The Continental VikingContact 8 is a Nordic winter tire that secures a test victory by masterfully blending winter grip with driving refinement. It delivers high fuel efficiency and eliminates the traditional spongy feel associated with friction tires, offering a stable and responsive drive. Excellent comfort with superb damping and low noise levels enhances its premium character.

The Pirelli P Zero Winter 2 is a top-tier Central European winter tire engineered for dominance on bare, wet, and slushy pavement. It delivers exceptional handling and stability on asphalt, making the car feel as if it were on summer tires. However, this performance comes with the classic compromise of significantly reduced grip on ice.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice Arctic 2 is a studded winter tire engineered for maximum safety in severe winter conditions. It delivers class-leading braking performance on ice and snow, providing a superior grip level that instills confidence. While its bare pavement performance is typical for a studded tire, its primary focus is uncompromising traction in the most slippery environments.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 3 is a highly efficient Nordic winter tire that secures a strong test position by balancing capable winter grip with class-leading fuel economy. It breaks from the pattern of its peers by offering superior aquaplaning resistance for a friction tire. This model delivers well-rounded performance with fine stability and responsive handling.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 is a studded winter tire that delivers unmatched traction on ice and snow, achieving a perfect score in winter grip categories. This supreme performance comes with significant compromises on bare pavement, where its behavior is typical for a studded tire. It is a specialized tool for extreme winter conditions, prioritizing maximum safety in slippery environments over all-round refinement.

The Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 is a Central European winter tire designed for high-speed stability and exceptional performance on wet and dry asphalt. It delivers outstanding aquaplaning resistance and refined comfort, making it ideal for motorway travel in slushy conditions. However, its ice grip is severely limited, conforming to the classic compromise of its category.

The Pirelli Ice Friction is a newcomer in the Nordic winter tire category, delivering exceptional performance on snow with top-ranked handling and very strong ice grip. It offers high comfort levels, making it a capable all-rounder for severe winter conditions. However, its wet handling and aquaplaning resistance are subpar, and fuel efficiency lags behind competitors.

The Continental IceContact 3 is a studded winter tire that prioritizes a balanced approach, offering competent winter grip alongside improved bare pavement manners. It delivers good fuel efficiency for a studded tire and provides greater stability on cleared roads than many competitors. This model represents a practical compromise, sacrificing ultimate ice performance for better everyday drivability.

The Continental WinterContact TS 870 P is a Central European winter tire engineered for exceptional performance on bare, wet, and slushy pavement. It delivers summer-like precision and stability on asphalt, with outstanding aquaplaning resistance. Its severe limitation is on ice, where it provides nearly non-existent grip.

The Pirelli Ice Zero 2 is a studded winter tire that prioritizes a balance between winter traction and bare pavement usability. It delivers strong snow performance and notably better wet braking than most studded competitors. However, its ice grip falls short of the category leaders, and it exhibits typical studded tire compromises in comfort and predictability.

The Michelin X-Ice Snow is a Nordic friction tire that prioritizes exceptional ride comfort and low rolling resistance. It delivers outstanding noise suppression and a refined driving experience, along with class-leading fuel efficiency. However, its ice performance remains mediocre for the category, limiting its effectiveness in severe winter conditions.

The Falken Eurowinter HS02 Pro is a Central European winter tire that delivers competent but unremarkable performance across all categories. It provides adequate bare pavement capability with decent snow performance, though it struggles on ice like most tires in its class. This model represents a budget-conscious choice without standout strengths.

The Michelin X-Ice North 4 is a studded winter tire that delivers a contradictory performance, achieving top marks for straight-line ice braking but struggling significantly in icy cornering. While competent on snow, its overall winter grip fails to challenge the category leaders. Poor fuel efficiency and compromised comfort further detract from its premium positioning.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 delivers near-top-tier winter grip with excellent fuel efficiency, but exhibits less stability than category leaders. It handles snow superbly and performs competently on ice, though its aquaplaning resistance remains a historical weakness for the brand.

The Goodride Zuper Snow Z-507 is a budget Central European winter tire that delivers minimal acceptable performance for its low cost. Its sole standout attribute is excellent fuel efficiency, nearly matching category leaders. Winter grip is profoundly inadequate, making it suitable only for regions with minimal snow and ice.

The Falken Winterpeak F-Snow 1 is a Nordic friction tire that fails to match the winter performance of category leaders. It provides adequate snow traction but demonstrates significant weaknesses on ice and wet surfaces. The tire lacks refinement, with mediocre comfort and poor fuel efficiency.

The Kumho WinterCraft Ice delivers strong ice and snow traction, ranking highly in winter grip categories. However, it is plagued by severely high noise levels that create an uncomfortable driving experience. The tire induces unpredictable handling and poor stability on bare pavement, overshadowing its winter capabilities.

The Toyo Observe Ice-Freezer was disqualified from testing due to illegal stud protrusion, violating certification standards. Its performance was profoundly deficient, delivering inadequate ice grip despite the excessive studding and demonstrating dangerously poor balance on wet surfaces.

The Toyo Observe GSi-6HP presents a confused identity with a Nordic-inspired tread pattern conflicting with its Central European speed rating. Performance is mediocre across winter surfaces and concerningly poor on bare pavement, where it exhibits dangerous instability during evasive maneuvers.

The Mazzini Ice Leopard is a budget studded tire that fails its primary function, delivering catastrophic ice grip comparable to non-studded tires. While snow performance is acceptable, this cannot compensate for the fundamentally dangerous lack of traction on ice. Poor stability and comfort complete a deeply compromised package.