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Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 looks discontinued: no new owner reviews or road tests in five years and no current EU tyre label.

Head-to-head Updated

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 vs Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 — 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 18 + 0 road tests and 30 + 11 owner reviews. How we score

Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 87–76

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Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire AMichelin

Pilot Alpin 5

Winter

± 4

Tests 90 · 18 tests Owners 82 · 30 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)

Category by category

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

  1. 88

    Dry

    Pilot Alpin 5 +10
    78
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests91≈ 74 (est.)
    Reviews found online8483

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 91.1 + 40% × 83.7 = 88

    Pilot Alpin PA3: 60% × 74.4 (est.) + 40% × 83 = 78

    No road tests of dry for Pilot Alpin PA3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).

  2. 91

    Wet

    Pilot Alpin 5 +10
    81
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests94≈ 79 (est.)
    Reviews found online8685

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.5 + 40% × 86.4 = 91

    Pilot Alpin PA3: 60% × 78.7 (est.) + 40% × 85.1 = 81

    No road tests of wet for Pilot Alpin PA3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).

  3. 87

    Snow

    Pilot Alpin 5 +19
    68
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests94≈ 69 (est.)
    Reviews found online7867

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 77.7 = 87

    Pilot Alpin PA3: 60% × 69.4 (est.) + 40% × 67.1 = 68

    No road tests of snow for Pilot Alpin PA3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).

  4. 78

    Comfort

    Level
    78
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests80≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online7782

    Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 79.5 + 60% × 76.8 = 78

    Pilot Alpin PA3: 40% × 71.6 (est.) + 60% × 82.4 = 78

    No road tests of comfort for Pilot Alpin PA3. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.

  5. 85

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests97–
    Reviews found online≈ 67 (est.)–

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 96.5 + 40% × 66.6 (est.) = 85

    No owner ratings of noise for Pilot Alpin 5. 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. 84

    Treadwear

    Pilot Alpin 5 +8
    76
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests84≈ 72 (est.)
    Reviews found online8282

    Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.4 + 40% × 82.3 = 84

    Pilot Alpin PA3: 60% × 71.5 (est.) + 40% × 81.7 = 76

    No road tests of treadwear for Pilot Alpin PA3. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).

  7. 85

    Handling (owners)

    Pilot Alpin 5 +2
    83
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Reviews found online8583
  8. 74

    Efficiency

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourcePilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests74–
Scores at a glance
CategoryMichelin Pilot Alpin 5Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
Relative Score 87 76
Dry 88 78
Wet 91 81
Snow 87 68
Comfort 78 78
Noise 85 –
Treadwear 84 76
Handling (owners) 85 83
Efficiency 74 –

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
Important
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.

Neutral
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
Less important
NotLessNeutralImportantMost
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
± 4

Pilot Alpin 5

± 8

Pilot Alpin PA3

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.

DisciplineCategoryPilot Alpin 5Pilot Alpin PA3ΔHead-to-head
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Overall Ranking Overall #2/18 2026 Teknikens Värld Studded, Nordic and Central European Winter Tyre Test #6/7 2011 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Pilot Alpin 5

Pros

  • Outstanding dry and wet grip and handling, feeling similar to a UHP summer tire
  • Great snow traction and stability for mountain driving and aggressive winter cornering
  • Excellent steering response and high feedback compared to traditional winter tires

Cons

  • Subpar performance and braking on pure ice or severe slush
  • Stiffer sidewalls can lead to a firmer, sometimes bumpy ride quality and transfer road imperfections
  • Fuel economy can be negatively impacted
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin 5 review

Tire B Pilot Alpin PA3

Pros

  • Exceptional traction and grip on ice, light-to-moderate snow, and wet roads
  • High comfort levels and very low road noise, comparable to summer tires
  • Durable tread life with slow, even wear over thousands of miles

Cons

  • Premium price point that some users find lacking in value
  • Not optimized for deep snow or slow-speed climbing in mountainous 'white' roads
  • Slight loss of braking performance felt on dry roads by some drivers
All owner themes in the Pilot Alpin PA3 review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 B · Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available81—
Rim diameters16″ – 23″—

Which one should you actually buy?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5

Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3

Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better snow, dry and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3 rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 11 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You drive through snowy winters

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 87 vs 68 on snow.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 78 on dry.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 91 vs 81 on wet.

Pick tire A You want the longest tread life

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 84 vs 76 on treadwear.

Tire A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
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Tire B · Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3
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Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Which is better in the wet, Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 91 vs 81 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 78 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 87 vs 68 on our snow score.

Which is more comfortable, Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Neither, by our numbers: 78 vs 78 on the comfort score, within 3 points.

Which lasts longer, Pilot Alpin 5 or Pilot Alpin PA3?

Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 84 vs 76 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