In today’s world, speed is everything, something that becomes obvious once you take a closer look at any car’s technical specs – acceleration, power, top speed, they’re always mentioned and used as key selling points. But we all know that power and speed is nothing without control and without the proper tires to keep your car in check, things might get pretty dangerous, especially if you’re going too fast.
Vehicle safety standards depend mainly, if not entirely, on the quality of the tires you are using. The best tire brands have been around for quite some time and their products were specially developed to offer you a sense of control and safety, while also being affordable.
A tire (some people spell it tyre) is basically “a ring-shaped component that surrounds a wheel’s rim to transfer a vehicle’s load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide traction on the surface over which the wheel travels”. Simple, right?
Generally speaking all weather tires are the ideal option for most people, driving on the highway, in the countryside or in busy cities. But those of you of a more adventurous nature will require specially-developed tires for snow, sport and wet conditions.
Without further ado, here are the best and most trusted tire brands on the market in 2021.
Michelin
- Years: 1889 – Present
- Headquarters: Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Founders: Édouard Michelin and André Michelin
- Website: www.michelin.com
The famous French brand was founded by two brothers, Edouard and André back in 1889. Since then Michelin has been known to design quality rubber, something that becomes apparent once you find out that two famous racing organizations – Le Mans and MotoGP races – use the brand’s high performance products.
Michelin will sell you a good tire, whether it’s for your car or motorcycle, but even for bicycles and scooters. Durable and performance-oriented, Michelin tires will cost you a pretty penny, but they perform exceptionally well in almost every category, as expected.
Michelin is recognized as the second-largest tire manufacturer on the planet – Bridgestone sits on top of that podium, at least for now. Michelin offers 53 different tire models for 2021, which is to say: whatever you need, they got it.
Pirelli
- Years: 1872 – Present
- Headquarters: Milan, Italy
- Founder: Giovanni Battista Pirelli
- Website: www.pirelli.com
Pirelli always comes to mind when you’re thinking about quality tires. Founded in 1872 by Giovanni Battista Pirelli, the Italian company is famous not only for being one of the largest and oldest tire brands on the planet, but also for being one of the most reliable tire manufacturers.
Pirelli has gained a solid reputation in time, especially for their high performance tires that often equip some of the world’s most incredible super cars. But you can also buy a Pirelli tire for your standard SUV or sedan and, according to customer reports, there is a big chance you will not feel disappointed.
One thing that is missing – Pirelli won’t make any tires for your truck any time soon. But, if you’ve got a powerful sports car or a powerful SUV then the Milanese tire manufacturer definitely remains the answer. With 63 tire models on offer, I think that is a fair assumption.
Goodyear
- Years: 1898 – Present
- Headquarters: Akron, Ohio, United States
- Founder: Frank Seiberling
- Website: www.goodyear.com
Goodyear was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling and soon after the multinational company was ready to manufacture tires. One of the world’s biggest tire manufacturers, with Cooper and Dunlop as subsidiaries, Goodyear also has a wide selection of tires on offer, for standard cars, motorcycles, light trucks and race cars and even for farm equipment and commercial trucks.
Keeping in line with demand, the American company has always been very active on the market. How, do you ask? Well, customers may buy tires directly from Goodyear and get these tires delivered – with no charge – to their house. Well established across the United States, the company is well-known for their reliable tires and also that cool Goodyear blimp.
Goodyear has a bewildering array of 85 different tires, which means whatever tire you may want they probably have it.
Continental
- Years: 1871 – Present
- Headquarters: Hanover, Germany
- Website: www.continental.com
The Germans at Continental have always been a top tire manufacturing company. Continental manufactures a full line of original tires inspired by these three concepts: safety, fuel economy and environmentally neutral. But there’s more to the name than just Continental.
Aside from General and Uniroyal, Continental also owns the following tire brands: Semperit, Barum, Viking, Gislaved, Mabor, Matador and Sportiva. Furthermore, it might be worth mentioning that the German company is also a leading automotive supplier of interior electronics, automotive safety, brake systems and other vehicle components.
As the world’s oldest tire manufacturer (yes, even older than Pirelli), it’s no surprise that Continental ranks highly in both consumer surveys and expert reviews. Continental manufactures a full range of 59 dfferent tires for the auto sector.
Dunlop
- Years: 1889 – Present
- Headquarters: Birmingham, England, UK
- Founders: Harvey du Cros and John Boyd Dunlop
- Parent company: Goodyear
- Website: www.dunloptires.com
Dunlop is another famous tire brand, one that aimed to take over Great Britain and why not, the entire world, with the help of pioneering innovations. Founded by John Boyd Dunlop and Harvey du Cros, the company has a long history in the UK and for more than 120 years they’ve been trying to develop the next best thing in tires.
Dunlop is at the forefront of creating and applying new technology in the tire industry, which is why most cars would be privileged to ride on a set of Dunlop tires. Better yet, these tires are also affordable, so it’s a win-win situation if you ask us.
