If you are the proud owner of an Audi Q5, then you know that it is a great vehicle. But did you know that the type of tires you have on your Audi can make a big difference in how it performs?
That’s why we tested the top 8 tires for a range of different applications and found that the best tires for Audi Q5 are the Continental CrossContact LX25.
In this guide, we will explore the best tires for Audi Q5 for a variety of different criteria and help you choose the right set of tires for your vehicle.
Best Tires for Audi Q5
Continental CrossContact LX25 (Best Tire Overall) | Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (Best Winter Performance) |
Michelin CrossClimate 2 (Best All Season) | Michelin Defender LTX M/S (Best Longevity) |
Pirelli P Zero (Best Dry Performance) | Vredestein Quatrac Pro (Best Comfort) |
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady (Best Wet Performance) | Cooper Evolution Tour (Best Value) |
- Premium quality tire
- Works great is all weather conditions
- Outstanding grip and handling
- Quiet and comfortable ride
- 70000 mile tread-wear warranty
When it comes to the full package, no tire can provide the level of comprehensive value quite like the Continental CrossContact LX25. While it’s definitely a premium tire in regards to its price point, it’s also premium in terms of quality.
As an all-season touring tire, versatility and comfort is the name of the game. Rain or shine, these tires are up to the challenge with its superior grip on both wet and dry roads.
Even heavy rain can be managed as the proprietary tread design utilizes sipes and lateral groves to ensure excellent aquaplaning resistance.
But it’s not just performance where the Continental CrossContact LX25 shines, as we absolutely love how smooth these tires are to drive on. Continental’s Comfort Ride Technology ensures that you’re going to enjoy a very comfortable drive and that’s exactly what we found. And alongside comfort, these tires are also very quiet so you can just enjoy the road.
The tread itself utilizes some of the most advanced material compounds in the industry which really sets it apart from the competition.
And unlike some other brands that claim to be all-season, our experience is that the Continental CrossContact LX25 holds up very impressively in wintry conditions.
Performance may not be a top priority with touring tires but the Continental CrossContact LX25 still performs admirably well. The outstanding dry drip and cornering means you can really drive the way you want.
Longevity is another area where these tires excel just as you may expect of a touring tire. And Continental are willing to back their product as they also offer a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty.
And while not absolutely top of the range, these tires are still surprisingly responsive for touring tires. So, while this is obviously not a performance tire, it still gets very high marks.
One area you should probably avoid is off-roading as these tires just aren’t built for it.
Ultimately, the Continental CrossContact LX25 is an absolutely elite tire that is well worth their price point. It’s a top of the range jack of all trades that will certainly serve you well, regardless of the roads and where they take you.
Michelin CrossClimate 2 (Best All Season)
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 is a tire that excels in performing well in challenging conditions. It is an all season tire with a long lasting tread life, and is designed with a primary focus to have the best performance in wet and snowy conditions.
This tire showed excellent grip and handling dry conditions, but in snowy and icy conditions is where this tire stands out from the rest.
The V-formation tread pattern of the Michelin CrossClimate 2 means this tire excels at helping the tire perform in wet conditions, as it can evacuate water at a faster rate than other tires. This also helps it perform as efficiently as possible on roads with snow and slush.
It boasts some of the shortest stopping distances in all our tests and showed the least change in behavior between the dry and wet testing.
As we expected with Michelin, the design means that tread life and tire wear is excellent. The tire distributes force evenly across the tire for a more even tread wear and a smoother ride compared to its rivals.
The tires are also quiet enough to not be noticeable, and making them an even more attractive offering.
These tires provide some of the best performance available in an all season tire in wet and challenging conditions. Their premium price reflects their high quality. During our test, these sure-footed tires offer confidence and the feeling of a very safe ride.
The Michelin CrossClimate 2 is a tire that excels in performing well in challenging conditions. It focuses on being an all season tire with a long lasting tread life, and on having the best performance in wet and snowy conditions.
This tire showed excellent grip and handling dry conditions, but in snowy and icy conditions is where this tire stands out from the rest.
The V-formation tread pattern of the Michelin CrossClimate 2 means this tire excels at helping the tire perform in wet conditions, as it can evacuate water at a faster rate than other tires. This also helps it perform as efficiently as possible on roads with snow and slush.
It boasts some of the shortest stopping distances in all our tests and showed the least change in behavior between the dry and wet testing.
As we expected with Michelin, the design means that tread life and tire wear is excellent. The tire distributes force evenly across the tire for a smooth and more even wear.
The tires are quiet enough to not be noticeable, but scored averagely compared to the other tires tested.
These tires provide some of the best performance available in an all season tire for minivans and SUVs, but this means that they are not the cheapest. However, if you live in conditions that change rapidly between winter and summer months, the Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires are the best choice for you.
Pirelli P Zero (Best Dry Performance)
The Pirelli P Zero is a summer tire that offers excellent levels of grip and traction in dry conditions. It also provides good handling and braking performance on wet roads.
