Michelin Absolutely Dominates Consumer Reports List of Best Tire Models - Here Are Some Gems They Missed That Offer Performance, Long Life, and Lower Prices

Consumer Reports (CR) is a respected and trusted source of product test results. We at Torque News subscribe to CR, read it, and maintain a friendly relationship with multiple CR staffers. They have always been helpful to us when we ask for insights. Their new Best Tires report has just been published, and we’ve read it over word by word. We can save you some time. The entire report says, “Just buy the Michelins!” That is not a quote we made up. Our trusted tire installer, Jay Condrick of Boston Mobile Tire, told us that long ago, and it’s proven to be great advice. But what if you don't like CR’s pick, it’s outside your budget, or your retailer isn't stocking it for you? We have some alternative picks that we have tested ourselves that may save you a few bucks.

Why Is Michelin All Over Consumer Reports' Best Tire Report?
There is a simple reason that Michelin is so dominant in any Best Tires summary you will find online. It’s because Michelin wants to be the best. Not always the least expensive. Not necessarily the longest lasting - though they usually are. Best. That’s Michelin’s whole thing, whether it is tires or restaurants. We have deep respect for their mission. But, we also sometimes need affordable tires. Like way less expensive than Michelin. Also, Michelin “lost” a couple of spots on this list by CR, and we have some alternatives for those segments, too. So, now that we’ve sung Michelin's praises, let’s go tire type by tire type and see what our own research and testing have revealed as to alternatives to CR’s Best Tire Picks.

Best All-Weather Tires - Michelin CrossClimate2 vs. Kumho SOLUS 4S HA32
We won’t mince words here - If you want the best all-season tire, you should just get the CrossClimate2 that CR says is best in this segment. It offers great winter capability, but with no need to swap tires seasonally. This is a proven tire, and we tested it for three years.

That said, if you need to save about 25% on cost, the Kumho SOLUS 4S HA32 is a similar tire with the same treadlife warranty of 60,000 miles. Our alumnus, Aaron Turpen, put them on his minivan and has had great luck with them in Wyoming’s harsh winters. Like the CrossClimate2, the SOLUS 4S HA32 from Kumho has a v-groove pattern and is made to offer better winter capability than a typical all-season tire offers.

Another tire we'd consider in this segment is the Assurance WeatherReady2 from Goodyear. A worthy match for the CrossClimate2 in harsh weather. 

Best All-Season Car, Crossover Tire - Michelin Defender2 vs. Falken Ziex CT60 A/S
Here again, the Defender2 rocks in this segment. In our own testing over multiple years, the Michelin Defender2 was superb in all weather (within reason in winter). It is long-lasting and good in all areas one expects an all-season tire to be.

If you need to save 25% or so, check out the Ziex CT60 A/S from Falken. We tried this tire for over a year on a Toyota Highlander and loved it. Quiet, smooth, capable. This Falken tire impressed us. And guess what? It also impressed Jeep, which chose it for a new model they have recently launched.

Best Performance All-Season Tire - Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 vs. Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season
Sorry if we sound like a broken record, but when our 2025 Toyota GR86 needed high-performance all-season tires, we opted to get a set of Michelin Pilot Sport All-Season 4 tires to replace the stock Pilot Sport Summer-Only rubber it came with. We are just about to start our testing, but we already know from legions of fans that this is a fantastic tire.

We did have a second tire in mind, but we could not wait. The other tire is the Goodyear Eagle F1 All-Season. This is a new offering from Goodyear, and we love what we see. From our vantage point, Goodyear makes tires that are very closely aligned with Michelin in terms of price, quality, performance, and durability. If you opt for the new Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season, please throw us a comment and tell us how they perform for you.

Best All-Terrain Off-Road Tire - Continental TerrainContact A/T vs. Falken WildPeak A/T
We trust CR’s testing, and we are sure the Continental tire they opted for all-terrain use is solid. However, how can you ignore the Falken WildPeak A/T? We tested the WildPeak A/T Trail on a Subaru Forester, and the thing was unstoppable. On our Bronco Sport Badlands, the WildPeak A/T 3W is amazing in all conditions. The new A/T4W is earning rave reviews and is reasonably priced. If you are looking for an alternative to CR’s pick, we’d suggest looking at the Falken WildPeak lineup.

Best Winter Tire - Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5 vs. Michelin X-ICE Snow
Guess what? We’re switching things up a bit. CR picked the Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R5 as their best choice of non-studded winter tire, but we are going with the Michelin X-ICE for our own Bronco Sport Badlands. After scanning reviews and speaking to tire experts, we thought it would be the best match for our tough New England winters. Also, none of our go-to tire retailers or installers stock Nokian. We don't chase tires. If it’s hard to find the original set, any replacement you need will be a big pain in the neck to find in a pinch. You can get Michelin tires everywhere.

Conclusion - Michelin Is Often the Default, but We Have An Open Mind
As you can see, Michelin is ALWAYS in the conversation in any best tire discussion. Frankly, “Just get the Michelins” is sound advice. However, Goodyear, Falken, and Kumho make our list based on price, availability, testing, treadwear warranty, and performance.

If you have read over our suggestions, please tell us what you think in our comments section below. What tire would you opt for in any of these categories?

Our source - You'll have to subscribe to Consumer Reports to get the full data, but here is the Best Tires summary, expertly written by our trusted colleague, Jeff Bartlett. 

John Goreham is the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and an expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE int). In addition to his fourteen years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can connect with John on LinkedIn and follow his work on his personal X channel or on our X channel. John employs grammar and punctuation software when proofreading, and he sometimes uses image generation tools. 
 

Image of Kumho tire courtesy of Kumho, Michelin CrossClimate2 image at top of page courtesy of Michelin, X-ICE image courtesy of Michelin. Goodyear F1 image by Goodyear. Other images by John Goreham.