- Written ByCraig Fitzgerald, John Goreham
- 9/5/2024
Edited ByJulie Bausch Lent
Many consumers shop for new tires by model, size and their budget. Some tire buyers also go by the brand name they know and trust, and then choose the most appropriate model within that brand for their vehicle. There are many ways to go about it.
Car Talk researchers and dedicated tire experts have analyzed the top 10 tire brands in the industry to help make this decision a little easier. Here is what we found.
Get the Best Deals on Tires
How do you determine which tire brand is the best, and how to get the best tire deals available now? We took a look at several sources that rate tires, from independent consumer rating agencies to industry rating agencies, publications and government bureaus. Then we conducted our own research involving a nation-wide survey of over 800 mechanics and industry experts.
In addition, Car Talk’s vehicle experts conduct actual road tests of each of these tires on media vehicles. We also do longer-term tests on our daily drivers. During a given year, we test dozens of the most popular tire models.
The list below shows our calculated ratings for the top ten tire brands in the industry.
4.9
of 5
Michelin is the world's top tire manufacturer and leads the industry in innovation and trust. As our top Golden Wrench winner for Best Tire Brand, Michelin has a trusted track record for quality and longevity.
4.6
of 5
Continental produces a wide range of tires from bicycles and motorcycles to commercial trucks and industrial equipment. Their core business is in passenger tires. Our second top-rated Golden Wrench goes to this company, as they have achieved a great deal of success in the automotive world.
4.4
of 5
Cooper Tires has the winning combination of pricing, brand reputation, and popularity among automotive manufacturers. They sell tires that match nearly every market need, from fuel efficient low rolling resistance tires to extreme off-road treads.
4.4
of 5
This Japanese company now produces top-flight passenger, performance, and truck tires at excellent facilities in Virginia and Mississippi. The brand is popular in racing circles, as well as passenger, SUV, light truck and all-season tire types.
4.3
of 5
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber is an American company founded in 1898 and has grown to become one of the world’s largest tire companies. Known for a vast array of tires, this company is known for durability and quality.
4.3
of 5
Bridgestone is currently the largest tire manufacturer in the world. This company offers over 100 different tire models and boasts something for every type of driver. Bridgestone is credited with reinventing the industry approach to winter tires in the 1990s with the Blizzak line.
4.3
of 5
BFGoodrich has been in business since 1870, and is one of the oldest tire manufacturers in existence. The company maintains a good reputation for all-terrain and mud-terrain tires and is widely available for consumers.
4.2
of 5
Pirelli is one of the oldest and most respected tire brands on the market. The company is now the fifth largest tire manufacturer in the world. While well known in racing circles, Pirelli has a wide variety of tire models and sizes to offer to the regular consumer.
4.2
of 5
Firestone tires are one of the most popular and widely available brands on the market today. These tires are consistently rated as being quiet, comfortable and affordable.
4.2
of 5
Falken Tires are fast becoming the OEM choice for many of the most popular brands and models in the industry. Some of the best all terrain trail offerings.
4.2
of 5
Hankook is relatively new to the game, compared to many of the larger companies in the automotive space, however they have a huge selection and maintain very good consumer reviews.
4.1
of 5
Dunlop has been in the business for over a hundred years, specializing in racing and motorsports. The company is known for its history of innovation and development.
4.1
of 5
This company is known in tire circles for quality of manufacturing and good consumer reviews. The company provides passenger car, SUV, crossover, light truck and bicycle tires.
2.7
of 5
Budget tires. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Milestar was not highly rated in our research and a common complaint from buyers was shorter than expected tread life
2.4
of 5
Chaoyang is a Chinese rubber manufacturer offering mostly bicycle tires and more recently, passenger, SUV, light truck, and motorcycle tires. This brand is not widely known in the industry. We recommend doing your due diligence and proceed with caution.
See all tire brands
»
Which is the best tire brand by category?
We also took a look at how tire brands performed in different areas:
| Category | Brand | Pricing |
|---|
Best tire rankings by brand
1. Michelin
Michelin is a French multinational tire manufacturer, which has been in business since 1889. Michelin is recognized as the second-largest tire manufacturer on the planet, behind the behemoth Bridgestone, and ahead of brands like Goodyear and Continental.
Michelin offers 50 different tire models, from the Golden Wrench winner for Best All Season CrossClimate2 to the Golden Wrench Winner for Best Performance tire, the Pilot Sport 4S. It’s also one of the manufacturers that offers more than one tire specific to winter climates.
Around the world, and with every rating agency we looked at, Michelin has a stellar reputation for building a quality tire. For this reason, Michelin is our Golden Wrench winner for Best Overall Tire Brand.
