All-season tyres are a single set of tyres designed to be used year-round. They use compounds which a adapt to the conditions - alongside hybrid tread patterns to combine both summer grip in warm weather with traction in cold, wet and snowy conditions.
In the UK, where full winters are rare but cold, wet weather is normal. All season tyres therefore remove the need to swap tyres twice a year.
For a robust performance throughout the winter months, make sure to look models with the 3PMSF snowflake symbol - which confirms it has been tested for winter capability.
What are all-season tyres?
All-season tyres are built to deliver dependable performance across the full range of temperatures and weather a UK driver meets in a year.
Two things separate them from summer tyres and winter tyres:
- The compound. All-season compounds are designed to remain flexible as temperatures fall. Without going soft and wearing quickly in summer heat. Premium models now go further – Michelin’s Thermal Adaptive Tread Compound in the CrossClimate 3, for example, is formulated to change behaviour as road temperature changes.
- The tread pattern. All-season treads borrow biting edges and sipes from winter designs and combine them with the large, stiff tread blocks and water-clearing grooves of a summer tyre. Directional V-shaped patterns are common because they clear water and slush effectively while keeping the shoulder blocks solid enough for cornering in dry conditions.
You may also see them called all-weather tyres or four-season tyres.
In the UK market these terms are used interchangeably.
