Just a few years ago everything was clear and simple: in the summertime, under the scorching sun, motorists were supposed to be driving on summer tires, while in the wintertime you were supposed to be switching on winter tires featuring numerous sipes and made of frost-resistant tread compound.

Today, however, more and more tires are launched on the market, which are not only «designed» for year-round use, but do indeed claim to offer superior performance both in winter and summer conditions. The demand for all-season tires is growing steadily along with the supply, and their market share is now about 20%, in spite of a huge number of skeptics.

The all-season tires save your time, money, and spare room, because they cancel out the necessity of the seasonal tire swap and having to store the other set of tires. Is it true, however, that the all-season tires come close in terms of their reliability and performance to their specialized seasonal counterparts? Are they just as safe? The expert team of the German motoring association ADAC, which conducted a test of all-season tires in size 235/55 R17, is adamant: none of the seven tested models is perfect for all kinds of weather, and their performance is still a compromise.