Securing a close second, the Continental VikingContact 7 reaffirmed its reputation for strong winter traction, especially on ice and snow. With top scores in snow handling and reliable ice control, this model has long been trusted for maintaining stability in treacherous winter conditions. While it may lack some of the improvements seen in the newer VC8, the VikingContact 7 remains a dependable option for drivers who prioritize traction and control on icy and snowy surfaces.

The Continental VikingContact 7, securing the first place, excels in ice performance, snow handling, wet pavement performance, and braking on dry pavement. Its impressive scores across various disciplines reflect its superior capabilities, especially in challenging winter conditions. This tire demonstrates an outstanding balance of safety, control, and efficiency, making it a top choice for winter driving.

Continental showcases a stellar performance akin to studded tires, promising precision steering and unwavering stability on snowy terrains. However, its wet grip might leave you wanting more.

• Pros: Masterful snow navigation; commendable grip on icy terrains without studs.
• Cons: Compromised wet grip.

The Continental VikingContact 7 is a top-performing winter tire, showcasing exceptional capabilities in snow conditions, as evidenced by perfect scores in snow braking and snow handling. It also excels in ice handling, nearly reaching the top mark. The tire's comfort and economy are additional strong suits, providing a balanced driving experience. However, its performance in wet conditions, particularly in resisting straight aquaplaning, and braking on wet and dry pavements is less impressive, indicating room for improvement in these areas.

The studless Continental Viking Contact 7 model is very effective on ice, and in such conditions it quickly responds to the driver input, behaving in a predictable way, including when pushed to the limit. The tire is also characterized by good feedback through the steering wheel at the limit, and it is not prone to abrupt skidding on the rear wheel during cornering. On snow, the handling response is also very good, and the car is easily controlled in any situation. On wet pavement, the performance is not so balanced, and the relatively weak braking capabilities are combined with a good lateral grip that comes in very handy when switching lanes. On dry pavement, the steering response is fuzzy and inaccurate but the tire still behaves in a predictable way. The Continental tire has a low rolling resistance, and the noise is virtually nonexistent.

The tire works perfectly in all weather conditions and combines high grip with low noise and low rolling resistance, its only issue being average resistance to hydroplaning.

High grip on snow. Good traction in deep snow. Good handling and generally good grip on ice. Average wet grip.

Good snow performance. Good handling response in the wet. Relatively weak grip on ice.

Strong traction and good handling response on all types of surfaces. Increased noise emission. Good.

The Continental VikingContact 7 strikes a good balance of snow traction and ice braking performance.

Excellent snow and ice grip. Good handling performance, including under loads, on all types of surfaces. Low noise emission. Low hydroplaning resistance.

Great traction on ice and snow. Outstanding handling response. Low external noise. Average braking performance on wet pavement.

Positive: Good grip and good handling on ice (for studless tires). Very good snow performance. Low noise level.
Negative: Poor wet performance

Great traction on ice and dry pavement. Excellent traction and outstanding handling response on snow. Minor gripes on handling response during the elk test. Excellent.

This model has already been the winner of the comparative tests conducted by Vi Bilagare in 2018 and 2019, and the rivals so far have been unable to surpass the German friction tire packed with a full set of excellent winter features. Both on snow and on ice, it clearly signals to the driver that he is pushing the grip limit. The tire demonstrates logical behavior; the handling response is well-balanced. Despite the fact that the Continental VikingContact 7 is made first of all to be used on winter surfaces, it handles bare pavement equally well, keeping up the lightness of handling in emergency situations, as well as braking efficiency, and a crisp steering response. However, just as with many other tires of the Nordic type, the one big issue with this model is its hydroplaning resistance. Otherwise, the tire is great, and the fact that this flagship model from Continental turned out to be quieter than all of its competitors solidified its victory in the test 2020.

Positive: Short braking distance and great handling response on ice. Optimum control in any situation on snow. Good handling response on wet pavement — the steering response is somewhat delayed but the tires ensure stable performance without any unpleasant surprises.
Negative: Prone to grip loss on the rear axle during an emergency maneuver on dry pavement.

VC7 has won both tests since the tire was introduced in 2018. And still the competitors have not taken the lead.
Positive: Good grip on ice and snow. Low noise.
Negative: Aquaplaning.

VikingContact of the new generation was first presented last year, after which it scored the first places in several Scandinavian tests at once, including the one that was performed by VB, and the victory that it won this year is definitely no coincidence.

The Continental model worked great on ice; it was also among the leaders on snow. According to the expert team, these tires provide great handling response in emergency situations and provide dependable grip during sharp cornering. This model is also slightly prone to understeer but, aside from that, it will not bring you any surprises. VB also noted that, in spite of its softness, the tire demonstrated quite decent handling response in the dry, but on wet pavement it was not as good, because this Continental model was rather slow to drain water from the contact patch, which is further proved by the fact that it scored the last place in the straight aqua test.

Positive: Very good grip on ice and snow. Very good road holding ability. The best riding comfort. Negative: Relatively weak results on wet pavement. The winner among the studless tires of the Scandinavian type.

Although many drivers tend to think otherwise, studless tires fall short of spiked ones when driving on asphalt, and this gap was particularly noticeable during the handling tests conducted on wet pavement. The reason is that their tread patterns with their numerous thin lamellas cannot tackle the task of draining the water, at the same time being very efficient on iced and snowy surfaces. In the ice tests, the Continentals vividly demonstrated just how effective the modern studless tires are.

Continental grip is very good for studless tires on ice and gives you good control over the car. Tires behave steadily and logically on the snow, at the same time when the steering is good. The braking distance is not the shortest on wet asphalt, but good lateral grip means that it is still easy to control in critical situations. It is a quiet tire with low rolling resistance. It is stable and comfortable on the track.