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Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Energy Saver vs Michelin Primacy MXM4 — 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 + 1 road tests and 137 + 10 owner reviews. How we score

Energy Saver is ahead, 69–63

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Michelin Energy Saver
Tire AMichelin

Energy Saver

Summer

± 7

Tests 71 · 1 test Owners 69 · 137 reviews

Best test result: #2 of 20 in 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test (wear)

Michelin Primacy MXM4
Tire BMichelin

Primacy MXM4

All Season

± 7Provisional

Tests 72 · 1 test Owners 54 · 10 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

    Primacy MXM4 +4
    73
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7187
    Reviews found online6752

    Energy Saver: 60% × 70.6 + 40% × 67.2 = 69

    Primacy MXM4: 60% × 87.2 + 40% × 51.5 = 73

  2. 68

    Wet

    Energy Saver +11
    57
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests6957
    Reviews found online6757

    Energy Saver: 60% × 69.2 + 40% × 66.5 = 68

    Primacy MXM4: 60% × 56.7 + 40% × 57.3 = 57

  3. –

    Snow

    No comparison
    57
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score)–≈ 63 (est.)
    Reviews found online–47

    Primacy MXM4: 60% × 62.9 (est.) + 40% × 47.2 = 57

    No road tests of snow for Primacy MXM4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).

  4. 68

    Comfort

    Energy Saver +14
    54
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests≈ 69 (est.)64
    Reviews found online6848

    Energy Saver: 40% × 68.8 (est.) + 60% × 67.6 = 68

    Primacy MXM4: 40% × 63.5 + 60% × 48.1 = 54

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

  5. 70

    Noise

    Primacy MXM4 +5
    75
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7281
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)≈ 67 (est.)

    Energy Saver: 60% × 72.2 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 70

    Primacy MXM4: 60% × 81.4 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 75

    No owner ratings of noise for Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4. 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

    Energy Saver +12
    62
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests74≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7560

    Energy Saver: 60% × 74.4 + 40% × 74.5 = 74

    Primacy MXM4: 60% × 64.1 (est.) + 40% × 59.6 = 62

    No road tests of treadwear for Primacy MXM4. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 64

    Handling (owners)

    Energy Saver +14
    50
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Reviews found online6450
  8. 75

    Efficiency

    Energy Saver +20
    55
    Why this score
    SourceEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / 1 tests7555
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Energy SaverMichelin Primacy MXM4
Relative Score 69 63
Dry 69 73
Wet 68 57
Snow – 57
Comfort 68 54
Noise 70 75
Treadwear 74 62
Handling (owners) 64 50
Efficiency 75 55

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
Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Not important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Recomputed
Headline score
± 7

Energy Saver

± 7

Primacy MXM4

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.

DisciplineCategoryEnergy SaverPrimacy MXM4ΔHead-to-head
Dry Handling Dry 98% #7/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test 100% #1/3 · 2024 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 89% #17/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test 88% #3/3 · 2024 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 88% #3/20 · 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test 80% #4/3 · 2024 AutoView All-Season Tire Test R18 – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #5/20 2018 Auto Bild 15 inch Summer Tyre Test #4/3 2024 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 Energy Saver

Pros

  • Exceptional tread life and long-lasting durability
  • Noticeable improvements in fuel economy and low rolling resistance
  • Low road noise and high levels of driving comfort

Cons

  • Subpar wet-weather grip and traction, especially as the tires age
  • Prone to dry rotting, cracking, and hardening after a few years
  • Poor performance and sliding in cold or winter conditions
All owner themes in the Energy Saver review

Tire B Primacy MXM4

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and vibration dampening
  • Strong tread life and durability
  • High fuel efficiency

Cons

  • Mediocre dry grip and handling precision
  • Noticeable understeer when cornering
  • Soft sidewalls that lack steering feedback
All owner themes in the Primacy MXM4 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Energy Saver B · Michelin Primacy MXM4
CategorySummerAll Season
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available42
Rim diameters15″ – 16″18″

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Energy Saver

Michelin Primacy MXM4

Winner: Michelin Energy Saver — better efficiency, comfort and handling. Pick the Michelin Primacy MXM4 if noise and dry matter most to you. Michelin Primacy MXM4 rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 10 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Michelin Energy Saver scores 75 vs 55 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most comfortable ride

Michelin Energy Saver scores 68 vs 54 on comfort.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Energy Saver scores 64 vs 50 on handling.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Energy Saver scores 74 vs 62 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Energy Saver
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Tire B · Michelin Primacy MXM4
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Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Which is better in the wet, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Energy Saver, 68 vs 57 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Primacy MXM4, 73 vs 69 on our dry score.

Which is quieter, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Primacy MXM4, 75 vs 70 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Energy Saver, 68 vs 54 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Energy Saver, 74 vs 62 on our treadwear score.

Which rolls more easily, Energy Saver or Primacy MXM4?

Michelin Energy Saver, 75 vs 55 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