Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 19 + 7 road tests and 3,376 + 11 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Ventus S1 evo3 68, N Fera Primus 69.
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Tests 77 · 19 tests Owners 57 · 3,376 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 45 in 2019 Summer 53 Tyre Braking Shootout (wet braking)
“Tire preferences? My MK8 has a little over 18,000 miles now and the stock tires look like they’ve already gone to sh*t? Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 aren’t as good as they advertise? What do you recommend for tires?”
Tests 62 · 7 tests Owners 78 · 11 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / 7 tests | 86 | 73 |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 77 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 59.8 = 75
N Fera Primus: 60% × 73.3 + 40% × 77.3 = 75
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / 7 tests | 90 | 86 |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 83 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 89.6 + 40% × 68 = 81
N Fera Primus: 60% × 85.8 + 40% × 83.3 = 85
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 1 tests | 64 | 32 |
| Reviews found online | 56 | 73 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.4 + 60% × 55.7 = 59
N Fera Primus: 40% × 31.8 + 60% × 73.3 = 57
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 4 tests | 77 | 64 |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | ≈ 66 (est.) |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73
N Fera Primus: 60% × 64.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 65
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo3 or N Fera Primus. The owner half is the owners’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests, so the tests say nothing about how owners would rate it.
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 4 tests | 61 | 34 |
| Reviews found online | 42 | 77 |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 41.5 = 53
N Fera Primus: 60% × 33.7 + 40% × 76.9 = 51
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 59 | 75 |
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / 5 tests | 68 | 54 |
| Category | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 | Nexen N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 69 |
| Dry | 75 | 75 |
| Wet | 81 | 85 |
| Comfort | 59 | 57 |
| Noise | 73 | 65 |
| Treadwear | 53 | 51 |
| Handling (owners) | 59 | 75 |
| Efficiency | 68 | 54 |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.
Ventus S1 evo3
N Fera Primus
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.
| Discipline | Category | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Primus | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 96% #7/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 95% #17/55 · 2024 Summer Tyre Market Overview | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 98% #7/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | 98% #16/20 · 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 60% #8/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 60% #7/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 87% #6/7 · 2024 Auto Express Summer Tyre Test | 91% #7/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% #8/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 100% #1/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 94% #6/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 93% #7/55 · 2024 Summer Tyre Market Overview | – | Different tests |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 98% #5/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | 98% #5/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 100% #2/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | 98% #7/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 100% #2/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 40% #9/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise | Noise | 100% #1/9 · 2024 AZ Summer Tyre Test | 98% #13/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Noise (tester's mark) | Noise | 100% #2/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 60% #5/10 · 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Wear | Treadwear | 56% #13/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test | 59% #11/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 97% #3/8 · 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | 87% #17/20 · 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 74% #6/13 · 2023 AutoBild Sports Car Summer Tyre Test | 75% #6/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #14/20 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test | #19/20 2024 AutoBild Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Value | Cost | 58% #15/20 · 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test | 57% #11/16 · 2024 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #6/8 2025 Die Reifentester UHP Summer Tyre Test | #7/10 2026 Vi Bilagare Summer Tyre Test | – | Different tests |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community sentiment toward the Hankook Ventus S1 Evo 3 is mixed, with users frequently praising its strong dry and wet grip, comfort, and competitive pricing. However, notable drawbacks include relatively fast tread wear, reports of increasing road noise over time, and mixed experiences with OEM specs versus premium competitors like Michelin.
“Tire preferences? My MK8 has a little over 18,000 miles now and the stock tires look like they’ve already gone to sh*t? Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 aren’t as good as they advertise? What do you recommend for tires?”
“Small tire size change having different ratings? (Hankook Ventus S1 Evo3) Hi all, I'm looking for a good all round tire for my MX5 (I'm in the non snowy regions of the UK so summer tires) and a pretty popular recommendation are the Ventus S1 Evo 3s. At the MX5's stock size of 205/45/R17 they are rated at A for fuel and wet performance, and 68db of noise, which is great! However I'd like to size up to 215/45/R17, and for whatever reason the ratings drop to B for fuel and wet performance, and most importantly to me, 71db of noise. I was just wondering how such a small difference in size changes things quite drastically? I know these ratings aren't that important, but it seems strange to me they'd change at all Thanks! Read more”
“You will love the Ventus S1 EVO3's, I purchased a set back in May 2020 for $473 delivered. In your climate driving at Texas speeds (75-85) efficiency is gonna be about 270-295 Wh/m. I just ordered a set of the iON EVO AS to try out as I have a need for snow use but not bad enough for snow tires.”
Based on 33 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 | B · Nexen N Fera Primus |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 110 | 50 |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | 15″ – 19″ |
| UTQG | 200 - 420 A - AA A | — |
| Sizes in common | 12 | 12 |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Nexen N Fera Primus
Too close to call: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 and Nexen N Fera Primus are within 2 points overall. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 is stronger on efficiency and noise. Nexen N Fera Primus is stronger on handling and wet.
Nexen N Fera Primus scores 75 vs 59 on handling.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 68 vs 54 on efficiency.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 73 vs 65 on noise.
Nexen N Fera Primus scores 85 vs 81 on wet.
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Nexen N Fera Primus, 85 vs 81 on our wet score.
Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 75 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 73 vs 65 on our noise score.
Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 57 on the comfort score, within 3 points.
Neither, by our numbers: 53 vs 51 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 68 vs 54 on our efficiency score.
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