During tire testing this year, a set of test tires from another brand our team was evaluating arrived with a visible flat spot from the factory and a second tire would not balance properly. Our local retailer/installer is a highly-rated shop with a very experienced owner. We spoke to the owner about the situation, and he said it is not uncommon for his shop to need to pull five tires from the warehouse to get four “perfect ones.” He said, “My advice is to just get the Michelins.”
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud-terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Nationwide retail network
- Top quality ranking
- Top consumer ranking
- Wide range of tire models
- Outstanding performance tires
- Price
For more in-depth information, read our full Michelin tires review »
Find the best prices on Michelin Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
2. Continental
Continental is a German tire manufacturer which has been in the business for over 150 years. It’s part of a massive multinational conglomerate that provides all manner of subsystems for automotive and transportation applications. Making tires is just one facet of the business.
Continental has a range of 59 different tires available in the United States. In general, it’s concerned with mainstream automotive tire production, so look to Continental for excellent high-performance tires, touring tires and medium-duty truck and SUV tires, and not so much for the extreme mud-terrain and all-terrain models.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires winter tires.
Pros and Cons
- Substantial range, especially at the performance end
- Excellent winter tire range
- Excellent all-season/touring tire range
- Not many all-terrain or mud-terrain offerings
For more in-depth information, read our full Continental tires review »
Find the best prices on Continental Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
3. Goodyear
American tire manufacturer Goodyear has been in the business of building tires since the invention of vulcanization. Founded in 1898, it’s one of the top four tire makers in the world today.
Goodyear has a bewildering array of 85 different tires, in everything from ultra-performance tires like the Eagle F1 Supercar, all the way down to the Radial LS, a budget all-season tire for commuter sedans. About half the tires that Goodyear offers are for trucks and SUVs, so there’s plenty of range there, too.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud-terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Nationwide retail network
- Standalone Goodyear tire shops
- Top quality ranking
- Top consumer ranking
- Wide range of tire models
- Winter tire range
- Price
- Only fair wet performance on some models
For more in-depth information, read our full Goodyear tires review »
Find the best prices on Goodyear Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
4. Bridgestone
Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone has been making hoops since 1931. Because of its purchase of Firestone in 1988, and various other acquisitions over the years, Bridgestone Corporation is the largest tire manufacturer in the world.
It maintains the Bridgestone brand, which offers more than 100 different tire models for just about every kind of driver. Its Potenza line is its ultra-high- and high-performance line, but it also provides the Turanza and Ecopia tires for passenger vehicles. It’s also credited with essentially reinventing the approach to winter tires in the 1990s with its Blizzak tire, of which it now offers nine different varieties.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Huge range of tires for every application
- Good retailer network across the country
- Excellent wet performance
- Excellent dry performance
- Excellent winter performance
- Nowhere near the breadth of models of other manufacturers
For more in-depth information, read our full Bridgestone tires review »
Find the best prices on Bridgestone Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
5. BFGoodrich
BFGoodrich has been around since 1870, and is one of the oldest tire manufacturers in existence. It’s been part of the Michelin family of brands since 1990, but has maintained a strong presence in the United States ever since.
For its legacy as a household brand, BFGoodrich has really focused on a narrow range of just 21 different tire models. The g-Force ultra-high performance tires, and the All-Terrain T/A K02 and Mud Terrain KM3 tires are its most popular. The Radial T/A is the only other white-letter 14- and 15-inch tire for vintage muscle cars. It has also made a strong showing with its Advantage T/A touring tires, as a replacement for commuter sedans and sports cars.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, all-terrain tires, mud terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Excellent all-terrain tires
- Excellent mud-terrain tires
- One of just a few tires for vintage muscle cars
- Small product range
For more in-depth information, read our full BFGoodrich tires review »
Find the best prices on BFGoodrich Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
6. Cooper
Cooper has been on the scene since 1914, another one of those Akron rubber manufacturers. It went through some fairly dark days, but recently has been on the upswing providing some standout models in a few categories.
Cooper only offers 21 different models, so it can’t compete with the wide range of the big manufacturers, but where it provides products, it performs well. Most notably, it’s Discoverer truck and SUV tire has been a favorite, and muscle car fans still love the Cooper Cobra, which is one of just a few solid white-letter tires available with fat sidewalls in 14- and 15-inch diameters.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Excellent all-terrain tires
- Excellent mud-terrain tires
- One of just a few tires for vintage muscle cars
- Small product range
- Limited high performance offerings
For more in-depth information, read our full Cooper tires review »
Find the best prices on Cooper Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
7. Yokohama
Japanese manufacturer Yokohama has been turning out tires since 1917, and entered the US market in 1969. Since then, it has opened two manufacturing facilities in the US, and has become a household brand by providing tires for a lot of OEM applications.
