tirewheelguide
Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender T+H vs Michelin CrossClimate+ — 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 1 + 13 road tests and 1 + 119 owner reviews. How we score

CrossClimate+ is ahead, 81–71

Check price on Amazon · CrossClimate+ or Defender T+H on Amazon
Add your size for an exact match
/R

Both Amazon links then search this exact size.

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Michelin Defender T+H
Tire AMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

± 8Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 69 · 1 review

Best test result: #1 of 8 in 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires (tested tread life (miles))

Michelin CrossClimate+
Tire BMichelin

CrossClimate+

All Season

± 5

Tests 81 · 13 tests Owners 78 · 119 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 15 in 2019 Summer and All Season 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. 70

    Dry

    CrossClimate+ +17
    87
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 13 tests≈ 69 (est.)94
    Reviews found online7178

    Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.9 = 70

    CrossClimate+: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 77.9 = 87

    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).

  2. 73

    Wet

    CrossClimate+ +8
    81
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 13 tests≈ 72 (est.)81
    Reviews found online7381

    Defender T+H: 60% × 72.2 (est.) + 40% × 73.4 = 73

    CrossClimate+: 60% × 80.9 + 40% × 81.3 = 81

    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).

  3. 65

    Snow

    CrossClimate+ +4
    69
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 9 tests≈ 68 (est.)65
    Reviews found online6273

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 62.1 = 65

    CrossClimate+: 60% × 65.5 + 40% × 73.1 = 69

    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).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    CrossClimate+ +7
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)71
    Reviews found online6778

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 67 = 68

    CrossClimate+: 40% × 70.9 + 60% × 77.6 = 75

    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.

  5. –

    Noise

    No comparison
    67
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    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.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    CrossClimate+ +9
    82
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 3 tests7683
    Reviews found online6880

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 68 = 73

    CrossClimate+: 60% × 83.1 + 40% × 79.6 = 82

  7. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    72
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Reviews found online–72
  8. –

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    75
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HCrossClimate+
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests–75
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Defender T+HMichelin CrossClimate+
Relative Score 71 81
Dry 70 87
Wet 73 81
Snow 65 69
Comfort 68 75
Noise – 67
Treadwear 73 82
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
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less 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.

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
± 8

Defender T+H

± 5

CrossClimate+

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.

DisciplineCategoryDefender T+HCrossClimate+ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #1/8 2022 Consumer Reports All-Season Tires #2/4 2022 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Defender T+H

Not enough owner reviews yet to extract themes.

Tire B 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.
All owner themes in the CrossClimate+ review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender T+H B · Michelin CrossClimate+
CategoryPremium Touring All Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available—63
Rim diameters—13″ – 19″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender T+H

Michelin CrossClimate+

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 B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 87 vs 70 on dry.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 82 vs 73 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 81 vs 73 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin CrossClimate+ scores 75 vs 68 on comfort.

Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Check price on Amazon
Tire B · Michelin CrossClimate+
Check price on Amazon

TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.

Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

Michelin CrossClimate+, 81 vs 73 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

Michelin CrossClimate+, 87 vs 70 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

Michelin CrossClimate+, 69 vs 65 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

Michelin CrossClimate+, 75 vs 68 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or CrossClimate+?

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