TCS All-Season Tire Test 2026: Disappointing Results
The TCS tested 16 tires for the small car segment. This is because people who drive only a few kilometers a year—primarily for commuting to the city or on flat terrain—are increasingly opting for all-season tires.
The biggest challenge with all-season tires is that they have to compete with tires designed specifically for summer and winter conditions, while also maintaining a good environmental footprint. The 19 test criteria in the TCS test really put all-season tires to the test. It’s no easy task for tire manufacturers’ R&D departments to meet these standards at a high level. This was clearly demonstrated in the latest all-season tire test of 16 tires in the 185/65 R15 88H size. These tires are suitable for small cars such as the Citroën C3, Mazda 2, Opel Adam, Peugeot 208, or VW Polo.
Significant weaknesses were identified
Overall, the TCS test yields sobering results: Only one all-season tire performs well, while numerous models—including those from well-known brands—exhibit significant weaknesses. Regardless of the test results, it must be noted right from the start that some premium manufacturers do not offer their newest or most current models in smaller sizes—such as the 185/65 R15 tested here. For example, Bridgestone offers only the Weather Control A005 Evo in this size, even though its successor, the Turanza All Season 6, is already available on the market in larger sizes. The situation is similar with Michelin: there, too, the latest product—the CrossClimate 3—is not offered in the 15-inch size. Instead, Michelin continues to produce the tested predecessor, the CrossClimate 2. This means that consumers simply do not have access to the latest tire technology from these manufacturers in this size.
High Demands on All-Season Tires
As in previous years, the 2026 TCS All-Season Tire Test reveals a generally positive trend for some models: Manufacturers now seem to be better at managing the challenging trade-offs that an all-season tire must overcome than they were in the past. In the end, only one tire managed to achieve a good overall result and thus earn the «highly recommended» rating: The Continental AllSeasonContact 2 performed well in all driving safety criteria. Two tires, the Pirelli Cinturato All Season SF 3 and the Michelin CrossClimate 2, narrowly miss the «highly recommended» rating. Trailing somewhat behind are the Vredestein Quatrac, the Hankook Kinergy 4S 2, the Goodyear Vector 4Seasons Gen-3, the Nokian Tyres Seasonproof 2, and the GT Radial Climateactive. What they all have in common is that they exhibit slight weaknesses in driving safety on at least one type of road surface.
Even brand-name products fail to make the cut
The Nexen N’Blue 4Season 2, the Dunlop All Season 2, and the Milever All Season Versat MC545 are three of the 16 tires tested for which no purchase recommendation can be made. They exhibit significant weaknesses on dry roads, which lowers their overall rating. The five remaining test candidates are also not recommended: the Norauto 4 Seasons 2, the Bridgestone Weather Control A005 Evo, the Mastersteel All Weather 2, the Roadhog RGAS02, and the Tomason Allseason. The main reason for their placement at the bottom of the test field is their very poor performance on winter roads.
