TyreRanker methodology

1. Comparison within the same test

Each measured result is compared with the best result in the same test. Absolute figures from different tests are never compared with one another, because the weather, the track and the test car all differ. If a tyre is, say, 4% behind the best, it receives fewer points in that test category; how many fewer depends on how sensitive the category is.

2. Attribute groups

The test categories are divided into attribute groups: ice, snow, wet roads, dry roads, aquaplaning, noise and comfort, and rolling resistance. Within each group the categories are averaged, so the same attribute is not counted several times when a test measures it with more categories. There are also two attributes that do not come directly from measurements: the testers' verdict and price (see below).

3. Weightings: what we consider important

Every tester builds its overall score according to its own rules: one puts more emphasis on ice, another on wet roads, a third on ride comfort – and some of the ratings are subjective. That is why the overall scores of different tests cannot be compared directly. TyreRanker applies one and the same set of weightings to every test – this puts the results of different tests on a common basis and makes tyres comparable with one another. The weightings reflect how important we consider each attribute for drivers in the Nordic countries and the Baltics: safety carries the most weight (braking and handling on ice, on snow, on wet and dry roads, and aquaplaning), while noise, fuel consumption and price carry less. The current weightings for each tyre type are shown in the table below.

4. Testers' verdict (the magazines' final rating)

The testers are the magazines and organisations that carried out the tyre test – for example Tehnikamaailm, Teknikens Värld or Auto Bild – not the people who buy or use the tyres. At the end of a test, each tester gives its own final rating or ranking. This also takes into account things that are not published as measured results: the feel of the handling, noise, comfort and behaviour at the limit. That is why the testers' verdict is a separate attribute in the overall score, with a weighting of 10%. In each test we rank the tyres of the same class according to the tester's final ranking: the best gets 100 points and the last 30 points fewer. This puts different testers' verdicts on a single scale – every tester's ranking counts in the same way, whether it gives its ratings as points, stars or positions.

5. Combining several tests

If a tyre has been tested by several publications, a weighted average is calculated. The weighting depends on the publication's reliability, how recent the test is (the weighting halves every 3 years) and how many attributes the test measured. If the same set of measurement data has been published in several publications, it is counted only once.

6. Missing data

If an attribute (e.g. aquaplaning) has been measured on other tyres in the same class but not on this tyre, 3% is deducted from the overall score for each missing attribute. This way a tyre gains no advantage from its weak spot not having been tested. Attributes that nobody in the class has measured are not taken into account.

7. When a tyre gets a score

A tyre receives an overall score once its tests together cover at least half of the rated attributes (price and the testers' verdict are not counted). If a tyre has only been tested for, say, aquaplaning and fuel consumption, a score would be misleading – the page for such a tyre says “No score” and lists what has and has not been tested. All the measured results can still be seen on the test page. When a test covering the missing attributes is added, the tyre receives a score automatically.

8. Price

Two tyres can be almost equal in tests, yet the price difference between them can run to tens of euros per tyre – well over a hundred euros for a set of four. That is why price is a separate attribute in the overall score. The weighting for price is deliberately lower than for safety-related attributes: a cheaper tyre will not climb the ranking if it brakes clearly worse on ice or on wet roads, but between two similar tyres the price helps you choose the more sensible option.

A tyre's price depends on its size, so you cannot compare the price of one tyre in a 16-inch size with another in an 18-inch size. For each tyre class we choose one reference size: a common passenger-car size (e.g. 205/55 R16, 225/45 R17 or 245/40 R18) in which the largest number of tested tyres in that class are on sale. In the ranking, the reference size is shown in the heading of the price column.

If a tyre is not on sale in the reference size, its price is estimated via another size. We find a size in which both this tyre and other tyres of the same class are on sale, and see by what percentage this tyre is more or less expensive than the others there. The same ratio is then applied to the reference size. Such estimated prices are marked with an asterisk (*) in the ranking.

Prices are taken from a publicly accessible online shop that stocks the largest number of the same products, and they are comparable with prices in other online shops. Price sources: rehvidemüük.com, rehvidpluss.com, Vianor and Tirespot. Prices are collected from the shops' public websites and product feeds. We always use the price per tyre including VAT, excluding fitting, discount codes and set discounts. The main price is updated daily and other shops' prices once a week overnight, so as not to put load on the shops' servers. If a product is no longer on sale, its price is removed within three weeks.

Price points are calculated within the class: the two cheapest tyres get 100 points, and every €3 above the second-cheapest price costs one point – for example, a tyre that costs €30 more gets 90 points. A tyre whose price could not be found in any shop gets 33 points. Price is counted once in the overall score, not for each test: overall score = test result × (100 − price weighting)% + price points × price weighting%.

Each tyre page shows the lowest price found and offers from several shops, so you can compare prices yourself. Prices change often – promotions, stock levels and the season affect them every day – so always check the price on the shop's own website before you buy. Shops cannot influence TyreRanker's scores or ranking, and no one is paid for price data.