Michelin CrossClimate+ review
The Michelin CrossClimate+ tires were introduced in 2015 as an all-season tire option for drivers. They have a tread pattern that is designed to provide good traction in a variety of weather conditions, including rain and light snow. The tread pattern features a combination of wide and narrow grooves that are designed to help evacuate water from the tire to improve wet traction, as well as a pattern of sipes (small slits) that are intended to increase the tire's grip on snow and ice. The tread pattern also includes large blocks and stabilizing ribs that are intended to improve stability and handling on dry roads. The tire compound used in the CrossClimate+ is designed to remain flexible in cold weather, which helps to improve traction on wet and slippery roads.
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
82%By road tests
88.4%What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 117 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.
The Michelin CrossClimate+ is widely regarded as a benchmark all-season tire, praised for its exceptional versatility and ability to bridge the gap between summer handling and winter safety. While most users report high levels of confidence in wet, dry, and snowy conditions, a minority of users note a decline in performance as the tread wears down or express dissatisfaction with noise levels and ride harshness on specific vehicle setups.
Pros
- Excellent traction and confidence in light to moderate snow and ice.
- Strong wet and dry road handling that rivals dedicated summer tires.
- Impressive tread longevity and durability over high mileage.
- Quiet and comfortable ride quality for the majority of users.
- Consistent performance across a wide range of temperatures.
Cons
- Performance in wet conditions can diminish significantly as the tire wears.
- Increased road noise reported by some users compared to dedicated summer tires.
- Occasional reports of a harsh or 'bouncy' ride on certain vehicle suspensions.
- Higher price point compared to competitors.
- Some users report a 'spongy' or less precise steering feel during aggressive cornering.
Worth knowing
- Users with heavier diesel vehicles or high-torque setups occasionally report faster tread wear and increased road noise.
- Drivers of lighter vehicles (e.g., small hatchbacks) often report improved steering responsiveness and comfort compared to OEM tires.
- Performance on SUVs and 4x4s is frequently cited as a major upgrade over standard summer tires, particularly for winter mountain driving.
27 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2021 AZ All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
4th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 9th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 2nd of 9 | |
| Snow Braking | 4th of 9 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 9 | |
| Snow Handling | 7th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 8th of 9 | |
| Noise | 1st of 9 | |
| Price | 9th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling - Cool | 2nd of 9 | |
| Wet Braking - Cool | 2nd of 9 | |
| Dry Braking - Cool | 6th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling - Cool | 4th of 9 |
2020 Auto Express All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
4th of 6
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2020 Auto Bild SUV All Season tire Test · 215/60 R16
5th of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 3rd of 11 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 11 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 11 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 11 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 11 | |
| Snow Traction | 2nd of 11 | |
| Snow Handling | 8th of 11 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 11 | |
| Straight Aqua | 7th of 11 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 11 | |
| Price | 10th of 11 |
2020 Sport Auto All Season tire Test · 225/45 R18
2nd of 7
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 7 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 7 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 7 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 7 | |
| Snow Braking | 6th of 7 | |
| Snow Handling | 3rd of 7 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 1st of 7 | |
| Straight Aqua | 7th of 7 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 7 |
2020 Auto Bild All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
4th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 14 | |
| Wet Handling | 4th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 14 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 14 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 14 | |
| Snow Handling | 6th of 14 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 14 | |
| Straight Aqua | 11th of 14 | |
| Noise | 6th of 14 | |
| Value | 10th of 14 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 14 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 3rd of 14 |
2020 All Season tire Market Overview - 32 tire Braking Test · 205/55 R16
5th of 31
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 31 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 31 |
2020 Tyre Reviews All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
5th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 6th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 1st of 9 | |
| Snow Braking | 6th of 9 | |
| Snow Traction | 5th of 9 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 9 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 8th of 9 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 1st of 9 | |
| Subj. Comfort | 9th of 9 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 1st of 9 | |
| Noise | 7th of 9 | |
| Price | 9th of 9 | |
| Rough Noise | 9th of 9 | |
| Subj. Snow Handling | 5th of 9 |
2020 ADAC SUV All Season tire Test · 235/55 R17
3rd of 7
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 7 | |
| Dry Braking | 1st of 7 | |
| Snow Braking | 5th of 7 | |
| Ice Braking | 4th of 7 |
