tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Continental VancoWinter 2 vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — 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 0 + 10 road tests and 5 + 69 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: VancoWinter 2 74, Winter Sottozero 3 73.

Check price on Amazon · VancoWinter 2 Check price on Amazon · Winter Sottozero 3
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Continental VancoWinter 2
Tire AContinental

VancoWinter 2

Premium Touring Winter tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 77 · 5 reviews

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire BPirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

± 6

Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 80 · 69 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 73

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +3
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests≈ 71 (est.)73
    Reviews found online7781

    VancoWinter 2: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 76.5 = 73

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 80.7 = 76

    No road tests of dry for VancoWinter 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 76

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +7
    83
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 75 (est.)80
    Reviews found online7987

    VancoWinter 2: 60% × 75 (est.) + 40% × 78.6 = 76

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 86.6 = 83

    No road tests of wet for VancoWinter 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 73

    Snow

    VancoWinter 2 +8
    65
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests≈ 72 (est.)56
    Reviews found online7579

    VancoWinter 2: 60% × 72 (est.) + 40% × 75.1 = 73

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.4 + 40% × 78.9 = 65

    No road tests of snow for VancoWinter 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 73

    Comfort

    Level
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 70 (est.)72
    Reviews found online7574

    VancoWinter 2: 40% × 70 (est.) + 60% × 75.3 = 73

    Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 74.4 = 73

    No road tests of comfort for VancoWinter 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 71

    Noise

    Level
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests≈ 66 (est.)64
    Reviews found online7781

    VancoWinter 2: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 77.1 = 71

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.3 + 40% × 81.4 = 71

    No road tests of noise for VancoWinter 2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 76

    Treadwear

    VancoWinter 2 +12
    64
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests≈ 72 (est.)57
    Reviews found online8175

    VancoWinter 2: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 81.4 = 76

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 64

    No road tests of treadwear for VancoWinter 2. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Sottozero 3 +10
    82
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Reviews found online7282
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    76
    Why this score
    SourceVancoWinter 2Winter Sottozero 3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests–76
Scores at a glance
CategoryContinental VancoWinter 2Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Relative Score 74 73
Dry 73 76
Wet 76 83
Snow 73 65
Comfort 73 73
Noise 71 71
Treadwear 76 64
Handling (owners) 72 82
Efficiency – 76

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
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less 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
± 8

VancoWinter 2

± 6

Winter Sottozero 3

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A VancoWinter 2

Pros

  • Exceptional grip and handling in deep snow and on icy roads
  • High load range and durability suited for commercial vans and small fleets
  • Impressive treadwear and longevity, even when used year-round

Cons

  • Slightly squishy or 'rolly-poly' handling feel during aggressive cornering in warmer weather
  • Wet braking could be improved
  • Not optimized for high-performance summer cornering
All owner themes in the VancoWinter 2 review

Tire B Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Excellent wet and slush performance, with strong resistance to aquaplaning and confident, stable braking
  • Very good snow traction, with several owners saying it beat previous winter tires such as Nokian, Michelin and Sottozero 2, including on rear-wheel-drive and performance cars
  • Sharp, precise steering and dry grip that feels close to a summer tire in cold conditions, which fits its UHP character

Cons

  • Tread wear can be fast, especially when the tires are used in warm weather or all year. Some reported 3 mm left after about 27k km, and others reported wear near the indicator after 30,000 km
  • Road noise is higher than on summer tires, particularly on the highway, and a few said it increased as the tires wore. Others reported feedback becoming vague and the tires getting louder above about 15°C
  • Sidewalls can be vulnerable. Reviewers reported cuts from curb contact, tires that broke on rough roads, and bulges in the sidewall
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Continental VancoWinter 2 B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
CategoryPremium Touring Winter tireWinter
Vehicle typeVanPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available998
Rim diameters15″ – 17″16″ – 21″
Tread depth11 - 14/32″10/32″
SidewallBlack Side WallBlackwall
Max pressure69 - 85 psi50 psi
Sizes in common22

Which one should you actually buy?

Continental VancoWinter 2

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Too close to call: Continental VancoWinter 2 and Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 are within 2 points overall. Continental VancoWinter 2 is stronger on treadwear and snow. Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 is stronger on handling, wet and dry. Continental VancoWinter 2 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Continental VancoWinter 2 scores 76 vs 64 on treadwear.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 82 vs 72 on handling.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Continental VancoWinter 2 scores 73 vs 65 on snow.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 76 on wet.

Tire A · Continental VancoWinter 2
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Which is better in the wet, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 83 vs 76 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 76 vs 73 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Continental VancoWinter 2, 73 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 71 vs 71 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Neither, by our numbers: 73 vs 73 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, VancoWinter 2 or Winter Sottozero 3?

Continental VancoWinter 2, 76 vs 64 on our treadwear score.

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