From personal experience I can safely assume that these tires can handle anything and get you back home, safe and sound.
Bridgestone
- Years: 1931 – Present
- Headquarters: Chuo City, Tokyo, Japan
- Founder: Shōjirō Ishibashi
- Website: www.bridgestone.com
We’ve all heard about Bridgestone. The successful Japanese tire brand was founded back in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi and quickly made a name for themselves in the market. But this company is not all about tires and rubber, as it also focuses its efforts in the development of auto and truck parts.
Bridgestone independently concentrates on manufacturing tires by using only Japanese technology. The company overcame many challenges but step by step it managed to achieve success and by 2017 it was ranked #1 in the list of top rated tire brands in the world.
Love it or hate it, the Bridgestone Corporation is currently the largest tire manufacturer in the world. And yes, their tires are on top of the market and customer reports.
Yokohama
- Years: 1917 – Present
- Headquarters: Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
- Website: www.yokohamatire.com
Yokohama Rubber Company is another famed Japanese tire brand, founded back in 1917 through a joint venture between Yokohama Cable Manufacturing and B.F. Goodrich. It took some time, but in 1969 the Japanese brand expanded its operations to the United States. And the company is also the official tire supplier of the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge, World Championship and Super Formula of Japan.
There are 76 different Yokohama tire models available for United States consumers, and there are several winter tire offerings, as well. It would seem, however, that some customers aren’t too pleased with the poor winter performance of some of their all-season tires. The winter tires won’t disappoint though.
Cooper Tires
- Years: 1914 – Present
- Headquarters: Findlay, Ohio, United States
- Founders: John F. Schaefer, Claude E. Hart
- Parent company: Goodyear
- Website: www.coopertire.com
Cooper Tire and Rubber Company is a name that most Europeans don’t hear quite that often. Nonetheless, this famed American company offers excellent products manufactured to meet the needs of drivers everywhere.
Offering great performance at competitive prices, the company has plenty of subsidiaries to talk about: Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson, Avon Tyres, Starfire Roadmaster, Dean, Mastercraft, and more.
Cooper has been on the scene since 1914, their tires are affordable – to say the least – and people seem to be satisfied with what they’ve purchased.
Hankook
- Years: 1941 – Present
- Headquarters: Seongnam-si, South Korea
- Founder: Cho Hong-je
- Website: www.hankooktire.com
The Korean tire company was established in 1941 and has quickly gained a global reputation. Hankook Tires became an official tire supplier for renowned car brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi and more.
Initially rolling out products from a factory in South Korea, the company has evolved and expanded worldwide, investing time and a lot of money into the North American and European markets. Hankook tires are now available in over 180 countries and the brand also ventured into the battery business, alloy wheel and brake pads production.
Their all-season options are to die for and that’s because I’ve been using them for years.
Nexen
- Years: 1942 – Present
- Headquarters: Yangsan-si, South Korea
- Website: www.nexentire.com
Affordable and of decent quality, Nexen tires come in a wide range of options and sizes. If you’re on a tight budget, these tires will gladly come to car and trucks’ aid, but that doesn’t mean these tires are low quality. They have excellent reviews and proved to be extremely durable and capable of handling any conditions.
Nexen has four main tire brands, NFera for performance, NPriz for car passenger, Roadian for SUV and Light trucks and Winguard for snow and ice. What about the tires? The NFera sure look like winners for me.
General
- Years: 1915 – Present
- Headquarters: Akron, Ohio, United States
- Founder: William Francis O’Neil
- Parent company: Continental
- Website: www.generaltire.com
Have you ever heard of General Tire, the American tire manufacturer? Founded in 1915, this powerful brand has put Akron, Ohio, on the map, together with Goodyear. The company only has 19 available tire models, the majority of which are truck and SUV tires, but they’re doing an excellent job with those.
By delivering high-quality products at an affordable price, the American company continues to remain a powerful player on the market. If you have a small car don’t worry there are plenty of options from them for standard cars as well. General tires have a solid reputation on tackling snow and tough terrains.
BFGoodrich
- Years: 1870 – Present
- Headquarters: Akron, Ohio, United States
- Founder: Benjamin Goodrich
- Parent company: Michelin
- Website: www.generaltire.com
Last but not least, BFGoodrich. The American tire company made a name for itself at the Baja California Contest and the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally. These gruesome automotive competitions have proven to be quite a test for any man and machine, but these tires – they took it like real champs.
BFGoodrich has been around since 1870, but in 1990, the company has been acquired by Michelin, which brought it back on our radar. Today, BFGoodrich focuses on a narrow range of just 21 different tire models, but you are most welcomed to try out a set.
Conclusion
We hope this list helped you make an idea on which are the best tire brands in the world. You can’t go wrong with any of these brands. Always choose the right tire models for your car, your needs, and especially the conditions outside if you want to arrive home safe and sound.
