Kormoran: what Michelin's budget brand gives you for the money
What Kormoran is, and why it costs less
Kormoran belongs to the Michelin group and the tyres are built in Poland to group standards. The lower price does not come from worse manufacturing but from different engineering: budget lines use a simpler rubber compound, a more conservative tread pattern and a longer development cycle. What a premium brand redesigns every three years can stay in the Kormoran range for longer.
In practice that means a specific trade-off. On dry and wet tarmac the gap to a premium tyre is usually measurable but not dramatic. The limit shows up in extreme conditions - deep slush, high speed, sustained load - where a premium compound holds its shape better.
A winter brand with a narrow summer
Kormoran is distinctly a winter brand here: more than two thirds of the tyres available are winter tyres, and most of those are studded. That suits the Latvian market, but it also means the summer choice is narrower than with premium brands.
| Model | Season | Studs | Diameters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV Snow | winter | some sizes | R16-R20 | For SUVs |
| Vanpro Winter | winter | some sizes | R15-R16 | C-marked, for vans |
| STUD2 | winter | studded | R15-R17 | Fully studded |
| Snow | winter | studless | R15-R18 | Studless |
| Ultra High Performance | summer | - | R17-R19 | UHP, higher speed ratings |
| SUMMER 3 | summer | - | R16-R19 | Basic summer tyre |
| SUV Summer | summer | - | R16-R20 | For SUVs |
| Extreme STUD | winter | studded | R14-R17 | Fully studded |
| Road Performance | summer | - | R15-R16 | Basic summer tyre |
| Cargospeed EVO | summer | - | R16 | C-marked, for vans |
Two things in that table are worth pulling out. First, the C-marked Vanpro Winter is one of the few budget winter tyres for light commercial vans, a segment where choice is usually thin. Second, STUD2 and Extreme STUD are fully studded, while Snow is the studless alternative in the same price group.
Our range currently holds no all-season Kormoran, although the manufacturer does make them. If you are looking for one set of tyres for the whole year, look at all-season tyres from another brand.
What the tests say about the budget segment
Independent magazines test budget brands less often than premium ones, and the results tend to be uneven. In the ADAC winter tyre test a number of the cheaper tyres were rated "not recommended", usually because of wet grip or aquaplaning rather than snow performance. The same picture repeats in the Auto Bild winter tyre tests: on snow the gap between price groups is small, on wet tarmac it grows.
A detailed comparison with figures is in our article Budget or premium tyres. The short answer: a budget tyre is a sound choice for moderate mileage and a calm driving style, but wet braking is the property to look at first.
Who Kormoran suits best
Kormoran works if the car covers a moderate number of kilometres a year, the driving is urban and regional rather than high-speed motorway, and budget is the deciding factor. The studded models are a genuine choice for rural roads, where grip on ice matters more than comfort.
If the car is powerful, heavy, or often driven fully loaded on the motorway, it is worth looking at a higher price group: the speed-rating margin and compound stability are greater there. If you want a single all-season set, you will find one in other brands.
All our winter tyres, Kormoran included, carry the 3PMSF marking required by CSDD since 1 October 2024. During the winter period from 1 December to 1 March the minimum tread depth is 4 mm - the requirements are set by the Road Traffic Law and explained by CSDD.