Vredestein Ultrac Cento looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.
Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 7 + 0 road tests and 2,372 + 23 owner reviews. How we score
Ecsta HS52 is ahead, 80–71
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 84 · 7 tests Owners 74 · 2,372 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 21 in 2022 Auto Bild Summer Tyre Test (dry braking)
“I have kuhmo ecsta hs52's on my renault megane during spring and summer and they are really good. No complaints at all. My milage did go up a little bit but that's it”
Tests – · none yet Owners 73 · 23 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests | 86 | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 79 | 71 |
Ecsta HS52: 60% × 86.4 + 40% × 78.7 = 83
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 71 = 70
No road tests of dry for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / – tests | 90 | ≈ 72 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 77 | 74 |
Ecsta HS52: 60% × 89.9 + 40% × 76.5 = 85
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 72.5 (est.) + 40% × 73.9 = 73
No road tests of wet for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) | ≈ 69 (est.) | ≈ 70 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 66 | 71 |
Ecsta HS52: 40% × 68.6 (est.) + 60% × 66 = 67
Ultrac Cento: 40% × 69.5 (est.) + 60% × 71.4 = 71
No road tests of comfort for Ecsta HS52 or Ultrac Cento. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests | 64 | – |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 67 (est.) | – |
Ecsta HS52: 60% × 63.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 65
No owner ratings of noise for Ecsta HS52. 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.
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests | 80 | ≈ 69 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 67 | 75 |
Ecsta HS52: 60% × 80.1 + 40% × 67.1 = 75
Ultrac Cento: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 75.3 = 72
No road tests of treadwear for Ultrac Cento. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 77 | 69 |
| Source | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests | 43 | – |
| Category | Kumho Ecsta HS52 | Vredestein Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 80 | 71 |
| Dry | 83 | 70 |
| Wet | 85 | 73 |
| Comfort | 67 | 71 |
| Noise | 65 | – |
| Treadwear | 75 | 72 |
| Handling (owners) | 77 | 69 |
| Efficiency | 43 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Ecsta HS52
Ultrac Cento
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
| Discipline | Category | Ecsta HS52 | Ultrac Cento | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #9/16 2026 ADAC Summer Tyre Test | #27/49 2014 Auto Bild 50 Summer Tyre Shootout | – | Different tests |
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
The Kumho Ecsta HS52 receives a polarized mix of reviews from the community, praised by many for its rigid sidewalls, strong dry grip, sharp steering responsiveness, and great value compared to premium alternatives. However, some users report disappointing wet weather performance, potential issues with aquaplaning resistance, and inconsistent test results across different sizes. Overall, it is viewed as a solid mid-range option, though experiences with wet traction and longevity vary significantly among drivers.
“Mini review of the Kumho Ecsta HS52 I was running some Hankook's on my GT before and the tire wall not stiff enough. Now I've mounted these Kumho Ecsta HS52's and I highly recommend them: The tire wall is nicely rigid and they grip great in the dry, took quite some intent to make them loose traction. Additionally, I've accidentally ran over a pretty big sharp looking rock at decent speed that aimed right in a tread groove (thinnest part) and the thing shrugged it off no problem. And all of this for a damn good price too! So if anyone's looking for good tires, now you know.”
“What’s up with these tyres? Kumho ectsa hs52 date code 3923, tyres are (UK) legal regards tread but I can’t imagine this damage is normal. Both front tyres have this, looks like the tread is tearing apart in multiple places. I did not fit these tyres but it was mot’d 3 months ago and has done 2k miles since. I’ve owned the car 11 months but only noticed this very recently. I am getting them replaced on Monday with little use before then but I’m curious how this has happened. Is it just a shit brand? Wear is even across the face so I don’t think it would be the alignment or anything to do with the car and the damage is random across the contact patch. It’s a Peugeot 508 2l diesel so quite a bit of weight on the nose. Fitting Bridgestone Turanza 6. Rear tyres are good, but a different brand (horizon horace 2122 date)”
“I have kuhmo ecsta hs52's on my renault megane during spring and summer and they are really good. No complaints at all. My milage did go up a little bit but that's it”
Based on 17 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Kumho Ecsta HS52 | B · Vredestein Ultrac Cento |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 53 | — |
| Rim diameters | 14″ – 20″ | — |
Kumho Ecsta HS52
Vredestein Ultrac Cento
Winner: Kumho Ecsta HS52 — better dry, wet and handling. Pick the Vredestein Ultrac Cento if comfort matters most to you.
Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 83 vs 70 on dry.
Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 85 vs 73 on wet.
Kumho Ecsta HS52 scores 77 vs 69 on handling.
Vredestein Ultrac Cento scores 71 vs 67 on comfort.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Kumho Ecsta HS52, 85 vs 73 on our wet score.
Kumho Ecsta HS52, 83 vs 70 on our dry score.
Vredestein Ultrac Cento, 71 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Kumho Ecsta HS52, 75 vs 72 on our treadwear 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
