Best Tires for SUVs: Keep Your SUV Moving Through All Road Conditions

Experience enhanced ride comfort and longer service life from your tires with our top picks for the best tires for SUVs

byMike Knott, Norah Tarichia|
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BYMike Knott, Norah Tarichia/ LAST UPDATED ON May 9, 2023

Tires are one of the most important and overlooked aspects of any car or truck. Having the right set of tires can be the difference between getting there and getting stuck, so it's massively important to choose the right set for your SUV. There are dozens of options, all of them with different pros, cons, and different levels of performance. We're here to help you choose.

Best Overall
Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus

Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus

Summary
An elegant, all-season tire designed to provide all-year traction and enhance fuel efficiency.
Pros
Maintains traction in harsh weather conditions. Offers a smooth and comfortable life. The service life may stretch to over 80,000 miles.
Cons
  Limited traction in deep snow. Poor braking on ice. May develop road noise after 30,000 miles.
Best Value

Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max

Summary
A fuel-efficient, all-season tire that provides all-year traction in dry, wet, and light snow conditions.
Pros
Affordable. Great wet traction. Long-wear capabilities. Low rolling resistance for improved fuel economy. Promotes a smooth and comfortable ride.
Cons
Less than average winter traction. Performance drops after 30,000 miles. Not suitable for off-road driving.
Honorable Mention

Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus

Summary
An eco-friendly, all-season tire designed to provide more miles per gallon and the best traction in dry, wet, and winter conditions.
Pros
Promotes fuel economy. Reduces carbon emissions. Quiet on the road. Great dry road handling. Suitable for SUVs, prestigious pickups, and crossovers.
Cons
Not the most comfortable tires. Short tread life. May start to shake after 20,000 miles.

Best SUV Tires Summary List

Our Methodology

Tires are one of the most crucial parts of any car on the road. Choosing the right set can mean the difference between getting there safely and being stranded. Between our team at The Drive and myself testing all kinds of tires throughout the years and plenty of research, we're able to produce a buying guide that can serve you well.

For more on how we select products, check this out.

Best Tires for SUVs Reviews & Recommendations

The Bridgestone Dueler is an elegant-looking, all-season tire that delivers all-weather versatility, including light snow traction. It features a cushioned, symmetrical tread pattern for enhanced driving comfort and to minimize vibrations and road noise. The tire features a continuous center rib boost and notched shoulder blocks for increased highway stability and responsiveness. Twin steel belts hardened with spirally wound nylon make up the tire’s internal structure for H, V, and W speed-rated sizes to reinforce the tires under the tread area.


The Bridgestone radial tire includes sipes, lateral notches, and wide circumferential grooves that help the tire maintain all-weather traction and further enhance ride comfort. The tire is a little over 40 pounds and is available for 15- to 20-inch sizes. It also has an impressive 80,000-mile tread warranty and can take you to the 100,000-mile mark if you aren’t an aggressive driver. Lastly, a treadwear indicator lets you keep track of when to replace the tires.


A downside to the product is it’s constructed with wide tread widths that limit traction in snow conditions. It also takes too long to brake on ice. You would have to change to winter tires during the cold season. Moreover, the tires may start to produce vibrations and a lot of road noise after going through half of their service life.  

The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max is an affordable touring tire designed to offer reliable, all-year traction. It’s characterized by reduced rolling resistance to enhance the vehicle’s gas mileage and also includes a fuel-saving tread compound that controls the energy used when the tires roll. The internal structure is reinforced with twin steel belts and a polyester casing that enhances the ride quality.


It has a unique tread design that features inboard and outboard Dry Tread Zones, which include sturdy shoulder blocks for optimized handling in dry road conditions. A central tread zone coupled with Dual Aqua-channel grooves increases the tire’s water evacuation properties to promote wet weather traction and resist hydroplaning. The tire also includes sipes that increase the tire’s biting edge in wintry conditions. It’s available for 16- to 19-inch tires and has a 65,000-mile tread guarantee.


A major drawback of the product is that it has poor traction in the snow just like most all-season tires. The treads are too closely packed to help your vehicle move through deep snow. Also, the performance drops and the tires become noisy after half of their service life. The tires may have a shorter tread life with aggressive off-road driving.