There are 76 different Yokohama models available for US consumers, mostly centered around the ADVAN line of performance tires, the Avid all-season/touring tires, and the Geolandar truck and SUV lineup. Subaru owners know Yokohama well, since the Geolander has found its way onto many of the brands’ crossovers as the OEM tire. The severe snow duty-rated Yokohama Geolander A/T G015 trail tire is now the OEM choice for the popular Wilderness trims of Subaru SUV models. Yokohama also has several winter tire offerings.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud terrain tires and trail tires.
Pros and Cons
- Outstanding performance lineup
- Broad line of all-season/touring tires
- Expanding portfolio of A/T trail tires with severe snow duty rating
- Broad line of truck and SUV tires, including mud- and all-terrain varieties
- Less of a retailer network than some other manufacturers
- Poor winter performance of some all-season models
Find the best prices on Yokohama Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
8. Pirelli
The Milanese tire manufacturer Pirelli has been in business for nearly 150 years, and has exclusively provided tires for major European racing series and events including the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series and FIA Formula One.
Pirelli has 63 tire models, and the bulk of its reputation comes from producing ultra-high performance tires for exclusive performance and sport-luxury cars. However, Pirelli is also a noted producer of high-end tires for trucks and SUVs, with the Scorpion line of tires. It also has a formidable line of track tires, as well as a range of winter performance tires. One notable new Pirelli OEM fitment is the Scorpion ATR all-terrain trail tire fitted to the top trim of the Ford Bronco Sport.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Nationwide retail network
- Top quality ranking
- Top consumer ranking
- Wide range of tire models
- Winter tire range
- Price
- No dedicated mud terrain tires
For more in-depth information, read our full Pirelli tires review »
Find the best prices on Pirelli tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
9. Falken
New to our list for 2024 is Falken. This brand is relatively new to America, entering the market in the 1980s as a specialty tire for racing. While we had previously acknowledged Falken as a brand with popular tires in a narrow area of the market, things are changing for this tire brand.
By 2016 Falken had begun manufacturing tires in Buffalo, New York. Slowly but surely, the brand has steadily increased its industry footprint with its ZIEX all-season tire line. Falken is now an OEM tire choice for many brands’ most popular models including Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru, Jeep, Ram, Ford, and Mitsubishi. One recent notable win for the brand was being chosen as the OEM tire for the all-new 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Sport. We tested the Falken ZIEX ZE 001A A/S all-season touring tires on the newest Subie for a week this summer and found them to be outstanding in a wide range of driving conditions.
In 2020, Falken began offering its first studded winter tire. Today, Falken is making one of the hottest trail and all-terrain tires for crossovers and SUVs. The WildPeak series has become a factory option on the hugely successful Ford Bronco Sport, as well as off-roady trims of the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-50. This is a much-talked-about tire within online vehicle clubs, and many crossover and SUV owners looking for a better off-pavement tire than the standard all-season tires their vehicle came with are switching to the WildPeak series. With its severe snow duty rating, the WildPeak is a viable year-round choice for many drivers who once relied on dedicated winter tires.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, winter tires, all-terrain tires, mud-terrain tires, competition tires.
Pros and Cons
- WildPeak tires raise the bar for off-pavement crossover and SUV owners
- Server snow duty rating on all-season trail tires
- Road hazard protection on many models
- Still expanding its portfolio
For more in-depth information, read our full Falken tires review »
Find the best prices on Falken Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
10. Hankook
Hankook is the youngest tire brand in our list, having launched as the Chosun Tire Company in South Korea in 1941. Hankook -- the native pronunciation of “Korean” -- was rebranded in 1968, and really only began selling tires here in the 1990s.
With that short history, though, Hankook has become a tire-making force to be reckoned with, delivering a slate of 42 different models, broken into the Ventus high performance line, the Optimo and Kinergy all-season and touring tires, and recently, the Dynapro all-terrain and mud-terrain line.
Types: All-season tires, touring tires, high performance tires, ultra-high performance tires, all-terrain tires, mud terrain tires.
Pros and Cons
- Outstanding performance lineup
- Broad line of all-season/touring tires
- Limited all-terrain/mud-terrain offering
- No winter tire offering
For more in-depth information, read our full Hankook tires review »
Find the best prices on Hankook Tires with Discount Tire, Tire Rack, and SimpleTire.
Car Talk Community's favorite tire brands
Car Talk's very active online Community has many interesting and thoughtful perspectives on the best tire brands in the industry, based on real life user experience and knowledge. See what they have to say below.
"Michelin does make great tire but at a high price. 2 sets on 2 cars. One set is on my Mustang right now.
I like Kumhos and have had 4 sets on various cars. Good tires at good prices and not on your list.
5 sets of Firestones on various cars.
4 sets of Hankooks, all track capable tires. Very good track tires.
4 sets of Goodyears, one set of BFGoodrich tires."
- Mustangman
"Michelin is my favorite too. Never any serious problems. I wish they’d revert to making 13 inchers though, for my older Corolla."