The P Zero has a special tread compound which is designed to stay pliable at high temperatures, providing good grip on hot, dry roads. The tread pattern is also designed to provide good levels of traction and grip in the wet.
The P Zero performed exceptionally well in our tests, with short braking distances and good handling on both dry and wet roads. It was also very impressive in the snow, with excellent levels of traction and grip.
One area where the P Zero didn’t perform so well was in comfort. The tires are designed to be hard-wearing and this does result in a firm ride. However, this is a small price to pay for the other benefits on offer.
Overall, the Pirelli P Zero is an excellent all-round tire and would be a great choice for any owner looking to reduce their fuel consumption.
Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady (Best Wet Performance)
The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady is one of the most popular tires in the Goodyear range. It is designed to tackle very poor weather and gives you peace of mind knowing it is capable of performing in the harshest of wet conditions.
This all season tire has very few compromises and is comparable with some of the best tires on the market. It is designed with an asymmetric tread pattern that allows the tire to expel water and keep the maximum amount of contact with the road.
The tire performs as well as any other all season tire in dry weather conditions and offers great grip and cornering ability. It is comparable to a summer tire with its high levels of responsiveness and is one of the more sporty all season tires that we tested.
The stand out point is their ability to tackle wet and even snowy conditions, as well as being very able in the dry with a very good tread life. The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady continues to provide excellent grip and traction, inspiring confidence in these challenging conditions. Very few tires are as versatile.
To trade off for this level of performance is that these tires are not the quietest and also not the most fuel efficient. If you are looking to do many motorway miles in these, you will notice a small increase in fuel consumption, or shorter range in an electric vehicle.
These tires should be a serious consideration when picking new tires for your new vehicle. They are competitively priced for their performance and there are also plenty of cash incentives available for these tires, making them even more affordable.
The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady is one of the most popular tires in the Goodyear range. It is designed to tackle any weather condition and gives you peace of mind knowing it is at home no matter the conditions.
This all season tire is an alternative to any of the best tires on the market, with very few compromises. The asymmetric tread pattern helps expel water and keep the maximum amount of tire in contact with the road.
The tire performs as well as any other all season tire in dry weather conditions and offers great grip and cornering ability. It is comparable to a summer tire with its high levels of responsiveness and is one of the more sporty all season tires that we tested.
The stand out point is the tires ability when tackling wet and snowy conditions. The Goodyear Assurance WeatherReady continues to provide excellent grip and traction which inspires confidence in these challenging conditions.
To trade off for this level of performance is that these tires are not the quietest and also not the most fuel efficient. If you are looking to do many motorway miles in these, you will notice a small increase in fuel consumption, or shorter range in an electric vehicle.
These tires should be a serious consideration when picking new tires for your minivan or truck. They are competitively priced for their performance and there are also plenty of cash incentives available for these tires, making them even more affordable.
Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 (Best Winter Performance)
The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is the latest version of the Blizzak tire, replacing the popular WS80. The WS90 was designed to be an improved WS80 tire, rather than a whole new tire.
This new Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tire excels in cold and wet conditions. This is thanks to its large and wide flat design, which helps to maximize the contact patch with the ground.
The design also features biting edges which act like studs and help the tire grip in snow, a feature which is unique to these tires.
The WS90 has improved water evacuation over the WS80 which was already class leading for wet driving and grip. This helps give the tire some of the best wet performance and braking available today.
To achieve this impressive wet and winter performance, the tire is more rigid than its predecessor the WS80, which does increase the road noise of the tire slightly and give the tire a firmer ride also. The biggest negative of this tire is its poor economy. This is a trade off to be expected however for a tire with this level of winter performance.
The WS90 is slightly more pricey than the WS80, which does add up to make a noticeable difference if you are buying an entire set of tires. The WS80 is still worth considering, but for the best tire for wet conditions in areas particularly susceptible to ice and snow, the WS90 is the best currently on the market.
The Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 is the latest version of the Blizzak tire, replacing the popular WS80. The WS90 was designed to be an improved WS80 tire, rather than a whole new tire.
This new Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 tire excels in the snow and ice. This is thanks to its large and wide flat design, which helps to maximize the contact patch with the ground.
The design also features biting edges which act like studs and help the tire grip in the snow, a feature which is unique to these tires.
The WS90 also has improved water evacuation over the WS80 which was already class leading. This helps give the tire some of the best wet performance and braking available today.
To achieve this impressive snow and wet performance, the tire is more rigid than its predecessor the WS80, which does increase the road noise of the tire slightly.
The biggest negative of this tire is its poor economy. This is to be expected however for a tire of this caliber of winter performance.
The WS90 is slightly more expensive than the WS80, which does add up to make a noticeable difference if you are buying an entire set of tires. The WS80 is still worth considering, but for the best traction for your minivan or SUV in the snow, the WS90 is the best currently on the market.
Michelin Defender T+H (Best Longevity)
The Michelin Defender LTX M/S came out as one of the best tires for Audi Q5’s because of its all round great performance with little compromise in any of our main areas of testing.