Backed by a strong brand reputation, Pirelli Scorpion Verde is an eco-friendly tire that reduces a driver’s carbon footprint while at the same time helping save money on fuel expenses. It’s branded with the “Eco-Impact” icon on the sidewall, and it reduces carbon emissions. It's an all-season tire with proven fuel-saving technology that reduces rolling resistance, and its lightweight construction enhances fuel economy by providing more miles per gallon. 


The product is a premium performance tire that maintains excellent traction in dry, wet, and light snow conditions. Pirelli included its latest design elements and technology when manufacturing this tire to give it a decent service life and great all-condition handling. It also has a strong braking grip and low noise levels, even when the treads start to wear out. 


Some disadvantages of the tire are that it performs poorly in deep snow. It’s also not the most comfortable tire, as it feels rough on a highway. It also has a short tread life for an all-season tire, and it may not make it past the 50,000-mile mark, especially with aggressive off-road driving. Moreover, the tires may start to shake after 20,000 miles.

This all-season tire delivers dependable performance while also improving your vehicle’s fuel economy. The tire features Michelin's proprietary EnergySaver Construction that utilizes a unique compound of silica for the rubber tread. It not only improves fuel economy but also helps keep the tire cooler. The tread is a symmetrical pattern with four large circumferential grooves and several rows of independent tread blocks.


You’ll like driving on these tires, thanks to the Comfort Control Technology that’s built into the tire. It uses a computer-optimized design, which also reduces vibrations and road noise. Combine this with the tire’s enhanced grip for predictable handling, and you have a product that’s a pleasure to use.


Unfortunately, this tire spins out easily, which means you’ll lose traction if you accelerate too quickly. This becomes even worse on wet or lightly snow-covered roads. The tire also doesn’t wear evenly, which will decrease ride comfort.

These tires have an aggressive tread block pattern that will give you traction both on and off of the road. They are rated M+S with the three-peak mountain snowflake. This means that you can drive the tire in more extreme, snowy conditions. The product also comes as standard OEM equipment on several light- and medium-duty 2WD trucks and SUVs.


What's nice about this tire is the aggressive tread pattern. It provides plenty of edges for grip to give you solid traction on dry, wet, and snowy roads. It also performs well in warm and cold temperatures. This makes it an ideal all-around tire for those who regularly drive off of the paved path.


The downside of this tire is that it’s not a true winter tire. While you can drive with it in winter weather that’s heavier than light snow, it won’t perform as well as an actual winter tire. This may leave you with less traction than what’s desirable. You might also find the ride comfort lacking on roads due to the more aggressive tread block pattern. The product is heavier than the standard road-only tire, so you’ll also see a decrease in fuel economy. 

This sport tire is specifically meant for use on larger vehicles, meaning you get all of the comforts of a touring tire, but with improved performance and handling. The all-season tread will provide you with year-round traction and drivability. The tire’s construction has angled tread blocks, four circumferential grooves, and smaller siping throughout.


What makes this tire stand out is its symmetrical tread pattern. It creates a smooth, quiet ride while also encouraging even tread wear for extended tread life. The product tends to be more affordably priced than other tires, which makes it a smart budget buy.


Unfortunately, this tire’s performance tends to lag when it comes to winter performance. It also won’t perform well on rough roads or when driving off-road.

This all-season passenger tire is designed for use on everything from cars to minivans and SUVs. It boasts a long tread life and comfortable ride. The construction of this tire features a silica-enhanced rubber compound. It’s molded into a symmetrical design that makes it easy to freely rotate the tire for a longer useful life and even wear. The tread pattern features four circumferential grooves for channeling water. There are also deep sipes, giving you more gripping edges when driving on wet or lightly snow-covered roads. The internal construction features one or two ply polyester casings and two wide steel belts that are wrapped spirally in nylon.


You’ll like driving on these tires because they create a smooth and comfortable ride. They can work to smooth out the ride when the surface you’re driving on isn’t the greatest. They also give you enough traction when accelerating or stopping.


The downside of this tire is that it creates a lot of road noise. This only gets worse with increased wear. The more you drive on this tire, the occurrences of feeling a loss of traction will also increase. This most often happens when changing direction on wet or lightly snow-covered roads.

