Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender T+H vs Michelin Energy EV — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews. Based on 1 + 0 road tests and 1 + 5 owner reviews. How we score

Defender T+H is ahead, 73–50

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Michelin Defender T+H
Tire AMichelin

Defender T+H

Premium Touring All Season tire

Provisional

Tests – · 1 test Owners 71 · 1 review

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

Michelin Energy EV
Tire BMichelin

Energy EV

Summer

Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 40 · 5 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 72

    Dry

    Defender T+H +21
    51
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 70 (est.)≈ 57 (est.)
    Reviews found online7442

    Defender T+H: 60% × 70.3 (est.) + 40% × 74.1 = 72

    Energy EV: 60% × 57.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.9 = 51

    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 0.40).

    No road tests of dry for Energy EV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.40).

  2. 74

    Wet

    Defender T+H +19
    55
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 73 (est.)≈ 59 (est.)
    Reviews found online7550

    Defender T+H: 60% × 72.7 (est.) + 40% × 74.9 = 74

    Energy EV: 60% × 58.9 (est.) + 40% × 50.3 = 55

    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 0.56).

    No road tests of wet for Energy EV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.56).

  3. 66

    Snow

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)–
    Reviews found online63–

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.7 (est.) + 40% × 63.3 = 66

    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 0.33).

  4. 70

    Comfort

    Defender T+H +15
    55
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7041

    Defender T+H: 60% × 69.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.1 = 70

    Energy EV: 60% × 64.3 (est.) + 40% × 41.3 = 55

    No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H or Energy EV. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 69

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 67 (est.)–
    Reviews found online71–

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 70.5 = 69

    No road tests of noise for Defender T+H. The test half is the tested tires’ average (67): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.

  6. 73

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +31
    42
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests75≈ 53 (est.)
    Reviews found online7025

    Defender T+H: 60% × 74.8 + 40% × 70 = 73

    Energy EV: 60% × 53.1 (est.) + 40% × 25 = 42

    No road tests of treadwear for Energy EV. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.31).

  7. 72

    Handling (owners)

    Defender T+H +29
    43
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HEnergy EV
    Reviews found online7243
Scores at a glance
Michelin Defender T+H vs Michelin Energy EV: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Defender T+HMichelin Energy EV
Relative Score 73 50
Dry 72 51
Wet 74 55
Snow 66 –
Comfort 70 55
Noise 69 –
Treadwear 73 42
Handling (owners) 72 43

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

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

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.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score

Defender T+H

Energy EV

Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.

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 Energy EV

Pros

  • Commendable grip levels in both dry and wet conditions
  • Effective contribution to vehicle range maximization
  • Performance comparable to higher-tier performance tires despite eco-focused design

Cons

  • High susceptibility to sidewall damage and punctures
  • Premature aging, including cracking and block degradation
  • Rapid tread wear on front-wheel-drive configurations
All owner themes in the Energy EV review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender T+H B · Michelin Energy EV
CategoryPremium Touring All Season tireSummer
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender T+H

Michelin Energy EV

Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, handling and dry. 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. Michelin Energy EV rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 5 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 42 on treadwear.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 43 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 51 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender T+H scores 74 vs 55 on wet.

Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Michelin Energy EV

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Defender T+H or Energy EV?

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

Michelin Defender T+H, 74 vs 55 on our wet score.

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

Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 51 on our dry score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or Energy EV?

Michelin Defender T+H, 70 vs 55 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or Energy EV?

Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 42 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