Hankook at a glance
Hankook started out in 1941 as Chosun Tire. The company was founded by Cho Hong-jai and took the name Hankook Tire in 1968. It has since grown into South Korea's largest tyre manufacturer and one of the ten biggest in the world, producing around 100 million tyres a year. In motorsport, the brand is the official tyre supplier to Formula E, and since 2025 it has also supplied tyres to the World Rally Championship.
Hankook Tire & Technology is a listed company whose parent is Hankook & Company. Its tyres are made in South Korea, China, Indonesia, the USA and at Rácalmás in Hungary, which supplies a large share of its European tyres. The group's second brand is the more affordable Laufenn. Hankook tyres are in the premium class, yet often priced slightly below the oldest European manufacturers. They suit everything from family cars to more powerful vehicles.
Among Hankook's winter tyres, the Winter i*Pike RS2 studded tyre and the Winter i*cept iZ3 friction tyre are popular in the Nordic countries. Its Central European winter tyre is the Winter i*cept RS3, with the Winter i*cept evo3 for larger cars. The best-known summer tyres are the Ventus Prime4 and the sporty Ventus S1 evo3. Anyone looking for an all-season tyre will find the Kinergy 4S2, and there is a dedicated iON range for electric cars.