Continental Premium Contact 5 review
The Continental PremiumContact 5 is widely regarded as a high-performance touring tire that excels in wet and dry grip, offering a comfortable and quiet ride. While users frequently praise its safety and handling capabilities, the consensus is heavily polarized by its rapid tread wear and soft sidewall construction, which some drivers find detrimental to steering feedback and longevity.
Owners rate it 12.5 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews on retailer and review sites; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
By owner reviews
75%By road tests
62.5%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 119 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Continental PremiumContact 5 is widely regarded as a high-performance touring tire that excels in wet and dry grip, offering a comfortable and quiet ride. While users frequently praise its safety and handling capabilities, the consensus is heavily polarized by its rapid tread wear and soft sidewall construction, which some drivers find detrimental to steering feedback and longevity.
Pros
- Exceptional grip in both wet and dry road conditions
- High levels of ride comfort and low cabin noise
- Predictable and safe handling characteristics
- Strong braking performance
Cons
- Rapid and premature tread wear
- Soft sidewalls leading to vague steering feedback and body roll
- Performance degradation as the tread depth decreases
- Susceptibility to sidewall damage
Worth knowing
- Drivers of heavier vehicles and SUVs frequently report faster-than-expected tread wear and a lack of sidewall stiffness during cornering.
- Users of smaller, lighter vehicles often praise the tire's comfort and noise reduction, though some note it feels less 'sporty' than previous tires like the Bridgestone Turanza.
- Several owners of high-torque diesel engines reported issues with wheelspin, suggesting the tire may struggle with immediate torque delivery on certain platforms.
10 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2021 Sport Auto Summer tire Test · 195/55 R16
5th of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 6th of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 8th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 11 | |
| Noise | 6th of 11 | |
| Price | 7th of 11 |
2019 AMS Summer SUV tire Test · 215/55 R17
7th of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 10th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 1st of 11 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 8th of 11 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd of 11 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 5th of 11 | |
| Noise | 10th of 11 |
2019 ADAC Summer tire Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15
9th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AMS All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
8th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 2nd of 9 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 9 | |
| Snow Handling | 9th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 1st of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 9 | |
| Noise | 8th of 9 | |
| Price | 2nd of 9 |
2018 New and Worn Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
7th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 7th of 14 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 9th of 14 | |
| Dry Handling | 9th of 14 | |
| Noise | 4th of 14 |
2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer tire Test · 195/65 R15
2nd of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 8th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 14th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 12th of 20 | |
| Noise | 8th of 20 | |
| Value | 15th of 20 | |
| Price | 18th of 20 | |
| Wear | 11th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 17th of 20 |
2018 AutoBild Summer tire Overview · 195/65 R15
5th of 47
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ADAC Summer tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14
9th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ADAC Summer tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
3rd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2017 ADAC 195/65 R15 Summer tire Test
3rd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wear | 5th of 16 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 16 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 4th of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 16 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 1st of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 1st of 16 | |
| Wet Braking | 1st of 16 | |
| Wet Handling | 1st of 16 | |
| Side G-Force on Wet surface | 1st of 16 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 8th of 16 | |
| Inside Noise level | 4th of 16 |