- GeorgeSanJose1
"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
"Definitely Michelin. More expensive to purchase but cheaper in the long run because they last so long."
- Hugemoth_144444
"No favorite brand. I research based on my driving needs. For me, primary need is wet traction. Often comes up with a coin flip between Michelin and Continental. This time the truck got Michelins, probably will go with Continentals for the Mustang.
If I still lived in the Southwest, where we had rain once a year my criteria would be different.
Over the years, from the days of bias ply tires to radials, I have had many different brands even, as I recall, tires branded as K-Mart, in the 1970s on my CJ 5."
- Purebred
Read more on the Best Tire Brands in the industry according to the Car Talk Community here.
Car Talk's methodology
All of these tire brands were ranked using Car Talk's unique methodology based on over 30 different data points and hands-on expert testing in the field:
Consumer Satisfaction: This is the key finding in any of these rankings. Consumers provided data about what their experience was using tire models within each of these brands. The thing to keep in mind is that a single brand may get strong ratings for one tire model, but fall apart on others. It’s important to look at these ratings and then find the tires within those brands that best meet your needs, then look at ratings for that particular tire model versus its competition.
Industry Professionals: Car Talk researchers performed a nation-wide survey of over 800 mechanics for their opinions on the best tires available on the market today.
Government Reporting: Statistics reported for safety and durability.
Tire Quality and Engineering: These studies looked at how a tire brand’s overall quality and engineering or innovation influenced a consumer’s decision to purchase.
Performance: All of these agencies looked at how tires from these particular brands performed in wet and dry conditions, under heavy braking and cornering, and in winter weather.
One attribute noticeably absent from the rankings is price. Tires are kind of a “you get what you pay for” situation. One thing that we can extrapolate from this data is that tire brands which are at the lowest rung of the price ladder were the brands that performed below the industry average, almost across the board.
How to choose the best tire brand
Choosing the best tire brand for you is a personal decision which depends entirely on how you drive, where you drive, the vehicle you have and your budget. If you have a Jeep Wrangler and you take it off roading on the trails in the winter, then you need a reliable, durable tire with the strength to endure your travels. If you're kind of an indoor cat, live in a city, work at home and barely use your vehicle, then you'll need an entirely different, less rugged tire. Price, availability, longevity and treadlife all come into play.
Ratings and consumer reviews are a great place to start. Doing the research to decide which type of tire fits your needs, and then begin the process of shopping around for the best brands and prices. Once you decide on the tire that fits your needs, make certain to check tire shops near you for inventory as well as online tire outlets for the best prices, as many of them will price match.
Original equipment vs. replacement tires
When the manufacturer decides on the original equipment tires (OEM) for each of the vehicles they make, they do so based on a mixture of cost, reliability, treadlife and capability. The tires that your car comes with, directly from the manufacturer, will be relatively good.
Depending on how long you have the vehicle, how much mileage you put on it, and the type of driver you are, replacing the OEM tires may be a good step. If you hit the trails on rainy winter nights, then you might want to opt for a more sturdy, off road or all terrain tire.
What is a tire warranty and what does it cover?
One criteria which should be considered when shopping for tires is the warranty offered by the manufacturer. A good tire will have a reasonable warranty which will cover a certain amount of time from the date of purchase, treadlife considerations and mileage estimates.
Warranty types include:
- Treadlife Warranty (also called Mileage Warranty)
- Workmanship and Materials Warranty
- Uniformity Warranty
- Road Hazard Warranty
- Special Manufacturer Warranty
Reading a tire size
Learning how to read a tire can be a very helpful skill, specifically when shopping for the right tire for your vehicle. When shopping for tires, it’s important to understand what the numbers printed on the sidewall actually mean.
For example, this typical truck tire size 265/70R17 115T All-Season tires means the following:
- 265 indicates the width of the tire from one sidewall to the other in millimeters. This tire is 265 millimeters wide.
- 70 indicates the aspect ratio, or sidewall height, as a percentage of the tire’s width. In this case, it’s 70 percent or of the tire’s width.
- R means radial tires. Radials are the most common type of automotive tire and have fabric woven in at various angles with tread that is strengthened with additional layers of rubber.
- 17 indicates the wheel diameter.
- 115 is the tire’s load rating.
- T is the tire’s speed rating. T-rated tires have a maximum top speed of 118 mph.
You can download this helpful infographic here. If you reference the image on another platform, please provide a link back to this page.
Car Talk's Infographic for How To Read a Tire Properly
See our overall recommendations for Best Tires.
Read more on the Best Tire Deals available here.
Car Talk experts for this article
- Ray Magliozzi
- John Goreham
FAQ
Editor's note and disclaimer: Car Talk is supported by our fans, readers and listeners. When you click on some of the links on our website, we may receive referral compensation. However, you should know that the recommendations we make are based on our independent editorial review and analyses.
