Nordic non-studded winter tyre

Vi Bilägare winter tyre test 2026

Name: Vi Bilägare winter tyre test 2026
Creator: Vi Bilägare

Vi Bilägare, 2026

Test winnerContinentalVikingContact 877

Published: September 1, 2026
Tyre size: 215/65 R17
Tyres: 8
Test car: VW Tiguan 1,5 TSI / Tiguan R / Škoda Kodiaq
Conditions: Tampere, aprill, Älvsbyn, veebruar

Results heatmap

Best15%+ behind the best

Each cell is a measured result. The colour shows how far it is from the best result in the same test category.

Tester's rank	Tyre	Braking on ice, m	Acceleration on ice, s	Handling on ice, s	Braking on snow, m	Acceleration on snow, s	Handling on snow, s	Braking in the wet, m	Handling in the wet, s	Braking in the dry, m	Straight-line aquaplaning, km/h	Interior noise, dB	Fuel consumption, l/100 km	Interior noise (motorway), dB	TyreRanker score
1.	Continental VikingContact 8Nordic non-studded winter tyre	13.8	9.2	69.9	11.9	6	69.9	63.3	40	47.2	68.6	63.8	6.2	69.2	77
2.	Pirelli Ice FrictionNordic non-studded winter tyre	14.5	9.8	69.2	11.8	6	69.6	58.6	40.6	46.7	70.3	63.5	6.2	69.2	76
3.	Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5Nordic non-studded winter tyre	14.5	9.3	69.6	11.8	6	70.3	59.8	39.7	47.8	67.6	63.3	6.1	68.9	75
3.	Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3Nordic non-studded winter tyre	14.2	9.4	70.4	11.9	5.9	71	62.2	40.1	49.2	71.4	64.2	6	69.1	75
5.	Hankook Winter i*cept IZ3Nordic non-studded winter tyre	14.8	9.3	71.6	12.3	6.1	72.4	66.9	43.5	50.9	65.4	64.7	6	69.8	65
6.	Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3Central European winter tyre	17.2	11.7	79.8	12.6	6.4	74.5	41.9	36.7	42.7	90.1	64.2	6.5	70.3	81
7.	Mazzini SnowLeopard 3Nordic non-studded winter tyre	16.7	11.1	72.6	12.4	6.1	72.9	61.9	41.9	50	67	64.3	6.1	69.2	62
8.	Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi51Nordic non-studded winter tyre	16.4	11.6	73.5	12.7	6.6	74.4	57.2	41.6	50	72.4	65.8	6.2	70.9	60

Test rank = the ranking published by the test organiser (if the test included more tyres than are listed here, the rank is among all tyres in the full test). Score = the TyreRanker score from this test's measurements; in the rankings, TyreRanker orders tyres by its own score.

TyreRanker summary

In its 2026 test, Vi Bilägare compared 8 Nordic non-studded winter tyres in size 215/65 R17 (test car: VW Tiguan 1,5 TSI / Tiguan R / Škoda Kodiaq). Measured parameters from this test used by TyreRanker: 13.

In the tester's ranking, the best was the Continental VikingContact 8, followed by Pirelli Ice Friction and Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5. On measured results alone, the best tyre in this test was the Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 (81 points) – the tester also assesses driving feel and other subjective qualities.

Braking on ice: best Continental VikingContact 8 (13.8 m), weakest Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 (17.2 m) – a difference of 3.5 m, or 25%. Braking on snow: best Pirelli Ice Friction (11.8 m), weakest Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi51 (12.7 m) – a difference of 0.900 m, or 8%. Braking in the wet: best Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 (41.9 m), weakest Hankook Winter i*cept IZ3 (66.9 m) – a difference of 25.0 m, or 60%.

The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 won the most test categories (4: braking in the wet, handling in the wet, braking in the dry and straight-line aquaplaning). The Kumho WinterCraft ice Wi51 finished last in the tester's ranking.

The Pirelli Cinturato Winter 3 was No. 6 in the tester's ranking, but No. 1 in this test by TyreRanker score. In the measurements it was at or near the top in “braking in the wet”, “braking in the dry” and “straight-line aquaplaning”, where TyreRanker's methodology applies a high weighting. The tester's overall rating also gives substantial weight to subjective assessments (driving feel, noise, comfort) that the measured results do not show.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 was No. 3 in the tester's ranking, but only No. 5 in this test by TyreRanker score. The tester rated its handling and balance highly, which the measured results do not fully reflect. In the combined ranking of all tests, the UltraGrip Ice 3 is No. 2 out of 14 tyres – it performed better in other tests than in this one.

The tester's winner, the Continental VikingContact 8, is No. 3 out of 14 tyres in the combined ranking of all tests.

3.5 mBraking on ice: gap between best and weakest

25 mBraking in the wet: gap between best and weakest

8.2 mBraking in the dry: gap between best and weakest