These all-terrain tires are developed to let you drive both on and off the road. They’re tough and durable with a rugged design that enables them to function well in heavy-duty applications. The internal construction of the tire supports more demanding use with two high tensile steel belts that are layered on top of two-ply polyester cord casing and then spirally wrapped nylon reinforcement.


What makes this tire stand out is its tear and chip resistance. It’s made from a special triple polymer compound that’s molded into the aggressive symmetrical tread pattern. The tread block also combats the typical road noise that comes with this type of aggressive tread design. It has pitch variation enhancement to reduce unwanted sound levels. The product also meets the industry standard for severe snow service. It’s branded with the three-peak mountain snowflake.


Unfortunately, if you drive on paved surfaces a lot, you’ll find that the tread life is greatly reduced. These tires also don’t perform well in muddy conditions. You may find that while the tire is very quiet at installation, the tire gradually gets louder with use and wear.

The Evolution is an all-season tire that’s meant for use on crossovers, vans, light-duty trucks, and SUVs. It’s a touring tire, so you can expect a comfortably smooth and quiet ride. The construction of the tire is a high silica compound that’s molded into a symmetrical tread pattern. This helps with even tread wear and a longer useful life for the tire. The increased amount of silica also helps the tires to grip better in wet driving conditions, and the 3D sipes improve the tire’s grip when driving in light snow conditions.


What makes this tire stand out is its intricate design. The different elements are specifically placed to reduce road noise while also preventing uneven wear. The tread blocks have an interlocking feature to help increase the tire’s stability and boost the amount of contact you have with the road.


Unfortunately, the tread wears fast on these tires, and all of the special attention to the tread pattern doesn’t prevent it from wearing unevenly. The tire also tends to lack decent traction when the roads are wet.

Our Verdict on the Best Tires for SUVs

For this round, the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus is the clear winner with excellent wear life, a great treadwear warranty, and all-season versatility. For best value, the Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max offers a lot for less money than other competitors, including a neat fuel-saving tread compound. And for our best honorable mention, the Pirelli Scorpion Verde All-Season Plus is an excellent choice that is on the slightly more expensive side, but performs incredibly well.

What To Consider When Buying SUV Tires

All-Season Tires

All-season tires are designed to offer a smooth and comfortable ride, especially at high speeds. The tires maintain commendable traction in wet conditions and often exhibit uniform wear across the tread pattern. They can handle a little snow and slush on the road but are almost useless in deep snow.

Snow/Winter Tires

Snow tires are designed for deep snow and icy roads. The treads have large gaps to pack snow for easy movement. These tires come with a Three-Peak Mountain SnowFlake symbol and are typically used when the temperatures drop below 45-degrees Fahrenheit. However, they have poor performance on dry roads and need to be removed once the winter season is over.

All-Terrain Tires

All-terrain tires can be ridden off-road and on highways. They offer a seamless ride and can effortlessly transition from the highway to muddy grass and back without losing their traction, braking power, or performance. However, you have to sacrifice gas and tread mileage with most of these tires.    

Mileage

The mileage or the life of the tire majorly depends on the brand and the technology that goes into constructing the tire. Some manufacturers maintain high standards with their tires and may have a tire with a 100,000-mile tread life, while others in the same category may have a life of only 50,000 miles. The type or purpose of the tire is also a contributing factor to the tire mileage. For instance, on-road tires last longer than off-road tires. 

FAQs

Q: Can I replace only two tires?

A: If you don’t need to replace the complete set, at least ensure that the new tires are installed on the back axle. It helps the vehicle maintain control on wet roads and slippery surfaces. Moreover, it’s best to maintain traction in the rear wheels because the vehicle may spin off the road if you hit the emergency brake.

Q: Are all tire damages repairable?

A: No. You have to buy new tires if your old tires have sidewall damage or if there's a cut or tear in the pre-existing repair. Also, it's not possible to replace worn-out treads or tread indicators and punctures larger than 0.25 inches. 

Q: Could I use a repaired tire before I get a replacement?

A: It depends on how well the repair is done. Tire repairs should be in line with the procedures set by the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA). If not, you may end up with a burst tire, which could be catastrophic. Also, you should only use a repaired tire for a month at most and avoid high-speed or off-road driving. 

Why Trust Us

Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.

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