’re just not going to get that kind of testing out of some tire manufacturer that is also known for making shirts.

Tires for different purposes

Most tire manufacturers have a number of different tire models aimed at a different kind of consumer. Some folks are just looking for a decent, safe, replacement tire for their Honda Fit, and most tire brands would be happy to provide them with one. Other tire consumers are looking for something more specific: a V-rated performance tire for their late model muscle car. A light truck tire for long hauls on the highway without a lot of road noise. A gnarly off-road tire for their sports SUV.

Most manufacturers are going to have a tire that meets the needs of that consumer, but if you’re wedded to a specific tire brand, it may not have all the attributes you’re looking for in its tire range.

We’ll break down our tire brand recommendations into each of the general vehicle types: Passenger Car/Minivan, Performance Car, Pickup Truck, SUV. We’re also building out recommendations for popular vehicle models. You can find links to those articles that go in much more depth in the section below.

See more information on tires for different purposes. Winter Tires, All-Terrain Tires, All-Season Tires, Truck Tires, SUV Tires, Tires for EVs

What tires should I choose for my passenger car or minivan?

In a way, choosing a tire brand that suits an everyday passenger car or minivan is the toughest choice you’re likely to face because just about every manufacturer offers a tire to fit those types of vehicles. Tires that fit in the passenger car class are generally constructed to reach several goals:

• Treadlife - Many of the tires in this class are going to have tread life ratings that are in the 500 range, meaning that in testing, they lasted 5 times longer than the 100-rated control tire they were tested against. The tires we chose all beat the 500 rating

• Traction - Most of these tires are going to be in the A range, which is good, but not the highest of AA, meaning they’ll perform well in wet and snowy conditions.

• Temperature - These tires almost all have a B heat resistance rating, which is middle-of-the-road. They aren’t high-speed rated tires, so high-temperature ratings weren’t part of the original design brief.

All of these tires were rated higher than 3.5 stars out of 5 by consumers:

• Budget: Yokohama Avid Ascend GT - With a 740 tread life rating, these tires are going to be in your car for a good long time. They’re around the same price as you’d find for the original equipment tires that came on your car when it was new. They feature an A traction rating and an A temperature rating.

• Moderately Priced: Michelin Premier A/S - These 640 tread life rated tires should get you through the next three or four years without issue, and for a Michelin tire, they’re quite reasonably priced. It receives an A traction and an A temperature rating as well.

• Price No Object: Michelin CrossClimate2 - These award-winning all-season grand touring tires offer exceptional handling and performance no matter the time of year. The CrossClimate2 innovative design features a unique tread compound which can handle dry, wet, and winter weather with rubber that stays flexible in low temperatures.

Read more about Car Talk's Best All Season Tire for 2024.

See our top tire picks for these popular models. Honda Civic, Mazda CX-5, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord, Honda Odyssey, Ford Fusion, Ford Edge, Toyota Prius

What tires should I choose for my performance car?

You’ll notice right away that tread life isn’t exactly a performance tire strong suit. Most of these tires are rated in the 450 range, and some can be as low as 200. That means that some of them are going to wear out in half as much time as a conventional passenger car or touring tire.

The advantage, though, is their road-holding capability. These tires constructed with a much stickier rubber compound, and in some cases, a much more track-oriented tread pattern, often with diagonal tread on just the outer portion of the contact patch, while the inner section is grooved almost like an F1 rain tire.

These tires are also unidirectional, meaning that when it’s time to rotate them, they can only be relocated to the front from the rear, not in a cross pattern.

Performance tires on modern cars are usually in the 19- or 20-inch range, but you can buy a high-performance tire in 17-inch sizes for your passenger car, too.

All of these tires have received greater than a 3.5 out of 5 star rating by consumers:

• Budget: Kumho Ecsta PS91 - You don’t necessarily need to spend a fortune for a decent performance tire. Kumho makes an excellent tire for half the price of the brands you usually associate with performance tires. The Ecsta offers excellent wet performance and is generally highly regarded among shoppers who’ve owned them.

• Moderately Priced: Continental Extremecontact Sport 2 - Continental Extremecontact Sports are highly rated by consumers who’ve owned them. They not only offer outstanding wet traction, but their tread life rating is significantly higher than the competition.

