These Are Consumer Reports' Top Truck And Suv Tire Picks For 2026

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If that header looks a small familiar, it's astir apt because we covered Consumer Reports' champion car tires earlier this year. Why different articles for different vehicles? Well, location are existent differences betwixt tires engineered for rider cars and those developed for usage connected trucks and SUVs. Tires for athletics inferior vehicles, for instance, are specifically designed for taller-riding cars that thin to measurement much than comparable rider models. On nan overseas chance an SUV really leaves nan pavement, nan tires person to beryllium fresh for that, too. As for motortruck tires, those are tailored to thief pinch towing, hauling, and different difficult usage that cars don't often endure.

These basal principles do travel pinch a caveat, though, astatine slightest according to Consumer Reports. Per CR, "Many subcompact and compact SUVs tin simply usage regular all-season tires" — which, to beryllium clear, are portion of today's motortruck and SUV tyre rankings arsenic a result.

All winners person gone done an extended testing programme that sees technicians measure much than 40 tyre models and 800 individual tires each twelvemonth astatine CR's ain accommodation — including a skating rink for testing nan tires' braking capacity connected ice. In addition, CR partners pinch extracurricular experts who thrust that rubber done 16,000 miles of Texas roads to analyse real-world tread wear. The outcome? A half a twelve hard-to-beat options for regular all-season tires (suitable, remember, for smaller SUVs), all-season SUV tires (for midsizers and above), all-season motortruck tires, all-terrain motortruck tires, winter/snow tires, and winter/snow motortruck tires.

Right disconnected nan bat, don't autumn into nan trap of confusing all-season vs. all-weather tires. The erstwhile are nan basal mundane prime of astir caller vehicles today, while nan second person been fine-tuned for a small other capacity successful nan snowfall — though they're not rather arsenic bully successful nan achromatic worldly arsenic existent snow/winter tires.

And CR's apical prime for all-season tires for smaller SUVs — including immoderate of nan segment's most reliable and fuel-efficient caller models — is nan ever-popular Michelin Defender 2. It scored particularly good for braking successful barren conditions, traction successful nan snow, and nan expertise to defy hydroplaning erstwhile it's wet, each for nan agelong haul. The Defender 2 besides had nan highest projected tread life of immoderate tyre tested for nan caller CR ratings: 100,000 miles. (For what it's worth, nan Michelin treadwear warranty provides sum for 80,000 miles.)

Consumer Reports does tout a less-expensive tyre arsenic a "smart alternative," noting that nan Hankook Kinergy XP had amended scores successful astir categories for a batch little money. The Defender 2 is quoted by CR pinch a starting value of $198.99, while nan Kinergy XP opens much than $60 beneath that constituent — per tire. On nan different hand, Michelin's introduction had a overmuch higher owner-satisfaction people than nan Hankook tire, which was successful truth branded arsenic "below average" successful that category.

Michelin had nan No. 1 tyre specifically engineered for SUVs, too. As mentioned, CR recommends these for midsizers and above, and peculiarly for modern crossover-style vehicles, which whitethorn request much support for their larger load and towing capabilities versus their smaller siblings. The apical prime for these rides was nan Michelin CrossClimate2.

Frankly, CR seems to person fallen successful emotion pinch CrossClimate2, calling it an "exceptional tire" that was a "clear standout" successful its class pinch "epic predicted tread life." There's a batch much to for illustration arsenic well, since this tyre scores above-average aliases higher successful each facet of Consumer Reports' testing authorities — earning nan highest-possible results successful snowfall traction and crystal braking. Of course, that makes consciousness erstwhile you recognize that nan CrossClimate2 is 1 of those tires that goes beyond an all-season standing to gain all-weather certification. Plus, not only did nan CrossClimate2 seizure nan category's highest wide score, it besides led for proprietor satisfaction.

The second-place all-season tyre was nan Vredestein HiTrac. Now, nan HiTrac did person its precocious points, matching nan CrossClimate2 successful astir categories, but fell down erstwhile it comes to proprietor restitution and thrust comfort. But a imaginable issue, called retired by CR, was that nan estimated lifespan of nan HiTrac's treads was among nan shortest recorded successful nan testing — astatine only 60,000 miles. Vredestein does connection a 75,000-mile tread life warranty, however.

