Best Tires for Prius

The Toyota Prius came around as an incredibly innovative design that was offered in the electric and hybrid market, achieving an instant following and great popularity. With the hybrid electric engine, there was a lot of buzz around fuel economy, and despite the smaller appearance, it maintains excellent cargo space, as well as providing comfortable seats with plenty of room to accommodate adults. In addition, there is a standard user-friendly infotainment system included so it’s more fun for the whole family. The smooth ride, combined with reliable steering, has kept the Prius high on the list of recommended hybrids.

Driving a hybrid may seem boring compared to a sports car, but with new innovations in tires, you can still have a good time and enjoy your daily commute. Finding the best tires for your Prius will help you maintain the great performance of the car and keep you rolling for years to come. How do you choose tires for your Prius? There are a few things to consider.

Here’s A Quick Look At Our Top 10 Best Tires for Prius

• Goodyear Assurance Weatherready Tires
• Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Tires
• Riken Raptor HR Tires
• Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Tires
• Bridgestone DriveGuard Tires
• Kumho Solus KH16 Tires
• Firestone FT140 Tires
• Vredestein Quatrac 5 Tires
• Laufenn G Fit AS Tires
• Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter Tires

What to Look for in Tires for Prius

Tire shopping can be a little harrowing, with so many different types of tires and options on the market. To help narrow down your options, there are some features to consider that might make or break a tire for you. The first is to search for only tires in the right size for your Prius. Most Prius years and models use tires size 195/65R15, so that’s what we’re looking at. However, if your year or trim requires a different size, be aware of this. Most of the tires we chose are available in all the various sizes for the Toyota Prius.

Additionally, you’ll want to look at the types of tires available. For most people, all season tires are best, since they perform well across all the seasons, as long as you don’t have harsh winters with heavy snow. However, if you live in an area where you expect a great deal of snow, you may want to consider either an all season or summer tire for three seasons and a separate set of snow tires for the winter.

Another thing to keep in mind is the comfort of your ride. Most Prius drivers are commuters or spend a lot of time driving around town. You want to make sure you have tires that keep you riding smoothly on the roads you drive. In addition, if you get a lot of rain, such as in the Pacific Northwest, an all-season rating is great, but you’ll want to pay close attention to the reviews of performance in wet conditions. This will come in handy when others are hydroplaning and you’re staying on heading, cutting through the standing water.

You’ll need to carefully assess the price of the tires you’re choosing as well, since you’ll find that those prices can vary greatly across the various options. While you want to assure you have a good, quality tire that will give you a long life and even tread wear, you may not be able to – or want to – afford an expensive tire.

Top 10 Best Tires for a Prius

You don’t have to break the bank to get the best tires for your Prius when there are good quality tires for reasonable prices. Take a look at this short list we’ve put together to point you in the right direction.

1. Goodyear Assurance Weatherready Tires

Goodyear Assurance Weatherready Tires are designed for family and passenger vehicles and are ideally suited for the Toyota Prius. The all-season tires receive excellent marks for the smooth, quiet ride they offer, as well as for performance year-round, meeting the industry requirements for severe snow service. The tread compound is made of soy-based rubber and is asymmetrically patterned to deliver traction throughout all seasons and weather conditions, including light snow.

3D TredLock Technology Blades create stable cornering when it’s slippery, and the evolving traction grooves are constructed for high levels of grip, even as the tires wear down. Zigzag biting edges are designed for traction and confident handling in light snow, while the polyamide reinforcement of the internal construction promotes handling response year-round and increases capability at higher speeds. Check out our review on the Goodyear viva 3.

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2. Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Tires

Yokohama Avid Ascend GT Tires are well received among passenger vehicle drivers for being reliable in their all-season rating while also providing a long tread life and low noise levels. In addition, they are touted as eco-friendly, based on the manufacturer’s practices of environmentally safe sourcing and construction practices, as well as reduction of fuel usage and lower CO2 emissions from your vehicle with their use.

The asymmetrical tread pattern is engineered to maintain contact and stability for better traction and more even wear through the entire year, in all weather conditions including light snow. The footprint is designed with specifically sized and placed grooves for water evacuation, so you get greater hydroplaning resistance. Tread pitch variation helps maintain the smooth and quiet ride, and triple 3D sipes with notched tread blocks keep you connected with great traction in light snow and ice.

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3. Riken Raptor HR Tires

Riken Raptor HR Tires were designed for all season performance while offering a sportier feel to the ride, making them a bit more fun than the average year-round tire you would put on your Prius. These are H-rated tires, which means they are rated to handle speeds up to 130 miles per hour, giving you more than enough wiggle room for high speeds on the freeway. The symmetrical pattern on the tread gives you longer lasting treadlife through even tread wear when rotated properly, and the all-season compound creates ideal performance in all types of weather, including light snow.

There is a continuous center rib that keeps constant contact, which gives you a more centered feel and great handling stability. Lateral notches and wide circumferential grooves are great at evacuating water to combat hydroplaning in wet or slushy weather. You also get a smoother ride and steering responsiveness based on the internal structure of the tire.

