Tests 79 · 14 tests Owners 71 · 28 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)
Head-to-head
Updated
Hankook Winter I cept RS3 vs Bridgestone Blizzak 6 — 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 + 25 road tests and 28 + 9 owner reviews. How we score
Blizzak 6 is ahead, 80–75
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Tests 80 · 25 tests Owners 80 · 9 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 55 in 2024 Winter 55 Tyre Braking Test (wet 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 6 tests that measured dry braking for both, Winter I cept RS3 won 2 and Blizzak 6 won 4 (average 95% vs 96% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured wet braking for both, Winter I cept RS3 won 2 and Blizzak 6 won 4 (average 96% vs 97% of the best).
- In 6 tests that measured snow braking for both, Winter I cept RS3 won 4 and Blizzak 6 won 1 (average 97% vs 96% of the best).
- In 5 tests that measured straight aquaplaning for both, Winter I cept RS3 won 5 and Blizzak 6 won 0 (average 98% vs 93% of the best).
- In 5 tests that measured noise for both, Winter I cept RS3 won 4 and Blizzak 6 won 1 (average 98% vs 97% of the best).
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71
Dry
Blizzak 6 +879Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / 20 tests 72 77 Reviews found online 71 83 Dry Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 2–4 95% 96% Dry Handling (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 0–3 99% 99% Dry Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 82% 86% Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 71.9 + 40% × 70.9 = 71
Blizzak 6: 60% × 76.7 + 40% × 82.6 = 79
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87
Wet
Blizzak 6 +390Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 25 tests 94 93 Reviews found online 76 86 Curved Aquaplaning (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 4–0 98% 88% Straight Aquaplaning (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 5–0 98% 93% Wet Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 70% 70% Wet Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 2–4 96% 97% Wet Braking (concrete) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 95% 99% Wet Circle (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 0–1 98% 98% Wet Handling (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 1–2 98% 98% Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 93.9 + 40% × 75.5 = 87
Blizzak 6: 60% × 93.3 + 40% × 86 = 90
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78
Snow
Blizzak 6 +280Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / 24 tests 81 81 Reviews found online 75 78 Ice Braking (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–1 89% 92% Snow Braking (% of best) · 6 shared tests · wins 4–1 97% 96% Snow Handling (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 3–1 98% 98% Snow Slalom (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 99% 96% Snow Traction (% of best) · 4 shared tests · wins 1–3 93% 96% Snow Handling (tester's mark) (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 70% 70% Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 74.7 = 78
Blizzak 6: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 78 = 80
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68
Comfort
Blizzak 6 +1482Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 8 tests 81 87 Reviews found online 60 78 Comfort (tester's mark) (% of best) · 2 shared tests · wins 1–1 85% 85% Winter I cept RS3: 40% × 80.8 + 60% × 60.2 = 68
Blizzak 6: 40% × 87.2 + 60% × 77.9 = 82
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65
Noise
Winter I cept RS3 +857Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 11 / 17 tests 63 51 Reviews found online ≈ 66 (est.) ≈ 66 (est.) Noise (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 4–1 98% 97% Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 63.4 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 65
Blizzak 6: 60% × 51.3 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 57
No owner ratings of noise for Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6. 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.
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71
Treadwear
Blizzak 6 +576Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / 7 tests 74 77 Reviews found online 66 75 Abrasion (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 1–0 75% 66% Wear (% of best) · 3 shared tests · wins 2–1 83% 81% Winter I cept RS3: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 65.7 = 71
Blizzak 6: 60% × 76.8 + 40% × 75.4 = 76
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72
Handling (owners)
Blizzak 6 +1183Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Reviews found online 72 83 -
60
Efficiency
Blizzak 6 +2282Why this score
Source Winter I cept RS3 Blizzak 6 Professional tests (TWG score) · 12 / 19 tests 60 82 Fuel Consumption (% of best) · 1 shared test · wins 0–0 93% 93% Rolling Resistance (% of best) · 5 shared tests · wins 1–4 89% 92%
Scores at a glance
| Category | Hankook Winter I cept RS3 | Bridgestone Blizzak 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 75 | 80 |
| Dry | 71 | 79 |
| Wet | 87 | 90 |
| Snow | 78 | 80 |
| Comfort | 68 | 82 |
| Noise | 65 | 57 |
| Treadwear | 71 | 76 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | 83 |
| Efficiency | 60 | 82 |
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
75
/ 100
Winter I cept RS3
80
/ 100
Blizzak 6
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 7 tests that ran both, Hankook Winter I cept RS3 finished ahead 2 times and Bridgestone Blizzak 6 5 times.
