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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin CrossClimate vs Sunny NC501 — 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 2 + 2 road tests and 152 + 0 owner reviews. How we score

CrossClimate is ahead, 74–63

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Michelin CrossClimate
Tire AMichelin

CrossClimate

All Season

± 6

Tests 75 · 2 tests Owners 74 · 152 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 14 in 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test (noise)

Sunny NC501
Tire BSunny

NC501

All Season

± 8

Tests 61 · 2 tests Owners – · none yet

Best test result: #3 of 7 in 2025 Motor All Season Tyre Test (snow traction)

Category by category

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

  1. 76

    Dry

    CrossClimate +5
    71
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 2 tests7872
    Reviews found online74≈ 70 (est.)

    CrossClimate: 60% × 77.8 + 40% × 73.9 = 76

    NC501: 60% × 72.5 + 40% × 69.9 (est.) = 71

    No owner ratings of dry for NC501. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 76

    Wet

    CrossClimate +27
    49
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 2 tests7544
    Reviews found online78≈ 56 (est.)

    CrossClimate: 60% × 75.5 + 40% × 78 = 76

    NC501: 60% × 44 + 40% × 56 (est.) = 49

    No owner ratings of wet for NC501. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 69

    Snow

    CrossClimate +1
    68
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 2 tests7167
    Reviews found online66≈ 69 (est.)

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.9 + 40% × 65.6 = 69

    NC501: 60% × 67.1 + 40% × 69.4 (est.) = 68

    No owner ratings of snow for NC501. The owner half is estimated from its road-test score, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 74

    Comfort

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)–
    Reviews found online76–

    CrossClimate: 40% × 70.5 (est.) + 60% × 76.3 = 74

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

  5. 69

    Noise

    Level
    69
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7171
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)

    CrossClimate: 60% × 70.8 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69

    NC501: 60% × 71.3 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 69

    No owner ratings of noise for CrossClimate or NC501. 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.

  6. 74

    Treadwear

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74–
    Reviews found online75–

    CrossClimate: 60% × 73.8 + 40% × 74.8 = 74

  7. 73

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Reviews found online73–
  8. 76

    Efficiency

    CrossClimate +14
    62
    Why this score
    SourceCrossClimateNC501
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 2 / 1 tests7662
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin CrossClimateSunny NC501
Relative Score 74 63
Dry 76 71
Wet 76 49
Snow 69 68
Comfort 74 –
Noise 69 69
Treadwear 74 –
Handling (owners) 73 –
Efficiency 76 62

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

Weight the categories that matter to you

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.

Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost

Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.

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
Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

CrossClimate

± 8

NC501

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.

DisciplineCategoryCrossClimateNC501ΔHead-to-head
Dry Handling Dry 90% #7/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test 100% #4/6 · 2025 Mid Range All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 94% #4/11 · 2017 All Season VS Winter Tyre Test 80% #7/7 · 2025 Motor All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 96% #4/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test 94% #6/6 · 2025 Mid Range All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 99% #2/8 · 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test 95% #6/6 · 2025 Mid Range All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 100% #1/14 · 2018 New and Worn Summer Tyre Test 98% #4/7 · 2025 Motor All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% #1/8 · 2017 Auto Bild All Season Tyre Test 82% #4/7 · 2025 Motor All Season Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #9/9 2018 ADAC All Season Tyre Test #6/6 2026 Wybór Kierowców Winter Tire Test R17 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A CrossClimate

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and durability
  • Strong wet-weather grip and hydroplaning resistance
  • Reliable traction in light snow and cold conditions

Cons

  • Tendency to pick up and retain small stones in the tread pattern
  • Noticeable drop in performance as tread depth decreases
  • Potential for reduced fuel economy compared to dedicated summer tires
All owner themes in the CrossClimate review

Tire B NC501

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin CrossClimate B · Sunny NC501
CategoryAll SeasonAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—94
Rim diameters—13″ – 20″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin CrossClimate

Sunny NC501

Winner: Michelin CrossClimate — better wet, efficiency and dry. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin CrossClimate scores 76 vs 49 on wet.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Michelin CrossClimate scores 76 vs 62 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate scores 76 vs 71 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin CrossClimate
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Tire B · Sunny NC501
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CrossClimate or NC501?

Which is better in the wet, CrossClimate or NC501?

Michelin CrossClimate, 76 vs 49 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, CrossClimate or NC501?

Michelin CrossClimate, 76 vs 71 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, CrossClimate or NC501?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 68 on the snow score, within 3 points.

Which is quieter, CrossClimate or NC501?

Neither, by our numbers: 69 vs 69 on the noise score, within 3 points.

Which rolls more easily, CrossClimate or NC501?

Michelin CrossClimate, 76 vs 62 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