Winter is approaching, you can feel it. The nights are cool, the mornings require a little coat and soon, the mercury will fall quietly under the bar of 7 degrees Celsius (45˚F) to reach zero and then it will be snow, ice, storms … In short, we know the rest.
7 degrees Celsius?
If the ice forms at less than 0 degrees, your vehicle, whether electric or not, needs winter tires as soon as the mercury drops below 7 degrees Celsius (45˚F) on a regular basis. It is at this temperature that summer tires lose their effectiveness in maintaining the stability of your vehicle.
In general, it is in October that we start to see average morning temperatures below 7 degrees while in November, the average temperature in Quebec oscillates near the freezing point. The beginning of October is therefore a good time to think about winter tires.
Shortage expected in 2021
This is even more true this year. Many experts expect to see a shortage of winter tires in 2021 due to the pandemic. We’ll see if this is true or not in the coming months, but it’s best to plan our purchase ahead of time to avoid being faced with empty shelves.
Winter tires and the electric car
For many, the winter of 2021 will be the first winter behind the wheel of an electric vehicle and they are looking for their first set of winter tires for their EV.
First of all, there is no category of winter tires designed specifically for electric vehicles, with a few exceptions (more on that later).
Winter tires designed for combustion engine vehicles are also good for electric vehicles. In addition, the best winter tires for traditional vehicles will also be the best winter tires for your electric vehicle.
Some of the well-known winter tires on this list include:
- Michelin X-Ice
- Pirelli Winter
- Toyo Observe
- Bridgestone Blizzak
- Yokohama iceGUARD
- Continental VikingContact 7
- Nokian Hakkapeliitta
These are some of the best winter tires for gasoline and hybrid vehicles and are excellent choices for your electric vehicle as well.
To choose the best winter tire for your specific situation, we need to determine our budget and then consider our driving habits.
Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 EV – A winter tire designed for electric and hybrid vehicles
Nokian Hakkapelliitta 10 EV
We said earlier that there was no specific category of winter tires for electric vehicles and that is true. Again, winter tires designed for gasoline vehicles are also good for electrified vehicles.
Nokian has a new winter tire this year with a technology called Silent Drive that aims to reduce road noise. The tire also reduces friction and rolling resistance, both of which affect the range of an electric vehicle.
Although it is also available on a traditional vehicle, its properties make it an excellent choice as a winter tire for an electrified vehicle. It is however quite expensive compared to other tires, but the quality is there.
Our recommendations
Best winter tire for electric or hybrid vehicles – Nokian Hakkapeliitta 10 EV
Our second choice: Bridgestone Blizzak WS90
Our third choice: Michelin X-Ice Snow
Our fourth choice: Toyo Observe GSi6
Our fifth choice: Continental VikingContact 7
Tire for performance electric vehicles: Pirelli Sottozero 3
Best budget tire: Sailum IceBlazer WST1
