Winter tire Winter Premium Touring tires Updated September 2026
Goodyear UltraGrip 9 review
The Goodyear UltraGrip 9 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction on snow and ice. Users frequently highlight its superior ride comfort and low noise levels, often noting that it performs as well as or better than premium summer tires in terms of cabin quietness.
Relative score
86/100
tests + owners
Owner reviews
85/100
39 reviews
Road tests
74/100
17 published tests
Owners rate it 11.2 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
Scores
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
85%
Would buy again
88%
Dry
Wet
Snow & ice
Comfort
Treadwear
Handling
By road tests
73.8%By discipline (% of best in test)
From owners
What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 39 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Goodyear UltraGrip 9 is widely regarded as a top-tier winter tire, consistently praised for its exceptional traction on snow and ice. Users frequently highlight its superior ride comfort and low noise levels, often noting that it performs as well as or better than premium summer tires in terms of cabin quietness.
Pros
- Exceptional snow and ice traction
- High level of ride comfort and low road noise
- Excellent wet and dry weather performance in cold temperatures
- Low rolling resistance contributing to improved fuel economy
Cons
- Reduced performance on dry, warm asphalt (above 12°C)
- Soft sidewalls can lead to a less sporty or 'wallowy' handling feel
- Reports of premature tread wear or chunking in specific heavy-use cases
Worth knowing
- Users with smaller city cars and hatchbacks (e.g., VW Polo, Suzuki Swift, Opel Astra) report high satisfaction with winter mobility and fuel efficiency.
- Drivers of heavier or rear-wheel-drive vehicles (e.g., Volvo estate models) noted a significant improvement in hill-climbing ability and stability compared to summer tires.
Test results
17 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2023 ADAC 16 Inch tire Test · 205/60 R16
3rd of 16
Best: Ice Braking · 1st
Weakest: Dry Braking · 13th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 13th of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 1st of 16 | |
| Straight Aqua | 2nd of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 4th of 16 | |
| Noise | 5th of 16 | |
| Wear | 6th of 16 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 3rd of 16 | |
| Abrasion | 11th of 16 | |
| Wet Braking - Concrete | 9th of 16 |
2022 ADAC Winter tire Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15
2nd of 15
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2021 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
7th of 20
Best: Snow Braking · 2nd
Weakest: Dry Handling · 18th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 10th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 11th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 18th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 5th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 12th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 9th of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 4th of 20 | |
| Noise | 10th of 20 | |
| Value | 10th of 20 | |
| Price | 15th of 20 | |
| Wear | 7th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 7th of 20 |
2021 AMS Winter tire Test · 195/55 R16
6th of 10
Best: Rolling Resistance · 2nd
Weakest: Dry Braking · 10th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 9th of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 3rd of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 4th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 10 | |
| Noise | 10th of 10 | |
| Price | 4th of 10 |
2021 ADAC 15 Inch Winter tire Test · 225/50 R17
2nd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2021 Winter tire Market Overview · 205/55 R16
6th of 49
Best: Snow Braking · 2nd
Weakest: Wet Braking · 10th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 10th of 49 | |
| Snow Braking | 2nd of 49 |
The Best Winter tires for 2020 · 205/55 R16
12th of 19
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 Auto Zeitung Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
3rd of 14
Best: Snow Traction · 1st
Weakest: Dry Braking · 10th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 14 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 14 | |
| Snow Traction | 1st of 14 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 3rd of 14 | |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd of 14 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 5th of 14 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 2nd of 14 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 7th of 14 | |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 3rd of 14 |
2020 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
8th of 15
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 ADAC 185/65 R15 Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
9th of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AMS Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 11
Best: Wet Braking · 2nd
Weakest: Price · 10th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 11 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 11 | |
| Snow Handling | 8th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 3rd of 11 | |
| Noise | 5th of 11 | |
| Price | 10th of 11 |
2018 ACE All Season and Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
4th of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 195/65 R15
6th of 20
Best: Snow Braking · 1st
Weakest: Price · 16th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 14th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 8th of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 1st of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 1st of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd of 20 | |
| Straight Aqua | 7th of 20 | |
| Noise | 14th of 20 | |
| Value | 11th of 20 | |
| Price | 16th of 20 | |
| Wear | 4th of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 2nd of 20 |
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 175/65 R14 · 175/65 R14
5th of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ADAC Winter tire Test - 205/55 R16 · 205/55 R16
2nd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 51 Winter tire Shootout · 195/65 R15
3rd of 51
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2017 ADAC Winter tire Test - 195/65 R15
5th of 16
Best: Straight Aquaplaning · 2nd
Weakest: Snow Braking · 7th
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Dry Handling | 6th of 16 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 6th of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 6th of 16 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 2nd of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 2nd of 16 | |
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 16 | |
| Side G-Force on Wet surface | 2nd of 16 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 16 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 16 | |
| Snow Handling | 7th of 16 | |
| Ice Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Ice Handling | 2nd of 16 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 16 | |
| Inside Noise level | 2nd of 16 | |
| Wear | 2nd of 16 |
Head-to-head