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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 vs Nexen N Blue HD+ — 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 + 5 road tests and 124 + 82 owner reviews. How we score

Ventus Prime 3 K125 is ahead, 76–70

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Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
Tire AHankook

Ventus Prime 3 K125

Summer

± 6

Tests 77 · 14 tests Owners 75 · 124 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 53 in 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test (dry braking)

Nexen N Blue HD+
Tire BNexen

N Blue HD+

Summer

± 8

Tests 70 · 5 tests Owners 71 · 82 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 10 in 2017 Mid Range 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.

Key facts

  • In 5 tests that measured dry braking for both, Ventus Prime 3 K125 won 5 and N Blue HD+ won 0 (average 100% vs 96% of the best).
  • In 5 tests that measured wet braking for both, Ventus Prime 3 K125 won 4 and N Blue HD+ won 1 (average 97% vs 92% of the best).
  • In 3 tests that measured dry handling for both, Ventus Prime 3 K125 won 3 and N Blue HD+ won 0 (average 100% vs 99% of the best).
  • In 3 tests that measured straight aquaplaning for both, Ventus Prime 3 K125 won 1 and N Blue HD+ won 1 (average 95% vs 94% of the best).
  • In 3 tests that measured wet handling for both, Ventus Prime 3 K125 won 2 and N Blue HD+ won 0 (average 96% vs 95% of the best).
  1. 85

    Dry

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +13
    72
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 5 tests8974
    Reviews found online7970
    Dry Braking (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 5–0100%96%
    Dry Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 3–0100%99%
    Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0100%78%

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 88.5 + 40% × 79.3 = 85

    N Blue HD+: 60% × 73.6 + 40% × 70.4 = 72

  2. 80

    Wet

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +7
    73
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 5 tests8273
    Reviews found online7774
    Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–195%94%
    Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–070%60%
    Wet Braking (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 4–197%92%
    Wet Handling (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–096%95%

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 77.1 = 80

    N Blue HD+: 60% × 73.1 + 40% × 73.9 = 73

  3. 74

    Comfort

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +3
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 1 tests7670
    Reviews found online7272
    Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–080%80%

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 40% × 75.9 + 60% × 72.4 = 74

    N Blue HD+: 40% × 70 + 60% × 71.8 = 71

  4. 75

    Noise

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +8
    67
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 6 / 2 tests8067
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)
    Noise (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 2–099%97%

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 80.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 75

    N Blue HD+: 60% × 66.6 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 67

    No owner ratings of noise for Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+. 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.

  5. 65

    Treadwear

    N Blue HD+ +1
    66
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 1 tests6164
    Reviews found online7167
    Wear (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–157%63%

    Ventus Prime 3 K125: 60% × 61 + 40% × 70.6 = 65

    N Blue HD+: 60% × 64.5 + 40% × 67.3 = 66

  6. 75

    Handling (owners)

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Reviews found online7571
  7. 66

    Efficiency

    Ventus Prime 3 K125 +11
    55
    Why this score
    SourceVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 3 tests6655
    Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–084%82%
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Ventus Prime 3 K125Nexen N Blue HD+
Relative Score 76 70
Dry 85 72
Wet 80 73
Comfort 74 71
Noise 75 67
Treadwear 65 66
Handling (owners) 75 71
Efficiency 66 55

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
± 6

Ventus Prime 3 K125

± 8

N Blue HD+

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 9 tests that ran both, Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 finished ahead 9 times and Nexen N Blue HD+ 0 times.

DisciplineCategoryVentus Prime 3 K125N Blue HD+ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 100% 96% +4.1 5–0 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test · 205/55 R16
Dry Handling Dry 100% 99% +1.3 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Dry Handling (tester's mark) Dry 100% 78% +22.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 95% 94% +0.6 1–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Braking Wet 97% 92% +4.6 4–1 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Handling Wet 96% 95% +1.1 2–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wet Handling (tester's mark) Wet 70% 60% +10.0 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 80% 80% 0.0 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2019 AMS Summer SUV Tyre Test · 215/55 R17
Noise Noise 99% 97% +2.3 2–0 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Wear Treadwear 57% 63% −5.7 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 84% 82% +2.7 2–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Total Cost of Ownership Cost #13/20 #16/20 – 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Value Cost 62% 76% −13.5 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Bild 16 Inch Summer Tyre Test · 205/55 R16
Overall Ranking Overall #1/53 #15/53 – 9–0 in 9 shared tests Newest: 2021 53 Summer Tyre Braking Test · 205/55 R16

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
All owner themes in the Ventus Prime 3 K125 review

Tire B N Blue HD+

Pros

  • Excellent value for money compared to premium brands
  • High level of ride comfort and very low road noise
  • Reliable and stable grip in both dry and wet conditions for normal driving

Cons

  • Accelerated tread wear reported by some users
  • Vague handling and loss of predictability when pushed hard or cornered aggressively
  • Occasional reports of shoulder cracking or ruptures
All owner themes in the N Blue HD+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 B · Nexen N Blue HD+
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available60—
Rim diameters15″ – 20″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125

Nexen N Blue HD+

Winner: Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 — better dry, efficiency and noise. Where the Nexen N Blue HD+ is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 85 vs 72 on dry.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 66 vs 55 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want a quieter cabin

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 75 vs 67 on noise.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125 scores 80 vs 73 on wet.

Tire A · Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125
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Tire B · Nexen N Blue HD+
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Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Which is better in the wet, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 80 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 85 vs 72 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 75 vs 67 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 74 vs 71 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Neither, by our numbers: 65 vs 66 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

Which rolls more easily, Ventus Prime 3 K125 or N Blue HD+?

Hankook Ventus Prime 3 K125, 66 vs 55 on our efficiency 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