These are all-season tires designed specifically for SUV’s and this is indicated by the LTX indication on the tires. We recommend these tires as they are designed specifically for larger vehicles and crossovers and are sure to be suitable for your Audi.
These tires are quiet and comfortable on all road surfaces, and we were especially impressed with its ability on snow and ice. It has excellent grip and would also be our choice of tire if you are thinking of towing heavy loads.
All-season tires usually compromise on tread life to ensure that they have good grip on all surfaces and during all weathers. However we were very impressed by the tread life of these tires and they surpassed our expectations.
Michelin offer up to 115,000KM limited warranty on these tires which is class leading for this tire.
We did notice that with this tire you do lose a small amount of fuel economy. They also didn’t score the best for road noise, but these minor points do not detract from what is an otherwise fantastic tire.
Vredestein Quatrac Pro (Best Comfort)
The Vredestein Quatrac Pro is an all season tire designed specifically for large high performance vehicles. It currently comes fitted on a number of high performance SUVs from the showroom, making it a unique tire in its class.
Being an all season tire, the tire shines in both wet and dry conditions. They offer the driver very precise steering and exceptional grip in conditions where other tires may be compromised. The Vredestein Quatrac Pro also scored in the top bracket for shortest braking distances.
Road noise is more noticeable than other tires in its class and the tires did not grip well in snowy conditions. The steering offered very little feedback and the tires also scored poorly in the aquaplaning test.
These tires are more for the high performance sector, offering a comfortable and smooth ride for drivers looking to make the most of their performance cars in both dry and wet conditions away from the snow and ice. They are not the cheapest but fill a gap in the market as very good all round, all season tires for performance SUVs.
Cooper Evolution Tour (Best Value)
The Cooper Evolution Tour is Cooper’s All-season tire which has gained a lot of attention as their best all round tire for average drivers. It excels with comfort and has a low rolling resistance which helps to lower your gas consumption.
The Cooper Evolution Tour performs well in dry conditions and has very good reviews with more than 84% of customers saying that they would buy again. With proper maintenance, it should comfortably reach its advertised 65,000 miles mileage warranty.
This tire also performs admirably in the wet with good reviews from customers, however it is not as strong as some of the other tires tested in this area.
The Evolution Tour is a very good all-rounder and is one of the most affordable tires that we tested for Audi Q5. It should give you good service for many miles if it is properly maintained.
What to remember when buying the best tires for Audi Q5
If you’re looking for the best tires for your Audi Q5, then there are some things you need to consider before you buy. If you don’t have a particular criteria in mind and just want the best tires on the market, then we definitely recommend you go with the Continental CrossContact LX25. However, there may be other things to consider before you buy.
Price
Not everyone wants to splash out on the top of the range tires, and that’s perfectly understandable. There are some great cheaper options on the market which will do a fantastic job.
Mileage Rating
When looking at tires, you’ll see that they have a mileage rating which is usually between 30,000 and 100,000 miles. This is the manufacturer’s estimate of how long the tire will last before it needs to be replaced.
Of course, this mileage rating will depend on a number of factors such as driving style, road conditions and how well the tires are maintained.
Treadwear Warranty
Another thing to look at when choosing tires is the treadwear warranty. This is basically how long the manufacturer thinks the tire will last before it needs to be replaced.
Again, this will depend on a number of factors such as driving style and road conditions but it’s always worth checking before you buy.
Snow and Ice
If you live in an area where it snows and ice, then you’ll need to make sure that the tires you buy are suitable for these conditions. While our top picks are great summer/all-season tires, if you live in a place like Alaska, then you’ll want specific winter tires like the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 instead.
Comfort vs performance
This is something this will largely come down to personal preference. Some people only care about being comfortable and aren’t interested in pushing their tires to the max. However, the same can be true for the opposite so it’s something you should consider.
FAQ
Q: What size do tires go on an Audi Q5?
The standard rim size on an Audi Q5 is 235/60R18
Q: How long do Audi Q5 tires last?
This will depend on a number of factors but the average lifespan of an Audi Q5 tire is around 40,000 to 50,000 miles. Of course, factors like driving style and road conditions will play a part in how long the tires actually last.
Q: What tires does Audi Q5 come with?
Depending on where you buy, you can expect your Audi Q5 to come with one of these sets of tires: Continental CrossContact LX Sport tires, Pirelli Scorpion Verde A/S tires, Continental SportContact 5 tires and Hankook Ventus S1 EVO2 K117A tires.
Summary
Hopefully now you have a clearer picture in terms of what tires you should buy for you Audi Q5. If you simply want the best tires for a general experience, then you really can’t look passed the Continental CrossContact LX25. They provide the full package from comfort to performance to handling different road conditions.
However, it’s also worth remembering that there are potentially other factors that can influence you decision like your local climate as well as your driving preferences.
Whatever you decide, we hope that this guide has given you some useful information to help make your decision.