Tests 77 · 14 tests Owners 75 · 124 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 53 in 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test (dry braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 vs Kumho Ecsta LE Sport — 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 14 + 0 road tests and 124 + 33 owner reviews. How we score
Ventus Prime 3 K125 is ahead, 78–62
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Tests – · none yet Owners 58 · 33 reviews
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
85
Dry
Ventus Prime 3 K125 +2461Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests 89 ≈ 63 (est.) Reviews found online 79 57 Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 88.5 + 40% × 79.3 = 85
Ecsta LE Sport: 60% × 63.3 (est.) + 40% × 56.6 = 61
No road tests of dry for Ecsta LE Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
-
80
Wet
Ventus Prime 3 K125 +1565Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / – tests 82 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 77 63 Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 77.2 = 80
Ecsta LE Sport: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 62.9 = 65
No road tests of wet for Ecsta LE Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
74
Comfort
Ventus Prime 3 K125 +1262Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests 76 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 72 59 Ventus Prime 3 K125: 40% × 75.9 + 60% × 72.4 = 74
Ecsta LE Sport: 40% × 67.3 (est.) + 60% × 58.9 = 62
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta LE Sport. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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75
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / – tests 80 – Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) – Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 75
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus Prime 3 K125. The owner half is the owners’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
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65
Treadwear
Ventus Prime 3 K125 +560Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 61 ≈ 62 (est.) Reviews found online 71 55 Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 61 + 40% × 70.5 = 65
Ecsta LE Sport: 60% × 62.3 (est.) + 40% × 55.3 = 60
No road tests of treadwear for Ecsta LE Sport. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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75
Handling (owners)
Ventus Prime 3 K125 +1560Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Reviews found online 75 60 -
66
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Ventus Prime 3 K125 Ecsta LE Sport Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests 66 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 | Kumho Ecsta LE Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 78 | 62 |
| Dry | 85 | 61 |
| Wet | 80 | 65 |
| Comfort | 74 | 62 |
| Noise | 75 | – |
| Treadwear | 65 | 60 |
| Handling (owners) | 75 | 60 |
| Efficiency | 66 | – |
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
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
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
78
/ 100
Ventus Prime 3 K125
62
/ 100
Ecsta LE Sport
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, Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 finished ahead 1 times and Kumho Ecsta LE Sport 0 times.
| Discipline | Category | Ventus Prime 3 K125 | Ecsta LE Sport | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #3/11 | #10/11 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2018 Auto Review 225/45 R17 Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A Ventus Prime 3 K125
Pros
- Excellent dry road grip and braking performance
- High value-for-money ratio compared to premium competitors
- Comfortable ride quality with effective vibration absorption
Cons
- Increased risk of hydroplaning as tread depth decreases
- Accelerated tread wear on heavier vehicles or under high-torque conditions
- Noise levels can increase noticeably after several thousand miles
Tire B Ecsta LE Sport
Pros
- Exceptional value compared to premium tier brands
- Strong dry and wet road grip when relatively new
- Predictable and progressive handling limits near the edge
Cons
- Rapid and uneven tread wear, particularly on front or driven wheels
- Fragile sidewalls prone to bubbling or damage from minor impacts
- Noticeable drop-off in performance and increased tramlining as the tread wears down
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 | B · Kumho Ecsta LE Sport |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 60 | — |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 20″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
78
/ 100
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
62
/ 100
Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
Winner: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — better dry, wet and handling. It leads or ties in every category we score.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 85 vs 61 on dry.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 80 vs 65 on wet.
Pick tire A
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 75 vs 60 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 74 vs 62 on comfort.
Tire A · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Tire B · Kumho Ecsta LE Sport
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Ventus Prime 3 K125 or Ecsta LE Sport?
Which is better in the wet, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or Ecsta LE Sport?
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 80 vs 65 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or Ecsta LE Sport?
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 85 vs 61 on our dry score.
Which is more comfortable, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or Ecsta LE Sport?
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 74 vs 62 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or Ecsta LE Sport?
Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 65 vs 60 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