EV Tires vs. Regular Tires: Which Should You Choose for Your EV?

Wondering if you should spring for those EV-specific tires for your electric car? Well, it's not a simple yes or no.

Tire Rack recently put a bunch of tires to the test on a Tesla Model 3 to see what's what. They checked out everything from EV-specific options to sporty all-season tires, roping in big names like Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, Hankook, Yokohama, and Pirelli. They wanted to see which tires could handle the unique needs of an electric vehicle without sacrificing performance or efficiency.

Their testing ground? A 6.0-mile loop near their South Bend HQ that throws in a mix of expressways, state highways, and bumpy back roads—perfect for seeing how these tires handle real-world conditions.

And they didn’t stop at just cruising around—they went full detective mode. They added a range and efficiency test that involved driving a 100-mile loop and measuring the energy used per mile. This helps figure out how far you could theoretically go on one charge of a Tesla Model 3 with each set of tires.

Back at Tire Rack's own testing track, they did some serious wet and dry testing. This track's got it all: sharp corners, slaloms, and simulated highway ramps to really push these tires to their limits. They wanted to know everything about traction, handling, and overall drivability during those oh-so-important emergency maneuvers.

So, what did they find out? For sheer efficiency, the Hankook ion evo AS was the star, sipping just 263 watt-hours per mile. Goodyear’s ecoReady wasn’t far behind, and Continental’s ProContact RX snagged the third spot. But if it's cornering you're after, Michelin's PilotSport 4S was the champ, although it's a bit of an energy guzzler.

Here’s the kicker—Tire Rack says you don't have to go for EV-specific tires if you don’t want to. Any tire that fits your EV's specs will do. It really boils down to what you value more: squeezing out extra miles from each charge or getting a bit more oomph on the turns. And remember, how you drive plays a big role in how far you’ll go on a charge and how quickly your tires wear down.