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Winter tire Winter Premium Touring tires Updated September 2026

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 review

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 is highly regarded as a top-tier studless winter tire, praised for its exceptional traction in deep snow, slush, and cold conditions. Users consistently report a quiet, comfortable ride that often exceeds the performance of their summer tires, making it a reliable choice for severe winter climates.

Relative score
84/100
tests + owners
Owner reviews
88/100
4 reviews
Road tests
56/100
1 published test

Owners rate it 32.1 points higher than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2
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

88%
Would buy again 93%
Dry
Overall dry
83%
Corner stability
55%
Dry traction
83%
Steering response
77%
Wet
Overall wet
95%
Wet traction
95%
Snow & ice
Overall snow & ice
100%
Ice
90%
Comfort
Overall comfort
100%
Treadwear
Overall treadwear
100%
Handling
Overall handling
55%

By road tests

55.9%
Dry
1%
Wet
81.2%
Snow
93%
Noise
100%
From owners

What owners like and dislike

Themes extracted from 4 owner reviews across retailers and review sites.

The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 is highly regarded as a top-tier studless winter tire, praised for its exceptional traction in deep snow, slush, and cold conditions. Users consistently report a quiet, comfortable ride that often exceeds the performance of their summer tires, making it a reliable choice for severe winter climates.

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and traction in deep snow and slush
  • Very quiet and comfortable ride quality
  • Strong performance on packed snow and cold dry pavement
  • Excellent stability and lack of lateral pull in snow drifts

Cons

  • Sudden loss of grip on ice compared to previous generations
  • Potential for slightly inferior ice performance compared to direct competitors like the Continental VikingContact

Worth knowing

  • Users reported successful performance on older, heavier vehicles like the 1997 VW Transporter and 1999 Volvo S70.
  • The tire's soft compound is noted to provide significant noise reduction and comfort improvements over summer tires across various vehicle types.
Test results

1 published test appearance

Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.

2023 Studless Friction Winter tire Test · 225/45 R17

8th of 8
Best: Fuel Consumption · 1st Weakest: Snow Handling · 8th
DisciplinePlacementField position
Wet Handling7th of 8
Snow Traction7th of 8
Snow Handling8th of 8
Ice Handling8th of 8
Straight Aqua8th of 8
Subj. Dry Handling7th of 8
Noise8th of 8
Ice Traction8th of 8
Fuel Consumption1st of 8