The Top Winter Tires for Safer Driving in Snow

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This article was updated in September 2023 with new products and information.

A lot of drivers think they don't need winter tires, and it's true—a lot of drivers don't. However, if you live and drive in an area where you get occasional ice and snow, or if you're a snowsports lover, a decent pair of winter tires is essential.

All Terrain tires are fine for most vehicles driving in light inclement weather—but you shouldn't trust them in heavy snow or ice, no matter what you drive. Winter tires use specialized rubber compounds and tread designs engineered to maximize tire bite and traction in freezing temperatures and on slick surfaces. In snowy and icy driving conditions, a dependable set of winter tires can mean the difference between arriving safely and being stranded for hours in a freezing car.

What are the best winter tires to buy? We've used plenty of different brands and styles, and we have our thoughts. For an even deeper dive into winter tires, we turned to our friends at Tire Rack for recommendations.

Considerations on Buying Winter Tires

Winter tires have specially engineered grooves, channels, and biting edges designed to dig into ice and snow. They're made to divert water and debris such as salt and sand away from the tire's contact patch.

Are snow tires really necessary? Look at it this way: You could wear sneakers outside to go tromping around in the ice and snow—but wouldn't snow boots be a better idea? Sure, boots will keep your feet warm, dry, and comfortable. But most importantly, they provide better traction and stability for a more planted footprint. The same principle applies to your car tires.

If you're shopping for winter tires, here are some things you should consider before buying:

• Winter tires come in sizes to fit all types of vehicles. Some brands give different names, or letter or number designations, to tires that pertain to certain types of vehicles so make sure you're buying the right type for your car, truck, or SUV/crossover.

• We recommend having a set of winter tires mounted on a separate set of wheels, so they're always ready to bolt on. That way, you don't have to go through the hassle and cost of having them swapped at a tire shop every fall and spring.

• All snow tires are branded with the industry-standard three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol on the sidewall, indicating they meet severe snow service requirements.

• The pricing of tires depends at least partially on the size you require; larger usually means more expensive, but prices always vary. For this reason, we've hidden the pricing below.

• If you can't find a winter tire that fits your vehicle from this list of recommendations, try using Tire Rack's selection tool.

• For safety, always fit winter tires in full sets of four.
  

Here are our picks for the best winter tires based on our own personal experience with a variety of brands, as well as expert recommendations from the good folks at Tire Rack. Note that most of the winter tires listed below are for cars; for convenience, we've included links to SUV and light-truck variants where applicable.

Michelin X-Ice Snow

Successor to the X-Ice Xi3, the X-Ice Snow should offer lower rolling resistance, better ice braking, improved resistance to hydroplaning in wet and slushy environments. The brand claims this tire will last one additional winter over the competition. While we can't speak to that, we enjoyed X-Ice Snow tires on our long-term Volvo S60 T8, particularly for their surprisingly normal feel in dry conditions.

For SUVs and light trucks, opt for the X-Ice Snow SUV....

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5

The Hakkapeliitta R5, Nokian’s top-line winter tire, uses a highly aggressive tread pattern and silica compound to find grip in deep snow and ice. The Hakka R5 is a zero-compromise winter-tire option, but that superiority comes at a premium price.

Dunlop Winter Maxx WM02

The WM02 is Dunlop's second generation of the Winter Maxx tire. Like the WM01, the Dunlop uses an asymmetric tread pattern that is supposed to help it run quietly.

If you drive an SUV, choose the Dunlop Winter Maxx SJ8....

Bridgestone Blizzak WS90

The Blizzak WS90 improves on the previous-generation WS80 with an updated tread design and compound, increased tread life, and more available sizes than ever before.

After mounting the WS90 on a few long-term cars, we have no doubt that the WS90 is even more capable than its predecessor. We've been impressed with the deep-snow traction and overall performance, but still find these tires to be noisier than some competitors.

Michelin X-Ice Snow SUV

Whether it's clear winter roads, deep, heavy snow, or any icy condition in between, the X-Ice Snow SUV is designed to deliver reassuring wintertime traction and stability to SUVs of all kinds.

Continental VikingContact 7

The VikingContact 7 from Continental is arguably its best snow tire yet. A specialized rubber compound containing canola oil helps the tires stay more flexible in extreme cold and is also more environmentally friendly to manufacture. The tread pattern is composed of innumerable biting edges and sipes for maximum snow traction.

This tire comes in sizes to fit most vehicles.

Blizzak DM-V2 SUV

Bridgestone's winter/snow tire for SUVs is ideal for today's popular vehicles.

Pirelli P Zero Winter

The Pirelli P Zero Winter is a compelling option for people who deal with occasional snow and ice but would like to retain the best possible handling in dry conditions. The tire promises to deliver an enticing combination of enhanced winter-weather competence and dry-weather fun for enthusiasts.

In a past test, we measured the lateral grip of a Porsche 911 at 0.95 g, impressively close to that of the factory summer tires.

SUV owners should buy the P Zero Winter SUV....

Nokian Hakkepeliitta R5 SUV

Since 1932, Nokian has been a pioneer in the winter-tire world. In fact, the Finnish manufacturer invented the winter tire. If you drive an SUV, this is the Hakkepeliita for you.

Winter Maxx SJ8

The Winter Maxx typically is a bit more affordable than some other tires on this list. That's not to say they're of lower quality; the previous-generation WM01 nearly matched the braking performance of the best tires in our 2015 winter tire test.

Cooper Discoverer True North

In addition to having an exploration-inspiring name, the Discoverer True North is a great winter-tire option for cars and SUVs alike. Cooper claims the True North has the highest silica content of any Cooper winter tire, giving it great ability to dig into icy surfaces. To that point, our long-term Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid was able to traverse Donner Pass in California during the dead of winter (without chaining the tires) with little effort.

This tire comes in sizes to fit most types of vehicles.

P Zero Winter SUV

Where the Sottozero 3 it replaces was slightly compromised when it came to deep-snow traction and braking, the P Zero winter should improve those two issues while nearly matching the dry performance of a summer tire.

FAQs About Snow Tires

Is it worth getting winter tires?

Unless you live at a lower elevation that never sees snow and ice, the answer is yes. Even if you travel to higher elevations only during the holidays or go skiing just a few times a year, it's wise to have a set of four winter tires mounted on a set of wheels and stored so you can swap them out without much cost or hassle.

Do you need all four tires to be winter tires?

Definitely. Having snow tires on only the front or the rear will mean more squirrely handling in all conditions, resulting in unexpected skids and reduced stopping power on snow and ice.

Can winter tires be used year-round?

Oh, they can—but you'd be squandering a very valuable (and expensive) resource. You don't need deeper treads or biting edges during warm-weather driving, and the tires' softer compound will cause them to wear out far more quickly when they're used in warm temperatures. Further, winter tires' performance on dry or wet pavement in warm temperatures also isn't nearly as good that of an all-season or summer tire.

Are all-season tires good for snow?

All-season tires have become extremely popular; indeed, the majority of today's cars roll right off the assembly line already outfitted with them. They offer decent traction in light to moderate snow and the occasional winter storm.

However, around the Car and Driver office, we refer to them "no-season tires," because while they have decent performance in a variety of conditions, they excel at none of them. A summer tire will always outperform an all-season on dry or wet pavement in warm temperatures, and a winter tire always beats an all-season in deep snow or packed ice. Put it this way: We don't drive with all-seasons in the snowy Michigan winter.

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