Michelin: the tyre families and how they do in winter tests
The group that also owns the cheaper brands
Michelin, or Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin, is an independent French company, and its shares are listed on Euronext Paris under the code ML. Sales in 2025 were 26.0 billion euros, which at constant exchange rates is 1.4% less than a year earlier (tyrepress, February 2026). The group also owns BFGoodrich, Kleber, Kormoran and Tigar, and in our range each of them has its own section at a lower price level. The Michelin name marks the top of the group.
The radial tyre is this same company's invention: the patent for the MICHELIN X was filed on 4 June 1946, and in 1951 the Lancia Aurelia B20 became the first production car with radial tyres (Michelin). Development still takes place in Clermont-Ferrand, at the Ladoux centre. The sidewall often carries OE markings given to the tyre by the car manufacturer: the most common ones in our Michelin range are MO and MO1 (Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG), the star (BMW), N0 (Porsche) and AO (Audi). What each code means is explained on the tyre markings page.
How to read Michelin names
The name states the job. Pilot Sport is the sporty summer, Primacy and e.Primacy comfort and low rolling resistance, CrossClimate all-season, Alpin and Pilot Alpin the Central European winter, X-Ice and X-Ice North the Nordic winter, Agilis vans. Our range also has the older Latitude family for SUVs. The range spans rim diameters from R12 to R23, and among the sizes there are both C-marked and RunFlat tyres.
Some differences cannot be read off the name. The Pilot Sport 4 S is not simply a higher version of the Pilot Sport 4: it has a two-compound tread (Bi-Compound Technology) and is also intended for occasional track outings. The Pilot Sport 4 SUV in turn has its own asymmetric tread (Dual Sport Tread Design), shaped for a heavier and taller car. In our range the X-Ice North 4 comes only with factory-fitted studs; without studs the same Nordic class is represented by the X-Ice Snow and X-Ice Snow SUV. Older models stay in the range alongside the newer ones: CrossClimate 2 next to CrossClimate 3, Pilot Sport 4 next to Pilot Sport 5.
| Model | Season | Studs | Diameters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot Alpin 5 | winter | studless | R16-R23 |
| Pilot Sport 4 S | summer | - | R17-R23 |
| Pilot Alpin 5 SUV | winter | studless | R17-R23 |
| Pilot Sport 4 SUV | summer | - | R17-R23 |
| CrossClimate 2 | all-season | - | R15-R22 |
| X-Ice North 4 SUV | winter | studded | R16-R23 |
| CrossClimate 3 | all-season | - | R16-R22 |
| Pilot Sport 4 | summer | - | R16-R21 |
| E-Primacy | summer | - | R15-R21 |
| X-Ice North 4 | winter | studded | R15-R23 |
Alpin and X-Ice in three winter tests
Michelin's winter results change with where the tyre was tested. In the ADAC 2025 winter tyre test (225/40 R18, 31 tyres, 15 of them rated not recommended) the Pilot Alpin 5 took second place with a score of 2.1, behind the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 on 2.0. In the AUTO BILD 2025 test (215/55 R17, 12 tyres) the Alpin 7 finished sixth with a score of 2.2: snow braking 23.3 m, but wet braking 47.5 m from 100 km/h, or 3.7 m longer than the best tyre in the test.
In Nordic tests the picture is different. In the Tekniikan Maailma 2025 test (205/55 R16, 14 tyres) the studded X-Ice North 4 braked on ice in 37.7 m and placed fifth, while in snow acceleration its 5.9 s shared second place. On tarmac it fell behind: wet braking 37.8 m, dry braking 32.1 m, ninth place in both. For the studless X-Ice Snow, wet braking at 41.1 m was the longest of all 14 tyres tested, and in snow acceleration it finished last. On ice it stopped in 45.6 metres (eighth place), and in the noise rating it shared first place.
Who Michelin suits best
Michelin suits the buyer who is looking for a premium class tyre, and often for a particular car manufacturer's OE marking as well. Beyond that, the family decides the choice:
- Many tarmac kilometres, quietness and fuel consumption: Primacy or e.Primacy. The second is built for electric cars and hybrids with the Energy Passive Compound, and most of the e.Primacy sizes available in our range state fuel efficiency class A on the EU label.
- A powerful car: Pilot Sport 4 for the road, Pilot Sport 4 S for occasional track outings too, for an SUV the Pilot Sport 4 SUV.
- A winter mostly on tarmac with occasional snow: CrossClimate 2 or CrossClimate 3; for more frequent snow, Pilot Alpin 5, Alpin 6 or Alpin 7.
- Icy roads: X-Ice North 4 and X-Ice North 4 SUV with factory studs; without studs the same class is X-Ice Snow and X-Ice Snow SUV.
All CrossClimate tyres carry the 3PMSF marking, so they are suitable for the winter period from 1 December to 1 March: since 1 October 2024 only a tyre with this symbol is recognised in Latvia as a winter tyre. On ice the gap still remains. In the Tyre Reviews comparison the all-season tyre braked on ice in 15.09 m, the Nordic studless one in 11.06 m and the studded one in 9.9 m. For regular driving in winter conditions our range has the Alpin and X-Ice families. Studs are allowed from 1 October to 1 May, and the dates are explained in the article When to fit winter tyres.