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 + 20 road tests and 3,376 + 18 owner reviews. How we score
Too close to call: Ventus S1 evo3 and N Fera Sport SU2 are level at 68.
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
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 78 · 20 tests Owners 55 · 18 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2026 Autobild Summer Tyre Test (noise)
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / 18 tests | 86 | 81 |
| Reviews found online | 60 | 59 |
| Dry Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 5–2 | 97% | 96% |
| Dry Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 5–1 | 99% | 98% |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 70% | 60% |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 59.8 = 75
N Fera Sport SU2: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 58.6 = 72
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / 19 tests | 90 | 84 |
| Reviews found online | 68 | 64 |
| Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 0–3 | 83% | 92% |
| Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 3–3 | 94% | 97% |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 60% | 30% |
| Wet Braking (% of best) · 8 shared tests · wins 7–1 | 96% | 91% |
| Wet Circle (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 | 98% | 97% |
| Wet Handling (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 6–0 | 98% | 95% |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 89.6 + 40% × 68 = 81
N Fera Sport SU2: 60% × 83.7 + 40% × 64.2 = 76
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 5 tests | 64 | 87 |
| Reviews found online | 56 | 50 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 | 67% | 100% |
Ventus S1 evo3: 40% × 64.4 + 60% × 55.7 = 59
N Fera Sport SU2: 40% × 86.9 + 60% × 49.9 = 65
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 14 tests | 77 | 93 |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 66 (est.) | ≈ 66 (est.) |
| Noise (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 3–3 | 98% | 99% |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 76.9 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 73
N Fera Sport SU2: 60% × 93.3 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 83
No owner ratings of noise for Ventus S1 evo3 or N Fera Sport SU2. 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 Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 6 tests | 61 | 63 |
| Reviews found online | 42 | 41 |
| Wear (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 1–2 | 68% | 71% |
Ventus S1 evo3: 60% × 60.8 + 40% × 41.5 = 53
N Fera Sport SU2: 60% × 62.9 + 40% × 41 = 54
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 59 | 61 |
| Source | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / 13 tests | 68 | 47 |
| Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 6–0 | 89% | 83% |
| Category | Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 | Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 68 | 68 |
| Dry | 75 | 72 |
| Wet | 81 | 76 |
| Comfort | 59 | 65 |
| Noise | 73 | 83 |
| Treadwear | 53 | 54 |
| Handling (owners) | 59 | 61 |
| Efficiency | 68 | 47 |
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 Sport SU2
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 S1 evo3 finished ahead 6 times and Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 3 times.
| Discipline | Category | Ventus S1 evo3 | N Fera Sport SU2 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 97% | 96% | +0.9 | 5–2 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% | 98% | +0.8 | 5–1 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 70% | 60% | +10.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 83% | 92% | −9.7 | 0–3 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2022 AMS Performance Summer Tyre Test · 245/45 R19 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 94% | 97% | −2.5 | 3–3 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 96% | 91% | +4.3 | 7–1 in 8 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 98% | 97% | +1.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2022 AMS Performance Summer Tyre Test · 245/45 R19 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% | 95% | +2.9 | 6–0 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 60% | 30% | +30.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 67% | 100% | −33.3 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2021 Auto Zeitung Summer UHP Tyre Test · 225/40 R18 |
| Noise | Noise | 98% | 99% | −1.4 | 3–3 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 68% | 71% | −3.2 | 1–2 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 89% | 83% | +6.6 | 6–0 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Price | Cost | 72% | 84% | −11.7 | 1–5 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #14/20 | #12/20 | – | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Value | Cost | 64% | 76% | −11.7 | 0–2 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2023 AutoBild UHP Summer Tyre Test · 225/45 R18 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #1/48 | #14/48 | – | 6–3 in 9 shared tests Newest: 2023 Summer Tyre Market Overview · 225/45 R18 |
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 Sport SU2 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 110 | — |
| Rim diameters | 17″ – 22″ | — |
| UTQG | 200 - 420 A - AA A | — |
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3
Nexen N Fera Sport SU2
Too close to call: Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 and Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 are within 2 points overall. Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 is stronger on efficiency, wet and dry. Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 is stronger on noise and comfort.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 68 vs 47 on efficiency.
Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 scores 83 vs 73 on noise.
Nexen N Fera Sport SU2 scores 65 vs 59 on comfort.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 scores 81 vs 76 on wet.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 81 vs 76 on our wet score.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 75 vs 72 on our dry score.
Nexen N Fera Sport SU2, 83 vs 73 on our noise score.
Nexen N Fera Sport SU2, 65 vs 59 on our comfort score.
Neither, by our numbers: 53 vs 54 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
Hankook Ventus S1 evo3, 68 vs 47 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
