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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X vs Yokohama W.drive V905 — 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 5 + 2 road tests and 4 + 17 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Winter i*cept evo3 X and W.drive V905 are level at 69.

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Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X
Tire AHankook

Winter i*cept evo3 X

Winter

± 6

Tests 72 · 5 tests Owners 67 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2024 AS SUV Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Yokohama W.drive V905
Tire BYokohama

W.drive V905

Winter

± 8

Tests 69 · 2 tests Owners 69 · 17 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 10 in 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 67

    Dry

    W.drive V905 +2
    69
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 2 tests6967
    Reviews found online6571

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 60% × 68.9 + 40% × 65.1 = 67

    W.drive V905: 60% × 67.5 + 40% × 71.1 = 69

  2. 77

    Wet

    Winter i*cept evo3 X +3
    74
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 2 tests8174
    Reviews found online7173

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 70.7 = 77

    W.drive V905: 60% × 73.9 + 40% × 73.4 = 74

  3. 77

    Snow

    Winter i*cept evo3 X +10
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 2 tests8172
    Reviews found online7059

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 60% × 81.3 + 40% × 70.4 = 77

    W.drive V905: 60% × 72.4 + 40% × 58.8 = 67

  4. 58

    Comfort

    W.drive V905 +7
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 66 (est.)≈ 68 (est.)
    Reviews found online5364

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 40% × 66.2 (est.) + 60% × 53 = 58

    W.drive V905: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 63.7 = 65

    No road tests of comfort for Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 40

    Noise

    W.drive V905 +24
    64
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 1 tests2363
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 60% × 22.9 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 40

    W.drive V905: 60% × 62.9 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 64

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905. 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.

  6. 65

    Treadwear

    W.drive V905 +3
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 66 (est.)64
    Reviews found online6573

    Winter i*cept evo3 X: 60% × 65.9 (est.) + 40% × 64.8 = 65

    W.drive V905: 60% × 64 + 40% × 73.1 = 68

    No road tests of treadwear for Winter i*cept evo3 X. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 66

    Handling (owners)

    W.drive V905 +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Reviews found online6671
  8. 67

    Efficiency

    Winter i*cept evo3 X +2
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 1 tests6765
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Winter i*cept evo3 XYokohama W.drive V905
Relative Score 69 69
Dry 67 69
Wet 77 74
Snow 77 67
Comfort 58 65
Noise 40 64
Treadwear 65 68
Handling (owners) 66 71
Efficiency 67 65

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
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Important
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Less important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

Winter i*cept evo3 X

± 8

W.drive V905

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter i*cept evo3 XW.drive V905ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 91% #7/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 98% #5/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #7/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 98% #11/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 95% #5/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 91% #20/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 95% #2/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 93% #9/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 98% #9/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 97% #9/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 93% #3/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 92% #14/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 99% #6/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 96% #16/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 97% #11/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 96% #18/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 90% #5/11 · 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test 84% #18/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #7/11 2025 Autobild SUV Winter Tyre Test #4/5 2022 Consumer Reports Performance Winter/Snow Tires – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter i*cept evo3 X

Pros

  • Outstanding traction and braking performance in various snow conditions (fresh, compact, and heavy wet snow)
  • Superior wet and dry grip in low temperatures (below 4°C)
  • Cost-effective alternative compared to other premium brand winter tires

Cons

  • Significantly high levels of tire noise
  • Stiff and uncomfortable ride quality
  • Becomes overly soft and less composed on dry roads when temperatures exceed 13°C
All owner themes in the Winter i*cept evo3 X review

Tire B W.drive V905

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and confidence in deep and fresh snow
  • Impressive tread life and durability over multiple winter seasons
  • Strong value proposition compared to premium competitors

Cons

  • Higher-than-average road noise levels at highway speeds
  • Mixed performance in wet conditions, with some reports of aquaplaning sensitivity
  • Potential for reduced grip when temperatures rise above 10-15°C
All owner themes in the W.drive V905 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X B · Yokohama W.drive V905
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available72—
Rim diameters17″ – 22″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X

Yokohama W.drive V905

Too close to call: Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X and Yokohama W.drive V905 are within 2 points overall. Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X is stronger on snow and wet. Yokohama W.drive V905 is stronger on noise, comfort and treadwear.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Yokohama W.drive V905 scores 64 vs 40 on noise.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X scores 77 vs 67 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Yokohama W.drive V905 scores 65 vs 58 on comfort.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X scores 77 vs 74 on wet.

Tire A · Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X
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Tire B · Yokohama W.drive V905
Check price on Amazon

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Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Which is better in the wet, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X, 77 vs 74 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 69 on the dry score, within 3 points.

Which is better in snow, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Hankook Winter i*cept evo3 X, 77 vs 67 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Yokohama W.drive V905, 64 vs 40 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Yokohama W.drive V905, 65 vs 58 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Yokohama W.drive V905, 68 vs 65 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Winter i*cept evo3 X or W.drive V905?

Neither, by our numbers: 67 vs 65 on the efficiency score, within 3 points.

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