Continental also returns, as does Vredestein, with the duo joined by Bridgestone and Pirelli. The Imperial All Season Driver is our economical tire.

Due to shipping issues, we have asked companies to provide tires. To make sure they’re what you can buy, we compared our top three for wet braking to tires purchased off the shelf. All were within tolerance limits.

The European Label Ratings below cover fuel economy (RR) and wet grip (WG), which range from A to E, with A being best. Pass-through noise (N) is measured in decibels, so the lower the number, the better.

How we tested the tires

Snow

For snow testing we used Hankook’s Technotrac facility in Ivalo, Finland. Conditions were good, with track temperatures ranging from minus 7 to 12°C. Braking was tested between 35 and 10 km/h (22-6 mph) and acceleration between 10 and 35 km/h (6-22 mph), while handling was evaluated on a slightly undulating track of 1 .2 km (0.75 mile) with fast and slow turns.

Wet and dry tests

All wet and dry testing was carried out at Continental’s Contidrom near Hannover, Germany. We measured each tire’s wet stopping distance from 80 km/h (50 mph) to zero, its wet lateral grip in a 57.5 m diameter circle, and its resistance to wear and tear. aquaplaning in deeper water in a straight line and in a turn. The challenging 1.8 km (1.1 mile) wet driving circuit revealed the characteristics of each tire in cornering, traction, driving balance and failure.

Dry braking and noise

Dry braking distances were measured from 100 km/h (62 mph) to zero and we took lap times on a one-mile section of the serpentine dry driving circuit, which showed l each tire’s grip, driving balance and transient composure. Cabin noise was measured on three surfaces and the average calculated.

Fuel economy and price

We measured rolling resistance – the energy required to spin a loaded tire – according to industry standards; a four to five percent change in rolling resistance equates to about a one percent change in fuel consumption.

Prices come from our online retailer’s test winner Black Circles and are for a tire fitted at the time of writing. For tires not sold by Black Circles, an average of prices at other points of sale was used. Price only plays a small role in the overall result.

Calculate a winner

The results for each test category are converted into percentages, with the best performing tire rated at 100 percent and others scored against that figure. In terms of overall rating, reflecting the conditions we face in the UK, 50 per cent is allocated to wet performance, 30 per cent dry and 10 per cent snow, with emphasis on handling and braking in wet and snow disciplines. . The remaining 10 percent is shared among the other tests.