With a “good”/”highly recommended” rating, the Continental ContiWinterContact TS 850 tyre has emerged from the joint winter tyre test conducted by ADAC, ÖAMTC, TCS and Stiftung Warentest as the best winter tyres in two sizes.

The tyre experts tested 14 winter tyre models in each of two sizes: 175/65 R 14 and 195/65 R 15, suitable for compact to mid-range cars. In their assessment of the bigger Continental winter tyre, the testers called it “a very balanced tyre” giving it “top marks on snow and for fuel consumption, top marks on ice, top marks on dry roads and top marks for wear.”

The smaller ContiWinterContact TS 850 similarly finished best in test and in the words of the testers also won its outstanding rating through its “balance, its handling on ice and in the wet, and its very good wear performance.” The winter tyres tested were made by manufacturers from Europe, the USA and Asia. In both size classes, two tyres had to settle for a “not recommended” rating, mainly on account of poor performance on wet roads.