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Just what nan hellhole counts arsenic an SUV anymore is still an unfastened question, but we tin show you that some ample body-on-frame SUVs and light-duty trucks thin to connection moreover much capacity imaginable than unibody crossover-style entries. So they request moreover much robust tires to meet their challenges. That said, there's usually a tradeoff betwixt toughness and comfortableness successful motortruck tires — thing reflected successful nan scores of nan highest-ranked all-season motortruck rubber.

The CR action successful this class was nan Continental TerrainContact H/T, and it was graded arsenic only "average" for thrust comfortableness — contempt its cleanable people for preventing roadworthy noise. The TerrainContact H/T besides received nan aforesaid people for snowfall traction, and vanished pinch above-average results for barren braking, handling, and crystal braking. Showing disconnected different facet of their durability, nan TerrainContact H/T tires turned up pinch an expected treadwear life of 70,000 miles. No different all-season motortruck tires bested that mark.

The alleged smart action for trucks was nan General Grabber HTS60, named by CR arsenic a balanced performer that did its champion successful nan hydroplaning guidance and rolling guidance categories. Yet you whitethorn want to deliberation astir nan Vredestein Pinza HT instead, since it matched nan Grabber for astir characteristics, but pinch important advantages successful position of a little cost, higher proprietor satisfaction, and amended thrust comfort.

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Continental's TerrainContact family besides took location apical honors successful nan all-terrain truck-tire class pinch its A/T rubber. (In this context, nan TerrainContact A/T tires are engineered for "all-terrain" driving and nan H/T refers to "highway-terrain.") Unsurprisingly, nan cardinal facet distinguishing nan 2 is their tread design, since A/T tires request unsocial patterns amended suited to grabbing unsmooth crushed aliases loose soil than soft freeway travel. Indeed, on-road sound is 1 of the major downsides of all-terrain tires, making nan capacity of nan TerrainContact A/T that overmuch much awesome — it was nan only all-terrain tyre to nab nan very apical people successful nan sound class for CR's rankings.

Further highlights included above-average results for barren braking, handling, and guidance to hydroplaning, and nan Continental tires were called retired for their comparatively agelong tread life, arsenic they're projected to past for up to 65,000 miles. Just beryllium alert that nan aforesaid estimate for CR's smart replacement — nan Michelin LTX A/T 2 — is 80,000 miles. Moreover, nan Michelins garnered overmuch amended ratings from their owners than nan Continentals. Since nan 2 brands had fundamentally nan aforesaid wide scores, pinch Continental up by a azygous point, nan Michelin benefits must person helped dress up for nan LTX's mediocre showing successful nan sound class and a value $50 (per tire) higher than for nan TerrainContact rubber.

Regular Jalopnik readers cognize that none of your wintertime driving hacks hit simply buying wintertime tires. You tin chalk a batch of that up to nan measurement nan rubber successful nan tires is formulated, pinch snow/winter tires needing to enactment malleable capable to clasp nan roadworthy moreover connected days erstwhile nan somesthesia remains beneath zero. The point is, this shortens really agelong their treads tin clasp up, and pinch that successful mind, snow/winter tires are usually sold without tread deterioration warranties — nor does CR trial these tires for projected tread life.

For nan frigid times of nan year, Consumer Reports lists 2 apical choices, nan Hakkapeliitta R5 from Nokian for crossover-style SUVs and nan aforesaid brand's Hakkapeliitta R5 SUV for trucks and different sport-utilities. Both were lauded for their fantabulous capacity successful nan snow-traction and ice-braking tests, arsenic good arsenic for rolling resistance. That past accomplishment is notable present because, arsenic Consumer Reports indicates, astir snow/winter tires can't people that high.

The Hakkapeliitta R5 past extends its advantages pinch above-average grades for barren braking, guidance to hydroplaning, thrust comfort, and noise. True, nan "SUV" type was considered beneath mean for bedewed braking, but present CR explains that that people is par for nan people among competing tires.

The smart alternatives? CR likes nan Continental Viking Contact 7 and Michelin X-Ice Snow arsenic worthy options to nan "regular" Hakkapeliitta R5 tires — backed by apical scores for rolling guidance — while nan GT Radial IcePro SUV 3 was nan backup prime for nan R5 SUV tires, based connected a operation of debased costs and amended braking results.