If you’re like me then you probably procrastinate on getting new tires as much as possible. Like oil changes and other forms of standard car maintenance, getting new tires can be stressful and expensive, and there are so many options it’s hard to know what the best deal is. If you cheap out on bad tires you could end up replacing them more often than you need to, or they could wear out so quickly that they become dangerous. Buying the most expensive brand isn’t always the solution either, and it’s not necessarily affordable for the average driver. Luckily for us, Consumer Reports stepped in to give us their two cents on the best tire brands of the year are.

How did Consumer Reports test for the best tire brand?

So what exactly goes into determining what makes a car brand better than others? Consumer Reports set up a trial with various tests to compare the different tire brands and see how they stack up. The first test involved braking on ice and was conducted at an ice rink, to see how tires would react on different surfaces. The goal was to see how good the traction offered by the tires was, especially on ice and snow.

Next, the team set out to see how well the tires would hold up over time and mileage. The amount of use we can get out of a tire is a major factor in determining how good a brand is. We want to look for tires that are well priced but also high quality, and the amount of distance you can safely drive on a set of tires is part of the quality testing we are looking for.

The results are in: the best tire brands are…

The tire brand that stood up above the rest was also one of the most popular: Michelin. It didn’t win by a landslide, because right on its tail in ratings was another popular brand — Continental. Completing the top five are General, Nexen, and Pirelli. The list goes on to complete a total of the top 20 brands out of 34 tested, and they all ranged greatly in price without sacrificing quality.

When considering tire brands it’s important to find the best tire you can get within your price range and to decide what type of tire is right for your car and driving conditions. Performance tires vary greatly from your average, standard tire, which also varies from seasonal tires like snow tires. Consumer Reports made a great effort to test as many types of tires as possible to give us a well-rounded analysis.

We were happy to see a lot of the most popular brands did make the list, and Consumer Reports did look at different types of brands offered by each brand to complete the comparison. The price range for the tires varied as well, proving that sometimes the most expensive option doesn’t mean it’s the best option.