Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Defender T+H vs Toyo A23 — 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 + 0 road tests and 1 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Defender T+H is ahead, 70–50

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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))

Toyo A23
Tire BToyo

A23

All Season

± 8Provisional

Tests – · none yet Owners 39 · 11 reviews

Category by category

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

  1. 69

    Dry

    Defender T+H +19
    50
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 69 (est.)≈ 56 (est.)
    Reviews found online7040

    Defender T+H: 60% × 68.8 (est.) + 40% × 70 = 69

    A23: 60% × 56.3 (est.) + 40% × 39.8 = 50

    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 0.41).

    No road tests of dry for A23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).

  2. 72

    Wet

    Defender T+H +23
    49
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 72 (est.)≈ 54 (est.)
    Reviews found online7341

    Defender T+H: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72

    A23: 60% × 54.3 (est.) + 40% × 40.7 = 49

    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).

    No road tests of wet for A23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 65

    Snow

    Defender T+H +10
    55
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6145

    Defender T+H: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 61.1 = 65

    A23: 60% × 62.4 (est.) + 40% × 45.1 = 55

    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 0.32).

    No road tests of snow for A23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 67

    Comfort

    Defender T+H +21
    46
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Professional tests (TWG score)≈ 68 (est.)≈ 62 (est.)
    Reviews found online6635

    Defender T+H: 40% × 68.1 (est.) + 60% × 65.9 = 67

    A23: 40% × 62 (est.) + 60% × 35.4 = 46

    No road tests of comfort for Defender T+H. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

    No road tests of comfort for A23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).

  5. 73

    Treadwear

    Defender T+H +26
    47
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests76≈ 55 (est.)
    Reviews found online6835

    Defender T+H: 60% × 76.1 + 40% × 67.9 = 73

    A23: 60% × 55.2 (est.) + 40% × 34.9 = 47

    No road tests of treadwear for A23. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).

  6. –

    Handling (owners)

    No comparison
    36
    Why this score
    SourceDefender T+HA23
    Reviews found online–36
Scores at a glance
Michelin Defender T+H vs Toyo A23: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryMichelin Defender T+HToyo A23
Relative Score 70 50
Dry 69 50
Wet 72 49
Snow 65 55
Comfort 67 46
Treadwear 73 47
Handling (owners) – 36

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
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.

Recomputed
Headline score
± 8

Defender T+H

± 8

A23

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 A23

Pros

  • Solid grip and stability in dry conditions and on the highway
  • Capable off-road and in muddy tracks for 4x4 vehicles
  • Reasonable comfort and low road noise for some drivers

Cons

  • Dangerous and slippery performance on wet surfaces and roundabouts
  • Disappointing tread life and rapid wear reported by multiple users
  • High road noise noted by some drivers
All owner themes in the A23 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Defender T+H B · Toyo A23
CategoryPremium Touring All Season tireAll Season
Vehicle typeSUV and 4x4Passenger Car / Crossover
UTQG820 A - B B—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Defender T+H

Toyo A23

Winner: Michelin Defender T+H — better treadwear, wet and comfort. 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. Toyo A23 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Defender T+H scores 73 vs 47 on treadwear.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Defender T+H scores 72 vs 49 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Defender T+H scores 67 vs 46 on comfort.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Defender T+H scores 69 vs 50 on dry.

Tire A · Michelin Defender T+H
Tire B · Toyo A23

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Defender T+H or A23?

Which is better in the wet, Defender T+H or A23?

Michelin Defender T+H, 72 vs 49 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Defender T+H or A23?

Michelin Defender T+H, 69 vs 50 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Defender T+H or A23?

Michelin Defender T+H, 65 vs 55 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Defender T+H or A23?

Michelin Defender T+H, 67 vs 46 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Defender T+H or A23?

Michelin Defender T+H, 73 vs 47 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