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4. Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Tires

Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum Tires offer a combination of sport and luxury in the feel of their ride, pleasing all types of drivers with responsive handling, longer tread life, and year-round traction that doesn’t compromise the noise reduction and smooth ride. The advanced tread compound is formulated to remain stiffer in the warmth and softer in cold weather for optimum performance as an all-season tire, and the asymmetrically molded pattern allows for ideal traction throughout the seasons and weather conditions.

Three different types of sipes are incorporated into the design, assuring you have the best possible outcome in driving, regardless of the weather. Stress relief dimples add to the ability to maintain straight line snow traction, while waffled sipes create dry road stability. The ride quality is maintained through a sound internal structure that keeps the ride quiet while also increasing the overall durability of the crafting.

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5. Bridgestone DriveGuard Tires

Bridgestone DriveGuard Tires offer users exceptionally long tread life, even in higher speed ratings, as well as additional safety with run flat capabilities. This will get you an additional 50 miles down the road at 50 miles per hour, allowing you to safely reach a destination for repair and replacement when you have that unexpected flat. In fact, you even get almost the same great comfort in run flat mode as you do when the tire is fully inflated, making this a great comfort ride regardless of overall conditions.

The all-season tire offers flexible and predictable handling, even in light snow, as well as stability in cornering and complete steering responsiveness even in the worst conditions. All this is aided by design, with cross grooves to evacuate water and resist hydroplaning as well as increased sipe density for more biting edges in snow covered roads. The sidewall is reinforced with run flat capability but maintains a lightweight tire so that you get great comfort and fuel economy while also achieving extra safety.

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6. Kumho Solus KH16 Tires

Kumho Solus KH16 Tires are highly reliable throughout the year, with all season design and performance as a top priority in design and structure. At the same time, the manufacturer has balanced these goals with the idea of a comfortable, low noise ride and overall exceptional handling, regardless of weather conditions. The tire incorporates technological advances in optimizing the shape, as well as creating the ideal internal tension level and maintaining footprint contact pressure.

That means you get even tread wear over time for a longer lifespan of the tire, while also providing excellent traction across all types of weather. The polyester body plies create increased strength and durability while also assisting in the smoothness of the ride and reduction of noise. You also get low rolling resistance, which helps improve overall fuel economy, keeping your Prius rating high in this area.

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7. Firestone FT140 Tires

Firestone FT140 Tires provide a nice, quiet ride throughout the year, with an all-season rating that keeps you moving even in light snow and tough, cold temperatures. With a sophisticated appearance, they’ll be aesthetically pleasant on your Toyota Prius, while also remaining reliable in terms of competent handling. These tires carry an H speed rating so are capable of handling just about any speed that will accommodate your needs.

You also get incredible traction across dry, wet, and lightly snowy conditions so you are able to continue moving even when weather tries to get in the way. While there is no treadlife warranty, you get a reasonably long treadlife with even wear over the life of the tires, and you get exciting performance even at high speeds and on highway applications.

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8. Vredestein Quatrac 5 Tires

Vredestein Quatrac 5 Tires increase your confidence in driving in all weather conditions year-round, with great traction as well as reliable stability and steering responsiveness. They meet the industry requirements for severe snow service, making them quite viable in light snow and icy conditions. The outboard shoulder and grooves around the circumference work to provide better handling in wet weather, with water evacuation and reduced hydroplaning, while the inboard rib and inside shoulder are tuned to help you through wet and wintry conditions, maintaining greater contact with the road.

The internal construction of the tires increases durability with polyamide reinforcement, as well as improving the way the tires handle, especially on wet and dry surfaces. High silica content in the tread gives you longer and more reliable tread wear and features additional traction capabilities.

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9. Laufenn G Fit AS Tires

Laufenn G Fit AS Tires use a long mileage carbon in the all-season tread that helps improve tread wear and noise reduction properties. In addition, they are well formed for traction in any type of weather, including light snow. Tread wear remains even with the symmetrical tread design, essentially reducing road noise at the same time so your ride is quieter and more comfortable.

Vibration is reduced through the use of optimized variable pitch tread block design and chamfered groove edge tread blocks. The profile of the tire keeps weight and pressure evenly distributed across the footprint as well. This gives you optimal contact with the road, even in wet and snowy weather, and maintains the smooth ride and even tread wear throughout the seasons. Internally, the wide, high tensile steel belts and jointless nylon reinforcement provide durability and excellent handling and steering responsiveness.

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10. Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter Tires

Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter Tires is built to please drivers of any passenger vehicle, including the Prius, with thousands of miles of quiet and luxurious service, including great fuel efficiency and incredible handling with a long tread life. The silica enhanced tread compound is also based on long-link carbon for all season capability and better grip and tread wear.

The footprint construction is designed to evacuate water so that you aren’t hydroplaning in wet conditions, while the biting edges are included for better traction in snow. The compound is formulated for greater fuel efficiency, with less weight and low rolling resistance. The internal structure utilizes polyester casing and nylon reinforcement for light weight with added durability, as well as a structure that incorporates that smooth ride and stability.

Conclusion

Finding the best tires for your Toyota Prius doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. If you start by narrowing down your choices by size, as well as budget, you’ll have a much shorter list to consider. Then, you can more carefully review the various features that are most important to you, whether it’s traction in wet weather or a smooth ride you consider to be most important. With several options that deliver on all fronts, you’ll have choices and can look for a way to save some money by opting for the most closely matched tire at the best price.