Best Snow Tires for Toyota Rav4: Toyota Rav4 has been in the North American market since 1995 being a compact crossover SUV with an option of a 4 wheel drive mode. Due to its value for money proposition coupled with good quality recognition over the years, Rav4 was the best selling SUV of any type in the world in 2019. Since 2020, there have been a total of 10 million Toyota Rav4 has been sold globally making it one the top selling SUV of all time. The current 2023 Toyota Rav4 boasts a 225/65R17, 225/60R18 & 235/55R19 selection with a fair share of volume comes at the 17″ size.
As we are talking about winter tires, it is very important to distinguish between the studless & winter segment. The studless segment has a main focus on ice & snow and it is currently the best tire selection for extreme cold weather conditions (<23°F). Winter tires are mainly focused on milder winter conditions (>23°F) while having a very strong wet braking performance. These are typically used in middle European countries as they do not have such cold winters.
For the American market, studless tires are the main go to tires when it comes to snow tires as the winter middle European tires are usually not sold directly here. Below are the best snow tires for Toyota Rav4 for the American market.
Table of Contents
Studless tires
1. Continental Viking Contact 7
Viking Contact 7 is Continental’s best performing tire in the press test with a win rate of 24 out of the 27 tests it has contested. With a clear strength in ice & snow performances while balancing the summer performances, Viking Contact 7 is clearly the best snow tire in the market !
- Viking Contact 7
- Launch: 2018
- Press test wins: 24/27
- Strength: Best in class in ice & snow. Weak in aquaplaning.
Check out our head to head comparison of Viking Contact 7 against its competitors.
Viking Contact 7 vs
- Continental WinterContact TS 860
- Goodyear UltraGrip Ice 2
- Michelin X-Ice Snow
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3
- Pirelli Ice Zero FR
2. Michelin X-Ice SNOW
Michelin’s answer towards Continental’s Viking Contact 7 is a new product called X-Ice Snow. This was a long awaited upgrade for 8 years as X-Ice Snow was launched in 2020. Based on the head to head results below, X-Ice Snow excels relatively good in Ice & Snow but lacks in wet performances.
- X-Ice Snow
- Launch: 2020
- Press test wins: 0/12
- Strength: Relatively good ice & snow.
Check our head to head comparison of X-Ice Snow against its competitors.
X-Ice Snow vs
- Continental Viking Contact 7
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3
- Pirelli Ice Zero FR
- Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
- Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
- Goodyear WinterCommand Ultra
- Michelin Cross Climate 2
- Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4
3. Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Blizzak WS90 was launched in 2019 replacing the 2014 Blizzak WS80 offering a full range of passenger & SUV tire selection. Based on the head to head test results below, Blizzak WS90 could not match the top contenders in terms of ice & snow, however it excels in wet performance.
- Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
- Launch: 2019
- Press test wins: 2/4
- Strength: Wet & ice
Check our head to head comparison of Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 against its competitors.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 vs
Summary
When it comes to buying your next set of tires, do remind yourself what you need and try to match your requirements to the tire’s performance. If you would like the best in ice & snow, Viking Contact 7 is definitely the best choice with highest value proposition.