Tests 68 · 1 test Owners 61 · 1,649 reviews
Best test result: #3 of 12 in 2018 Gute Fahrt Summer Tyre Test (wet braking)
“I had continental contact 5 on my juke had to replace fronts at 8000 mile mostly town driving and they were a bit noisy”
Avon ZT5 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Head-to-head
Updated
Continental Eco Contact 5 vs Avon ZT5 — Compared
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 1 + 0 road tests and 1,649 + 29 owner reviews. How we score
Eco Contact 5 leads, 64–61 Narrow edge
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
65
Dry
Eco Contact 5 +362Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 68 ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 60 60 Eco Contact 5: 60% × 67.8 + 40% × 60.3 = 65
ZT5: 60% × 64.5 (est.) + 40% × 59.5 = 62
No road tests of dry for ZT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
66
Wet
Eco Contact 5 +462Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 68 ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 62 59 Eco Contact 5: 60% × 68.3 + 40% × 62.3 = 66
ZT5: 60% × 64.2 (est.) + 40% × 58.7 = 62
No road tests of wet for ZT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
60
Comfort
ZT5 +161Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 56 58 Eco Contact 5: 40% × 66.2 (est.) + 60% × 56.4 = 60
ZT5: 40% × 66.5 (est.) + 60% × 57.5 = 61
No road tests of comfort for Eco Contact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
No road tests of comfort for ZT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
63
Treadwear
Eco Contact 5 +261Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Professional tests (TWG score) ≈ 65 (est.) ≈ 64 (est.) Reviews found online 61 58 Eco Contact 5: 60% × 64.7 (est.) + 40% × 61.3 = 63
ZT5: 60% × 63.6 (est.) + 40% × 58.2 = 61
No road tests of treadwear for Eco Contact 5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
No road tests of treadwear for ZT5. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
60
Handling (owners)
Eco Contact 5 +654Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Reviews found online 60 54 -
77
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Eco Contact 5 ZT5 Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 77 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Continental Eco Contact 5 | Avon ZT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 64 | 61 |
| Dry | 65 | 62 |
| Wet | 66 | 62 |
| Comfort | 60 | 61 |
| Treadwear | 63 | 61 |
| Handling (owners) | 60 | 54 |
| Efficiency | 77 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Weight the categories that matter to you
Wet grip starts at “Important”. Treadwear starts at “Neutral” here: road tests measured it for at most one of the two tires, so it rests on owner reviews. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
64
/ 100
Eco Contact 5
61
/ 100
ZT5
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
The professional test results behind the scores
Per discipline: the average % of the best tire over every test both tires were in, and how many of those tests each one won. “Different tests” rows compare results from separate tests.
In the overall rankings of 1 tests that ran both, Continental Eco Contact 5 finished ahead 1 times and Avon ZT5 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Eco Contact 5 | ZT5 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/16 | #13/16 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2014 ADAC 175/65 R14 Summer Tyre Test · 175/65 R14 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Eco Contact 5
Pros
- Exceptional fuel economy and low rolling resistance
- Strong dry pavement grip and handling stability
- Impressive longevity and tread wear mileage for many drivers
Cons
- Subpar wet weather grip and frequent wheel-spin in the rain
- Thin, delicate sidewalls susceptible to bulging and pothole damage
- Loud, intrusive road noise on coarse or rough asphalt
Tire B ZT5
Pros
- High value for money and competitive pricing
- Excellent tread life for many users
- Comfortable ride quality and low road noise
Cons
- Reported lack of grip in wet conditions
- Significant 'tramlining' and steering instability on uneven surfaces
- Inconsistent performance leading to safety concerns for some drivers
What real owners are saying
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Tire A
Mixed
Continental Eco Contact 5
Community feedback on the Continental Eco Contact 5 is mixed, with drivers noting satisfactory performance for standard road driving but expressing concerns over rapid treadwear and road noise. Several users question their traction on slippery surfaces and compare them against alternative budget and premium options.
Top themes
#treadwear and longevity#road noise levels#traction on slippery surfaces#pricing versus competitors#factory tire replacement
Based on 6 community posts
Tire B
Avon ZT5
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Continental Eco Contact 5 | B · Avon ZT5 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 38 | — |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 20″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
64
/ 100
Continental Eco Contact 5
61
/ 100
Avon ZT5
Narrow edge: Continental Eco Contact 5 — better handling, wet and dry. Where the Avon ZT5 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Continental Eco Contact 5 scores 60 vs 54 on handling.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Continental Eco Contact 5 scores 66 vs 62 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Continental Eco Contact 5 scores 65 vs 62 on dry.
Tire A · Continental Eco Contact 5
Tire B · Avon ZT5
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Eco Contact 5 or ZT5?
Which is better in the wet, Eco Contact 5 or ZT5?
Continental Eco Contact 5, 66 vs 62 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Eco Contact 5 or ZT5?
Continental Eco Contact 5, 65 vs 62 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Eco Contact 5 or ZT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 60 vs 61 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Which lasts longer, Eco Contact 5 or ZT5?
Neither, by our numbers: 63 vs 61 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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.
Handling is the exception: road tests measure it inside the dry and wet scores, so its own row comes from owner ratings only and starts as less important.
Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score. Full methodology