• Cost-No-Object: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S - A superior performance tire that’s original equipment on some of the world’s highest performance vehicles, Pilot Sport 4S is at the top of its class in performance.

Read more about Car Talk's Best Performance Tires for 2024.

See our top tire picks for this popular performance model. Ford Mustang

What tires should I choose for my pickup truck?

Pickups have a lot of purposes. Some pickup owners are interested in their towing and load-hauling abilities. Some are more interested in using their trucks for fun. Instead of breaking our tire recommendations into price categories, we’re going to provide recommendations on tires for three of the most common ways people use their trucks.

We’ll look at tires for work, for commuting, and for play:

• For Work: Hankook DynaPro HT - The DynaPro HT is a highly rated tire with an E load range, meaning that they have 10 plies of radial cords inside, and can be inflated up to 80 psi for heavy loads. They’re also less expensive than some of the comparable brands.

• For Commuting: Sumitomo Encounter HT - The Encounter HT is a highway-oriented truck tire that should provide years of service. In every category, this tire shines against the competition.

• For Play: BFGoodrich Mud Terrain KM3 - For bashing around off-road, there aren’t many tires that are better than the KM3. With a blocky tread design, outstanding sidewall strength, and surprisingly low noise on the road, these are the tires that will get you there and back.

See our top tire picks for these popular models. Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150, Ford Ranger, GMC Sierra, Nissan Titan, Ram 1500, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra

What tires should I choose for my SUV?

SUVs used to be just pickup trucks with an enclosed bed and a few seats thrown in the back. Today, SUVs are the most competitive category in the entire automotive landscape. You run the gamut from commuter cars like the Nissan Rogue to high-performance SUVs like the Porsche Cayman to off-road beasts like the Jeep Wrangler.

Like our pickup category, we’ll break our recommendations into how these vehicles are used, as opposed to the price of the tires:

• Compact Crossover Commuter: Falken Ziex ZE001 A/S - You might not know Falken as well as you do some of the other brands, but they build an excellent tire. The Ziex ZE001 is an all-season tire built specifically for the needs of a compact crossover driver. These were original equipment on some Rogue models and they’re an excellent replacement for other models.

• High-Performance SUV: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric - These are the ultimate in sport SUV tires, and are a great replacement for vehicles like the Range Rover Sport. Available in the huge 22-inch size that these ultra-performance SUVs require, the Eagle F1 Asymmetric is more focused on nimble handling in wet and dry conditions than it is in off-road performance.

• Off-Road: BFGoodrich ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO2 - This tire is the default selection for many off-road enthusiasts with vehicles like Jeeps and Broncos. The ALL-TERRAIN T/A KO2 features a tough sidewall and a go-anywhere tread design. Planning to air down? This tire was specifically designed for air-down operation on your next adventure. This tire also features the 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake denoting it is rated for Severe Snow Service.

• Light Off-Road Use: Falken WildPeak A/T Trail - Mazda, Toyota, and Ford have all started to equip the most capable trims of their popular SUVs with the Falken WildPeak A/T tires right from the factory. The WildPeak A/T Trail is great for weekend adventures on trailheads, logging trails and dirt roads. Unlike a dedicated off-road tire, the A/T Trail is not much more noisy than an all-season tire and handles well on-pavement. Go for the A/T 3W or new A/T 4W if you plan frequent off roading. This tire line features a severe snow duty rating, so most owners can forgo switching over to dedicated winter tires. In our testing, the WildPeak A/T Trail and A/T 3W have been outstanding.

See our top tire picks for these popular models. Chevy Equinox, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV-4, Toyota Highlander, Toyota 4Runner, Subaru Forester, Subaru Outback, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass, Ford Explorer, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Renegade, Audi Q5, Subaru Crosstrek, Lexus RX350, Chevy Tahoe, Honda Pilot

How to read a tire

Don't know what all those numbers on the side of your tires mean? We have put together this infographic to help you understand what your tire is trying to tell you.

You can download this infographic here. If you reference the image please provide a link back to this page.

See our recommendations for the 10 Best Tire Brands for 2024.

Read more on the Best Tire Deals available here.