Head-to-head Updated

Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV vs Pirelli Powergy — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Powergy leads, 67–63 Narrow edge

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Tests 77 · 1 test Owners 55 · 39 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test (dry braking)

Tire BPirelli

Powergy

Summer

Tests 77 · 1 test Owners 61 · 1,796 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test (noise)

“Ripples in side wall Just been washing the car and found what I can only describe as ripples in the side wall of my front-right tyre. Had these fitted in June, only just noticed the ripples. The other tyres are perfect. I’ve probably done around 2,000 miles on them. Should I be concerned, and do they look like a manufacturing defect, or as a result of damage? (I’ve not hit any serious potholes that I’m aware of). These tyres are Pirelli Powergy, fitted to a Volvo XC60. Date code is 3325. Any help gratefully received. Read more”

Category by category

Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.

  1. 73

    Dry

    Level
    73
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Professional tests (TWG score)8078
    Reviews found online6266
    Dry Braking (% of best)100%94%
  2. 70

    Wet

    Powergy +2
    72
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Professional tests (TWG score)7575
    Reviews found online6467
    Wet Braking (% of best)99%96%
    Wet Handling (% of best)100%97%
  3. 60

    Comfort

    Powergy +7
    67
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Professional tests (TWG score)–73
    Reviews found online5258
  4. 66

    Noise

    Powergy +10
    76
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Professional tests (TWG score)7182
    Reviews found online58–
  5. 49

    Treadwear

    Powergy +8
    57
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Reviews found online3751
  6. 61

    Handling

    Powergy +3
    64
    Why this score
    SourceContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergy
    Reviews found online6164
Scores at a glance
Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV vs Pirelli Powergy: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryContinental ContiSportContact 5 SUVPirelli Powergy
Relative Score 63 67
Dry 73 73
Wet 70 72
Comfort 60 67
Noise 66 76
Treadwear 49 57
Handling 61 64

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

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Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Recomputed
Headline score

ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Powergy

The professional test results behind the scores

Each result is shown as % of the best tire in that test. “Same test” rows are the strictest comparison: both tires were measured side by side.

DisciplineCategoryContiSportContact 5 SUVPowergyΔBoth?
Dry Braking Dry 100% #1/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 94% #4/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +6.5 Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 98% #2/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 81% #5/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +17.8 Different tests
Noise Other 98% #4/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 100% #1/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test −2.2 Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall 100% #1/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 20% #5/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +80.0 Different tests
Straight Aqua Straight 96% #6/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 92% #4/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +3.8 Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 99% #2/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 96% #5/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +3.7 Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 100% #1/8 · 2018 All Road 265/60 R18 4x4 Tyre Test 97% #2/10 · 2026 autozurnal Eco Summer Tyre Test +3.1 Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.

Tire A ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Pros

  • Impressive wet and dry grip with responsive handling
  • Exceptional braking performance in various conditions
  • Quiet operation and smooth, comfortable ride quality

Cons

  • Rapid and premature tread wear, with many users needing replacements under 15,000 miles
  • High price point relative to the mileage longevity received
  • Some complaints regarding road noise as the tires age
All owner themes in the ContiSportContact 5 SUV review

Tire B Powergy

Pros

  • Significantly reduced road noise and quiet highway ride
  • Strong dry and wet grip for daily commuting
  • Comfortable and smooth ride quality compared to run-flats

Cons

  • Faster than average tread wear or shallow initial tread depth
  • Negative impact on fuel economy (MPG) for some users
  • Soft sidewalls leading to muted steering feedback and less precise handling at the limit
All owner themes in the Powergy review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Tire B

Pirelli Powergy

Mixed

Community opinion on the Pirelli Powergy line is mixed, with users noting it serves as Pirelli's budget or eco-oriented offering compared to higher-end models like the Cinturato. While some find them to be a decent, affordable upgrade over older worn tires, others report concerns regarding ride comfort, noise, and potential mixing issues with other tire models.

r/GRYaris ·3 upvotes ·2025-03-07

“Are Pirelli Powergy Winter the right winter tires for the GR? Hey, my parents bought a GR Yaris last week and it’s a great car but I looked at its winter tires and those are Pirelli Powergy Winter. I’m not an expert on tires but as far as I know the P-Zero Winter would be the right choice for a GR. My father didn’t bought them because he thought it was the right tires rather a tire salesman talked him into it. I talked him into Pirelli as those were the factory tires for his Volvo 850R and would be a better choice then his current Conti Premium 5 but somehow my father misunderstood me to that point that Pirelli’s are the greatest tires ever. So he asked the salesmen for the best Pirelli Tires and told the car it’s for but the salesman sold him those Powergy tires and said that not all Pirelli’s are in stock. As my father isn’t an enthusiast but loves likes to drive performance cars he didn’t knew better and now it’s too late. In my eyes a good salesman (not in the way of profit for the company rather costumer experience) would have told him that the P-Zeros winter are out of stock but can be ordered or would show him tires from different companies. Another option is the salesman though he meant the GR Sport Yaris for which P-Zero winters are too much as not many persons in their sixties drive a real GR. So my question are the Powergy enough for the GR or should he get P-Zeros next Winter (in a few weeks we will put on summer tires)”

r/tires ·1 upvote ·2025-05-18

“Pirelli cinturato P7 and Pirelli Powergy Hi all 👋🏼 So I had 4 Pirelli Cinturato P7’s on my Ford Focus ST. I got a flat tire (front left) while I was on vacation so I decided to get 2 new tires at the front. I asked the guy at the tire shop to get the same tires (so the Pirelli Cinturato’s). He got me Pirelli Powergy’s instead… He didn’t really speak English and there was not time as I was driving home the next day. So I just accepted it. Now my question is what’s the main difference between these tires? And does it matter I got 2 different tires now? (2 powergy’s at the front and 2 Cinturato’s at the back) Thanks!🙏🏼”

Top themes
#Budget eco tire line#Comparison with Cinturato#Mixed ride comfort#Winter and all-season variants#Accidental mixing with other tires

Based on 15 community posts

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV B · Pirelli Powergy
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4—

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV

Pirelli Powergy

Winner: Pirelli Powergy — better noise, treadwear and comfort. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Pirelli Powergy scores 76 vs 66 on noise.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Pirelli Powergy scores 57 vs 49 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Pirelli Powergy scores 67 vs 60 on comfort.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli Powergy scores 64 vs 61 on handling.

Tire A · Continental ContiSportContact 5 SUV
Tire B · Pirelli Powergy

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How do we compare tires?

Every category score blends two independent signals. 60% comes from professional tire tests (braking distances, lap times, noise measurements), each result compared with every other tire in the same test and newer tests counting more. 40% comes from owner reviews found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates. Both use one scale: the average tested tire gets 70, the best 100. When a tire has only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from the other and the score stays closer to average; with no road test and fewer than five owner reviews it gets no score yet.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

67

Narrow edge

Powergy

Amazon