2019 Auto Bild All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
1st of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 1st of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 5th of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 2nd of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 9th of 10 | |
| Noise | 10th of 10 | |
| Value | 4th of 10 | |
| Price | 10th of 10 | |
| Wear | 1st of 10 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 2nd of 10 |
2019 ACE GTU All Season tire Test · 205/60 R16
6th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 Auto Express All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
4th of 11
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2019 All Season tire Performance Overview · 225/45 R17
2nd of 31
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 31 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 31 |
2019 Summer and All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
7th of 15
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 10th of 15 | |
| Wet Handling | 13th of 15 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 15 | |
| Dry Handling | 1st of 15 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 15 |
2019 Swedish Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
11th of 13
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 8th of 13 | |
| Dry Braking | 12th of 13 | |
| Straight Aqua | 5th of 13 | |
| Subj. Dry Handling | 13th of 13 | |
| Subj. Wet Handling | 13th of 13 |
2019 Auto Zeitung Summer tire Test · 235/45 R18
7th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 1st of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 10th of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 9th of 10 | |
| Noise | 10th of 10 | |
| Price | 10th of 10 |
2019 ADAC Summer tire Test - 185/65 R15 · 185/65 R15
3rd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Express All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
4th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 Auto Bild All Season tire Test · 195/65 R15
4th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 2nd of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 9th of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 9th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 10 | |
| Straight Aqua | 7th of 10 | |
| Noise | 4th of 10 | |
| Value | 3rd of 10 | |
| Price | 10th of 10 | |
| Wear | 1st of 10 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 4th of 10 |
2018 Auto Express Winter tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 ACE All Season and Winter tire Test · 185/65 R15
10th of 12
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 27 All Season tire Shootout · 195/65 R15
2nd of 27
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AMS All Season tire Test · 205/55 R16
4th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 1st of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 9 | |
| Snow Braking | 8th of 9 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 6th of 9 | |
| Noise | 9th of 9 | |
| Price | 9th of 9 |
2018 New and Worn Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
9th of 14
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 14 | |
| Wet Handling | 4th of 14 | |
| Dry Braking | 2nd of 14 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 14 | |
| Noise | 1st of 14 |
2018 ADAC All Season tire Test · 175/65 R14
9th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
2018 AZ Summer AND All Season tire Test · 225/45 R17
2nd of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 7th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th of 9 | |
| Straight Aqua | 9th of 9 | |
| Noise | 9th of 9 | |
| Price | 9th of 9 |
Michelin CrossClimate 2 VS Michelin CrossClimate+ · 205/55 R16
2nd of 2
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 2 | |
| Dry Handling | 2nd of 2 | |
| Snow Handling | 2nd of 2 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 2nd of 2 |
New VS 4mm VS 2mm All Season tire Performance · 185/65 R15
1st of 6
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|
About the Michelin CrossClimate+
Road Test Results
In terms of road test performance, the CrossClimate+ tires ranked well in several categories. In the 2020 Auto Bild All Season tire test, they placed 4th out of 14 in the overall rankings, with strong showings in dry braking (1st out of 14) and dry handling (3rd out of 14). They were not as strong in the wet braking and wet handling categories, placing 8th and 4th out of 14, respectively. They also had mediocre results in the straight aquaplaning, snow braking, and snow handling categories, ranking 11th, 9th, and 6th out of 14, respectively. However, they performed well in the inside noise level and rolling resistance categories, coming in 4th and 3rd out of 14, respectively. They had a good showing in the wear category as well, ranking 3rd out of 14. In terms of price, the CrossClimate+ ranked 10th out of 14 in the Auto Bild test.
In the 2020 Sport Auto All Season tire test, the CrossClimate+ tires placed 2nd out of 7 in the overall rankings. They had strong performances in the wet braking and wet handling categories, ranking 2nd out of 7 in both. They also performed well in the dry braking and dry handling categories, ranking 3rd and 4th out of 7, respectively. However, they had weaker showings in the straight aquaplaning, snow braking, and snow handling categories, ranking 7th, 6th, and 3rd out of 7, respectively. They had a good performance in the inside noise level category, ranking 3rd out of 7. They had the best showing in the rolling resistance category, ranking 1st out of 7.
Successor
The Michelin CrossClimate+ tires have since been succeeded by the Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires, which were introduced in 2020. We have the CrossClimate 2 review of these tires on our website, please check it for more information.
Pros
- Good traction in dry conditions
- Good wet traction
- Good wear resistance
- Good stability and handling
- Good noise level and rolling resistance
Cons
- Mediocre snow and ice traction
- Mediocre straight aquaplaning performance