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Hankook Winter i cept evo2 vs Hankook Winter I cept RS3 — 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 + 14 road tests and 28 + 28 owner reviews. How we score

Winter I cept RS3 is ahead, 75–69

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Hankook Winter i cept evo2
Tire AHankook

Winter i cept evo2

Winter

± 7

Tests 67 · 5 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2017 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test (snow braking)

Hankook Winter I cept RS3
Tire BHankook

Winter I cept RS3

Winter

± 4

Tests 79 · 14 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Category by category

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

  1. 67

    Dry

    Winter I cept RS3 +4
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 13 tests6572
    Reviews found online7171

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 64.8 + 40% × 70.8 = 67

    Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 70.8 = 71

  2. 71

    Wet

    Winter I cept RS3 +16
    87
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 14 tests7094
    Reviews found online7376

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 70.2 + 40% × 73.4 = 71

    Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 93.9 + 40% × 75.6 = 87

  3. 70

    Snow

    Winter I cept RS3 +8
    78
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / 14 tests7281
    Reviews found online6675

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 72 + 40% × 66.1 = 70

    Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 74.6 = 78

  4. 70

    Comfort

    Winter i cept evo2 +2
    68
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 2 tests≈ 69 (est.)81
    Reviews found online7160

    Winter i cept evo2: 40% × 69 (est.) + 60% × 70.6 = 70

    Winter I cept RS3: 40% × 80.8 + 60% × 60.1 = 68

    No road tests of comfort for Winter i cept evo2. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 55

    Noise

    Winter I cept RS3 +10
    65
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 11 tests4763
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 47.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 55

    Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 63.4 + 40% × 66.4 (est.) = 65

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3. 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.

  6. 70

    Treadwear

    Winter I cept RS3 +1
    71
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 9 tests6774
    Reviews found online7366

    Winter i cept evo2: 60% × 67.3 + 40% × 72.8 = 70

    Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 65.6 = 71

  7. 73

    Handling (owners)

    Winter i cept evo2 +1
    72
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Reviews found online7372
  8. 59

    Efficiency

    Winter I cept RS3 +1
    60
    Why this score
    SourceWinter i cept evo2Winter I cept RS3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 4 / 12 tests5960
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Winter i cept evo2Hankook Winter I cept RS3
Relative Score 69 75
Dry 67 71
Wet 71 87
Snow 70 78
Comfort 70 68
Noise 55 65
Treadwear 70 71
Handling (owners) 73 72
Efficiency 59 60

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

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
± 7

Winter i cept evo2

± 4

Winter I cept RS3

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 evo2Winter I cept RS3ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 91% #11/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 93% #8/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 98% #7/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 99% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 93% #9/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 99% #2/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 96% #3/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 97% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 98% #3/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 97% #5/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 95% #5/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 99% #5/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 98% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 93% #11/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 97% #5/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wear Treadwear 72% #13/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 83% #3/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 78% #11/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/9 · 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 75% #5/11 · 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test 81% #8/20 · 2022 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Total Cost of Ownership Cost #11/20 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test #2/20 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Value Cost 61% #11/20 · 2017 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 83% #8/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #5/11 2019 19 Inch Performance Winter Tyre Test #6/9 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter i cept evo2

Pros

  • Impressive grip and traction on snow and ice
  • High level of ride comfort and low noise levels
  • Good value for money compared to higher-priced premium alternatives

Cons

  • Soft sidewalls or goofy feel on dry roads, particularly in warmer winter temperatures
  • Performance and grip degrade significantly as the tire ages over multiple seasons
  • Can struggle to put down high torque/power on rear-wheel-drive vehicles
All owner themes in the Winter i cept evo2 review

Tire B Winter I cept RS3

Pros

  • Outstanding traction and braking grip on snow and slush
  • Excellent wet weather performance and aquaplaning resistance
  • Strong dry grip and predictable handling characteristics

Cons

  • Significantly high cabin noise levels reported by multiple users
  • Reduced high-speed stability or 'washy' feeling at Autobahn speeds
  • Accelerated tread wear or shorter lifespan noted by some drivers
All owner themes in the Winter I cept RS3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Winter i cept evo2 B · Hankook Winter I cept RS3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / Crossover—
Sizes available7946
Rim diameters15″ – 22″14″ – 17″
Sizes in common1818

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Winter i cept evo2

Hankook Winter I cept RS3

Winner: Hankook Winter I cept RS3 — better wet, noise and snow. Where the Hankook Winter i cept evo2 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Hankook Winter I cept RS3 scores 87 vs 71 on wet.

Pick tire B You want a quieter cabin

Hankook Winter I cept RS3 scores 65 vs 55 on noise.

Pick tire B You drive through snowy winters

Hankook Winter I cept RS3 scores 78 vs 70 on snow.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Winter I cept RS3 scores 71 vs 67 on dry.

Tire A · Hankook Winter i cept evo2
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Tire B · Hankook Winter I cept RS3
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Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Which is better in the wet, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Hankook Winter I cept RS3, 87 vs 71 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Hankook Winter I cept RS3, 71 vs 67 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Hankook Winter I cept RS3, 78 vs 70 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Hankook Winter I cept RS3, 65 vs 55 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 68 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Neither, by our numbers: 70 vs 71 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

Which rolls more easily, Winter i cept evo2 or Winter I cept RS3?

Neither, by our numbers: 59 vs 60 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