Are Pirelli Tires Better Than Michelin? What Consumer Reports Data Says
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There are a ton of tire brands offering their wares in 2025, from long-lived, well-known names such as Dunlop and Firestone to newer upstarts such as Giti Tire-owned Dexetro, but two names that have long been at (or near) the top of the pile are undoubtedly Pirelli and Michelin. We ranked both amongst the best major tire brands for 2025, with Michelin taking top spot ahead of Pirelli (which came in third) based on a mix of reviews, ratings, and product selection. But that’s just us — what do other sources think?
Consumer Reports is another reliable source of product reviews and evaluations, and its annual tire brands report for 2025 names Michelin as the best brand outright, coming in first place out of the 30 brands that the outlet tested over the calendar year. Unlike our list of the best tire brands, though, Pirelli wasn’t good enough to crack the top three: Pirelli came in at 11th, well behind Michelin and behind a selection of less-prominent names. Thus, while Pirelli’s prominent role in F1 may give it the upper hand in motorsport cachet, its road tires aren’t better than those from its European rival, Michelin.
Michelin has the upper hand, though it’s not all bad for Pirelli
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Michelin has the definitive upper hand in the tire game, at least in Consumer Reports’ estimation. The brand’s report card praises the overall performance of its tire lineup, with products like the Michelin CrossClimate 2 and Pilot Sport All-Season 4 — two of the best-performing tires to consider for 2026, according to CR — standing out as genuinely top-tier tires. Michelin’s Defender2 is also a compelling option, and the brand looks to offer a lot in return for the extra expenditure they demand.
Continental and Vredestein made up the rest of CR’s top three. Continental’s TerrainContact A/T and H/T are notable highlights from its lineup, although the brand overall is apparently let down by a bit of inconsistency in its lineup. Vredestein, on the other hand, didn’t have any particularly outstanding products, but offered a lot of consistency throughout in 2025.
While Pirelli may not have done well in CR’s evaluation, there is something of a silver lining: J.D. Power’s U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study for 2025 puts Pirelli in third place amongst luxury tire brands, with 801 points out of 1,000. It’s a solid performance and ahead of Continental, Hankook, and Bridgestone — if, admittedly, only slightly above the segment average. Goodyear and Michelin placed first and second with 821 and 814 points, respectively. Pirelli didn’t do as well in the performance tire category, though, its 759 points well behind Michelin’s 818.
