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Head-to-head Updated

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 vs Continental WinterContact TS 870 — 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 3 + 16 road tests and 4 + 27 owner reviews. How we score

Too close to call: Winter I*cept Evo 4 82, WinterContact TS 870 81.

Check price on Amazon · Winter I*cept Evo 4 Check price on Amazon · WinterContact TS 870
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Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4
Tire AHankook

Winter I*cept Evo 4

Winter

± 5

Tests 82 · 3 tests Owners 85 · 4 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 10 in 2026 Auto Bild Allrad SUV Winter Tyre Test (straight aquaplaning)

Continental WinterContact TS 870
Tire BContinental

WinterContact TS 870

Winter

± 4

Tests 84 · 16 tests Owners 77 · 27 reviews

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

Category by category

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

  1. 83

    Dry

    Winter I*cept Evo 4 +4
    79
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 14 tests8181
    Reviews found online8477

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 60% × 81.5 + 40% × 84.3 = 83

    WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81 + 40% × 76.5 = 79

  2. 91

    Wet

    WinterContact TS 870 +1
    92
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 16 tests9498
    Reviews found online8684

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 60% × 93.6 + 40% × 86.4 = 91

    WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 97.8 + 40% × 83.9 = 92

  3. 75

    Snow

    WinterContact TS 870 +2
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 16 tests7682
    Reviews found online≈ 72 (est.)71

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 60% × 76.4 + 40% × 72.4 (est.) = 75

    WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 81.8 + 40% × 70.7 = 77

    No owner ratings of snow for Winter I*cept Evo 4. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 85

    Comfort

    Winter I*cept Evo 4 +12
    73
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests8972
    Reviews found online8374

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 40% × 89.2 + 60% × 82.5 = 85

    WinterContact TS 870: 40% × 72 + 60% × 73.8 = 73

  5. 75

    Noise

    WinterContact TS 870 +1
    76
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 12 tests8183
    Reviews found online≈ 66 (est.)≈ 66 (est.)

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 60% × 80.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 75

    WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 82.6 + 40% × 66.3 (est.) = 76

    No owner ratings of noise for Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870. 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. 78

    Treadwear

    WinterContact TS 870 +1
    79
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 7 tests7479
    Reviews found online8379

    Winter I*cept Evo 4: 60% × 73.7 + 40% × 83.4 = 78

    WinterContact TS 870: 60% × 79.5 + 40% × 79.1 = 79

  7. 85

    Handling (owners)

    Winter I*cept Evo 4 +8
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Reviews found online8577
  8. 72

    Efficiency

    WinterContact TS 870 +5
    77
    Why this score
    SourceWinter I*cept Evo 4WinterContact TS 870
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 14 tests7277
Scores at a glance
CategoryHankook Winter I*cept Evo 4Continental WinterContact TS 870
Relative Score 82 81
Dry 83 79
Wet 91 92
Snow 75 77
Comfort 85 73
Noise 75 76
Treadwear 78 79
Handling (owners) 85 77
Efficiency 72 77

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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Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 5

Winter I*cept Evo 4

± 4

WinterContact TS 870

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 Evo 4WinterContact TS 870ΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 97% #4/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 98% #5/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 100% #3/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #4/11 · 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Curved Aquaplaning Wet 96% #6/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 93% #3/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 97% #10/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 96% #4/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 91% #4/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #2/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Circle Wet 97% #8/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/11 · 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 96% #8/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/11 · 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 99% #7/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 96% #9/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 97% #12/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 99% #4/11 · 2026 Auto Express Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Traction Snow 97% #7/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 94% #15/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Comfort (tester's mark) Comfort 98% #2/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/8 · 2023 Autozurnal Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests
Noise Noise 98% #8/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 97% #10/16 · 2026 ADAC Winter Tyre Test - 185/65 R15 – Different tests
Wear Treadwear 98% #3/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 78% #5/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 98% #4/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 89% #3/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Value Cost 71% #10/20 · 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test 56% #15/15 · 2026 AvD Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #3/20 2026 Auto Bild Winter Tyre Test #4/15 2026 AvD 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 Evo 4

Pros

  • Very strong dry grip and sporty, precise handling, with one reviewer describing cornering as predictable and 'on rails'
  • Excellent wet performance and grip, noted in multiple reviews
  • High ride comfort, including good damping of bumps. One reviewer rated it better than a summer Bridgestone Alenza.

Cons

  • Noise increases at speeds above about 100 km/h, according to one reviewer
  • Steering feels slightly softer than on summer tires, according to one reviewer
  • No reviewer has yet tested snow or ice performance, so winter capability is unverified in this dataset
All owner themes in the Winter I*cept Evo 4 review

Tire B WinterContact TS 870

Pros

  • Outstanding wet performance: reviewers cite strong grip, stability and braking in rain, very good resistance to aquaplaning in standing water, and confident behavior at high speed and in cold, wet conditions.
  • Good to excellent dry grip with precise, direct steering and clear feedback that is unusually sporty for a winter tire.
  • Comfortable and quiet ride, described as smooth and soft, with low road noise.

Cons

  • Inconsistent snow and ice traction: several reviewers found it no better than cheaper tires, with wheel spin when pulling away on snow or ice and difficulty on hard snow or steep hills.
  • Reports of reduced grip at the limit, including understeer on cold, damp roads and a sensation of lost grip in fast corners.
  • Ageing concerns: one reviewer reported hardened rubber after three seasons, with skidding under hard wet braking.
All owner themes in the WinterContact TS 870 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 B · Continental WinterContact TS 870
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available8644
Rim diameters17″ – 22″14″ – 19″
Sizes in common00

Which one should you actually buy?

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4

Continental WinterContact TS 870

Too close to call: Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 and Continental WinterContact TS 870 are within 2 points overall. Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 is stronger on comfort, handling and dry. Continental WinterContact TS 870 is stronger on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 scores 85 vs 73 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 scores 85 vs 77 on handling.

Pick tire B You want lower fuel or energy use

Continental WinterContact TS 870 scores 77 vs 72 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 scores 83 vs 79 on dry.

Tire A · Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Continental WinterContact TS 870
Check price on Amazon

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Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Which is better in the wet, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Neither, by our numbers: 91 vs 92 on the wet score, within 3 points.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4, 83 vs 79 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 77 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Neither, by our numbers: 75 vs 76 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which is more comfortable, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4, 85 vs 73 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 79 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

Which rolls more easily, Winter I*cept Evo 4 or WinterContact TS 870?

Continental WinterContact TS 870, 77 vs 72 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