Tests 90 · 18 tests Owners 82 · 30 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 31 in 2025 ADAC Winter Tyre Test (dry braking)
Head-to-head
Updated
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 vs Pirelli SOTTOZERO — 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 + 9 owner reviews. How we score
Pilot Alpin 5 is ahead, 87–67
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Category by category
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
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88
Dry
Pilot Alpin 5 +2266Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests 91 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 84 64 Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 91.1 + 40% × 83.7 = 88
SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.5 (est.) + 40% × 64.2 = 66
No road tests of dry for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
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91
Wet
Pilot Alpin 5 +1972Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 18 / – tests 94 ≈ 72 (est.) Reviews found online 86 73 Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.5 + 40% × 86.4 = 91
SOTTOZERO: 60% × 71.9 (est.) + 40% × 72.8 = 72
No road tests of wet for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
87
Snow
Pilot Alpin 5 +2265Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 17 / – tests 94 ≈ 67 (est.) Reviews found online 78 61 Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 93.7 + 40% × 77.7 = 87
SOTTOZERO: 60% × 67.3 (est.) + 40% × 61.4 = 65
No road tests of snow for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.37).
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78
Comfort
Pilot Alpin 5 +1167Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests 80 ≈ 69 (est.) Reviews found online 77 67 Pilot Alpin 5: 40% × 79.5 + 60% × 76.8 = 78
SOTTOZERO: 40% × 68.7 (est.) + 60% × 66.6 = 67
No road tests of comfort for SOTTOZERO. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
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85
Noise
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests 97 – 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.
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84
Treadwear
Pilot Alpin 5 +1866Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests 84 ≈ 66 (est.) Reviews found online 82 66 Pilot Alpin 5: 60% × 84.4 + 40% × 82.3 = 84
SOTTOZERO: 60% × 66.1 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66
No road tests of treadwear for SOTTOZERO. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
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85
Handling (owners)
Pilot Alpin 5 +1669Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Reviews found online 85 69 -
74
Efficiency
No comparison–Why this score
Source Pilot Alpin 5 SOTTOZERO Professional tests (TWG score) · 14 / – tests 74 –
Scores at a glance
| Category | Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 | Pirelli SOTTOZERO |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 87 | 67 |
| Dry | 88 | 66 |
| Wet | 91 | 72 |
| Snow | 87 | 65 |
| Comfort | 78 | 67 |
| Noise | 85 | – |
| Treadwear | 84 | 66 |
| Handling (owners) | 85 | 69 |
| 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
87
/ 100
Pilot Alpin 5
67
/ 100
SOTTOZERO
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 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
Tire B SOTTOZERO
Pros
- Exceptional ride comfort and low noise levels compared to standard winter tires.
- Strong dry road handling with a progressive, communicative feel.
- Impressive tread longevity, with some users reporting high mileage even in warmer conditions.
Cons
- Inconsistent traction on ice and deep snow reported by some users.
- Potential for rear-end instability or loss of grip in wet conditions on certain vehicles.
- Accelerated tread wear noted by users who purchased used tires or drove aggressively.
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 | B · Pirelli SOTTOZERO |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 81 | — |
| Rim diameters | 16″ – 23″ | — |
Which one should you actually buy?
87
/ 100
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
67
/ 100
Pirelli SOTTOZERO
Winner: Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 — better dry, snow and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score. Pirelli SOTTOZERO rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 9 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire A
You want the most grip on dry roads
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 88 vs 66 on dry.
Pick tire A
You drive through snowy winters
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 87 vs 65 on snow.
Pick tire A
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 91 vs 72 on wet.
Pick tire A
You want the longest tread life
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5 scores 84 vs 66 on treadwear.
Tire A · Michelin Pilot Alpin 5
Tire B · Pirelli SOTTOZERO
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Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Which is better in the wet, Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 91 vs 72 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 88 vs 66 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 87 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is more comfortable, Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 78 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Pilot Alpin 5 or SOTTOZERO?
Michelin Pilot Alpin 5, 84 vs 66 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