Tests 81 · 13 tests Owners 78 · 119 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2019 Summer and All Season Tyre Test (dry handling)
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin CrossClimate+ vs Michelin Defender T+H — 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 13 + 1 road tests and 119 + 1 owner reviews. How we score
CrossClimate+ is ahead, 81–71
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Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review
Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))
Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
-
87
Dry
CrossClimate+ +1770Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests 94 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 78 71 CrossClimate+: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 77.9 = 87
Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 70
No road tests of dry for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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81
Wet
CrossClimate+ +873Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 13 / – tests 81 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 81 73 CrossClimate+: 60% × 80.9 + 40% × 81.3 = 81
Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 73
No road tests of wet for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
69
Snow
CrossClimate+ +465Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests 65 ≈ 68 (est.) Reviews found online 73 62 CrossClimate+: 60% × 65.5 + 40% × 73.1 = 69
Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65
No road tests of snow for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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75
Comfort
CrossClimate+ +768Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests 71 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 78 67 CrossClimate+: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 77.6 = 75
Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 67 = 68
No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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67
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 9 / – tests 68 – Reviews found online ≈ 67 (est.) – CrossClimate+: 60% × 67.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 67
No owner ratings of noise for CrossClimate+. 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.
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82
Treadwear
CrossClimate+ +973Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / 1 tests 83 76 Reviews found online 80 68 CrossClimate+: 60% × 83.1 + 40% × 79.6 = 82
Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68 = 73
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72
Handling (owners)
No comparison–Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Reviews found online 72 – -
75
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source CrossClimate+ Defender T+H Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / – tests 75 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin CrossClimate+ | Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 81 | 71 |
| Dry | 87 | 70 |
| Wet | 81 | 73 |
| Snow | 69 | 65 |
| Comfort | 75 | 68 |
| Noise | 67 | – |
| Treadwear | 82 | 73 |
| Handling (owners) | 72 | – |
| Efficiency | 75 | – |
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.
Important
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Important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Recomputed
Headline score
81
/ 100
CrossClimate+
71
/ 100
Defender T+H
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
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.
| Discipline | Category | CrossClimate+ | Defender T+H | Δ | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Also published by the testers (not in the score) | |||||
| Overall Ranking | Overall | #2/4 2022 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 | #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires | – | Different tests |
Pros, cons & observations
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
Tire A CrossClimate+
Pros
- Excellent traction and confidence in light to moderate snow and ice.
- Strong wet and dry road handling that rivals dedicated summer tires.
- Impressive tread longevity and durability over high mileage.
Cons
- Performance in wet conditions can diminish significantly as the tire wears.
- Increased road noise reported by some users compared to dedicated summer tires.
- Occasional reports of a harsh or 'bouncy' ride on certain vehicle suspensions.
Tire B Defender T+H
Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin CrossClimate+ | B · Michelin Defender T+H |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All Season | Premium Touring All Season tire |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | SUV and 4x4 |
| Sizes available | 63 | — |
| Rim diameters | 13″ – 19″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
81
/ 100
Michelin CrossClimate+
71
/ 100
Michelin Defender T+H
Winner: Michelin CrossClimate+ — better dry, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Defender T+H rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 1 review), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 87 vs 70 on dry.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 82 vs 73 on treadwear.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 81 vs 73 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the most comfortable ride
Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 75 vs 68 on comfort.
Tire A · Michelin CrossClimate+
Tire B · Michelin Defender T+H
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CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Which is better in the wet, CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Michelin CrossClimate+, 81 vs 73 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Michelin CrossClimate+, 87 vs 70 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Michelin CrossClimate+, 69 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Michelin CrossClimate+, 75 vs 68 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H?
Michelin CrossClimate+, 82 vs 73 on our treadwear 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