Winter tyres tested - Be prepared

The last couple of winters have proved that the majority of motorists aren’t geared up for bad weather. In fact, just a smattering of snow usually causes a big rise in the number of road accidents and abandoned cars as drivers struggle for grip.

Could a set of winter tyres help? Tyre manufacturers recommend fitting them for six months of the year – from October to April – and claim they provide big safety and driveability benefits in all weather conditions below 7C.

We decided to put these claims to the test. Earlier this year we rounded up four brands of winter tyre and pitted them against their summer counterparts in a series of cold-weather performance tests to determine whether a set of winter rubber is worth the investment.

Our snow and ice testing was carried out in Arvidsjaur, Sweden, while Contidrom in North Germany was the location of the wet and dry tests.

Tyres we tested

Winter tyres
Continental ContiWinterContact TS830 £115.80
Goodyear UltraGrip 8 £112.90
Michelin Alpin A4 £122.50
Nankan Snow SV-2 £73.20

Summer tyres
Goodyear EfficientGrip £83.80
Continental ContiPremiumContact 2 £86.40
Michelin Primacy HP £95.50
Nankan Ultra Sport NS-2 £67.50