| Discipline | Category | Winter I cept RS3 | Blizzak 6 | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry Braking | Dry | 95% | 96% | −0.4 | 2–4 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Dry Handling | Dry | 99% | 99% | −0.4 | 0–3 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | Dry | 82% | 86% | −4.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Curved Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% | 88% | +10.2 | 4–0 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Straight Aquaplaning | Wet | 98% | 93% | +4.7 | 5–0 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Wet Braking | Wet | 96% | 97% | −1.6 | 2–4 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | Wet | 95% | 99% | −4.2 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wet Circle | Wet | 98% | 98% | −0.3 | 0–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Wet Handling | Wet | 98% | 98% | −0.2 | 1–2 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | Wet | 70% | 70% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Ice Braking | Snow | 89% | 92% | −3.0 | 0–1 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Snow Braking | Snow | 97% | 96% | +1.7 | 4–1 in 6 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Snow Handling | Snow | 98% | 98% | +0.4 | 3–1 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Snow Handling (tester's mark) | Snow | 70% | 70% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Snow Slalom | Snow | 99% | 96% | +3.0 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Snow Traction | Snow | 93% | 96% | −3.6 | 1–3 in 4 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | Comfort | 85% | 85% | +0.5 | 1–1 in 2 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Noise | Noise | 98% | 97% | +0.5 | 4–1 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Abrasion | Treadwear | 75% | 66% | +9.1 | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Wear | Treadwear | 83% | 81% | +2.6 | 2–1 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Fuel Consumption | Efficiency | 93% | 93% | 0.0 | 0–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 225/50 R17 · 225/50 R17 |
| Rolling Resistance | Efficiency | 89% | 92% | −3.2 | 1–4 in 5 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Total Cost of Ownership | Cost | #2/20 | #17/20 | – | 1–0 in 1 shared test Newest: 2024 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test · 205/55 R16 |
| Value | Cost | 75% | 57% | +18.0 | 3–0 in 3 shared tests Newest: 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test · 225/45 R17 |
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #6/9 | #4/9 | – | 2–5 in 7 shared tests Newest: 2026 Sport Auto Winter Tyre Test · 205/45 R 17 |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A 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
Tire B Blizzak 6
Pros
- Exceptional grip and traction on snow and ice
- Improved cornering stability compared to the Blizzak 5
- Confident handling on steep mountain roads and winter inclines
Cons
- Rapid tread wear reported by some users after limited mileage
- Numb or less communicative steering feel compared to predecessor models or stiffer alternatives like the LM005
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Hankook Winter I cept RS3 | B · Bridgestone Blizzak 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | — | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 46 | 192 |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 17″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Tread depth | — | 10/32″ |
| Sidewall | — | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | — | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 24 | 24 |
Which one should you actually buy?
75
/ 100
Hankook Winter I cept RS3
80
/ 100
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
Winner: Bridgestone Blizzak 6 — better efficiency, comfort and handling. Pick the Hankook Winter I cept RS3 if noise matters most to you.
Pick tire B
You want lower fuel or energy use
Bridgestone Blizzak 6 scores 82 vs 60 on efficiency.
Pick tire B
You want the most comfortable ride
Bridgestone Blizzak 6 scores 82 vs 68 on comfort.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Bridgestone Blizzak 6 scores 83 vs 72 on handling.
Pick tire A
You want a quieter cabin
Hankook Winter I cept RS3 scores 65 vs 57 on noise.
Tire A · Hankook Winter I cept RS3
Tire B · Bridgestone Blizzak 6
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Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Which is better in the wet, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Bridgestone Blizzak 6, 90 vs 87 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Bridgestone Blizzak 6, 79 vs 71 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 80 on the snow score, within 3 points.
Which is quieter, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Hankook Winter I cept RS3, 65 vs 57 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Bridgestone Blizzak 6, 82 vs 68 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Bridgestone Blizzak 6, 76 vs 71 on our treadwear score.
Which rolls more easily, Winter I cept RS3 or Blizzak 6?
Bridgestone Blizzak 6, 82 vs 60 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