Relative Score (0–100): the weighted average of the categories below, each 60% road tests and 40% owner reviews (comfort 40/60). Based on 23 + 0 road tests and 13,399 + 564 owner reviews. How we score
Primacy 5 Energy leads, 84–81 Narrow edge
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Tests 84 · 23 tests Owners 77 · 13,399 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2020 Auto Zeitung Summer Tyre Test (wet braking)
“Well my answer is none of the above. You choose, they are all a lottery imo. I just bought some Michelin Primacy 4 for mine today. Size 215/55 R18”
Tests – · none yet Owners 91 · 564 reviews
Relative Score per category, 0–100. Open “Why this score” for the tests and owner ratings behind it.
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 21 / – tests | 86 | ≈ 78 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 77 | 92 |
Primacy 4: 60% × 86 + 40% × 76.8 = 82
Primacy 5 Energy: 60% × 77.9 (est.) + 40% × 91.7 = 83
No road tests of dry for Primacy 5 Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.42).
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 22 / – tests | 86 | ≈ 83 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 79 | 93 |
Primacy 4: 60% × 85.6 + 40% × 79.4 = 83
Primacy 5 Energy: 60% × 83.1 (est.) + 40% × 93.4 = 87
No road tests of wet for Primacy 5 Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.54).
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 5 / – tests | 76 | ≈ 73 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 76 | 88 |
Primacy 4: 40% × 76 + 60% × 76.2 = 76
Primacy 5 Energy: 40% × 72.5 (est.) + 60% × 88.1 = 82
No road tests of comfort for Primacy 5 Energy. The test half is the tested tires’ average (69): owners’ comfort ratings barely follow the road tests.
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / – tests | 74 | – |
| Reviews found online | ≈ 67 (est.) | – |
Primacy 4: 60% × 73.6 + 40% × 66.5 (est.) = 71
No owner ratings of noise for Primacy 4. 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.
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests | 85 | ≈ 74 (est.) |
| Reviews found online | 75 | 89 |
Primacy 4: 60% × 85 + 40% × 74.5 = 81
Primacy 5 Energy: 60% × 74.5 (est.) + 40% × 89.2 = 80
No road tests of treadwear for Primacy 5 Energy. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.35).
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews found online | 76 | 92 |
| Source | Primacy 4 | Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Professional tests (TWG score) · 15 / – tests | 93 | – |
| Category | Michelin Primacy 4 | Michelin Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 81 | 84 |
| Dry | 82 | 83 |
| Wet | 83 | 87 |
| Comfort | 76 | 82 |
| Noise | 71 | – |
| Treadwear | 81 | 80 |
| Handling (owners) | 76 | 92 |
| Efficiency | 93 | – |
Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.
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.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Only one of the two tires has a score here, so this weight changes nothing in the head-to-head.
Primacy 4
Primacy 5 Energy
Only categories both tires have data for count toward the headline score.
Themes extracted from owner reviews found online — not the opinion of TireWheelGuide.
From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score
Community sentiment towards the Michelin Primacy 4 is generally positive, with drivers frequently praising its quiet ride, comfort, and dependable wet and dry braking performance. Several owners note impressive longevity reaching over 50,000 to 70,000 km, though some EV and SUV drivers report accelerated wear and fragile sidewalls over rough terrain. It is commonly viewed as a premium touring tire that commands high prices compared to competitors.
“Am avut primacy 4 pe o electrica. Destul de dezamagit de faptul ca dupa ~ 28.000 km s-au tocit rau de au ajuns cam la 3 mm. Placute la condus, silentioase, dar nu cele mai aderente. Pilot sport 4 pe aceiasi electrica cu primacy 4. Huruie de te doare capul. Aderenta nu o simt neaparat wow fata de primacy 4. Nu le mai suport si abia astept sa le trec pe iarna, oricum asta fiind ultima incaltare cu ele. Pe o termica am primacy 5, si sunt cele mai ok din experienta mea. Cele mai silentioase si aderente din cele 3. Dupa 20.000 km uzura a scazut cam cu 1 mm. Recomandarea mea e sa alegi primacy 5 fara ezitare.”
“Rapid wear on Michelin Primacy 4, 2017 Forester 2017 Forester in Mexico City, where there are lots of potholes and speed bumps and a LOT of rain. I got a set of Michelin Primacy 4+ tires at Costco three years ago and they've got about 30,000 kms -- 16,000 miles on them. Tread is down to about 3.5/32nds (in the middle, slightly less at the sides). The original Geolandars lasted very far beyond that in the same conditions. I'm getting a bit antsy at the tread depth. Wonder if anybody else has seen such rapid wear.”
“Both our Polestar2 (new) and 2016 Leaf (Jap import) arrived with Primacy 4s on them. The FWD Polestar needed fronts replaced at ~35k km and being 245/45 R19s Primacy were too pricey so went with Kumho Ecsta PS71 equivalents for a lot cheaper and negligible difference in performance. The rears on the Polestar are still going strong at 45k km and look like at least 60k km will be likely. We also fitted Kumhos on our previous Leaf and were very satisfied with performance and life.”
Based on 44 community posts
We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.
| Attribute | A · Michelin Primacy 4 | B · Michelin Primacy 5 Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Summer | Summer |
| Vehicle type | Passenger Car / Crossover | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 57 | 51 |
| Rim diameters | 15″ – 20″ | 16″ – 22″ |
| Sizes in common | 17 | 17 |
Michelin Primacy 4
Michelin Primacy 5 Energy
Narrow edge: Michelin Primacy 5 Energy — better handling, comfort and wet. Where the Michelin Primacy 4 is ahead, it is by less than 3 points.
Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 92 vs 76 on handling.
Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 82 vs 76 on comfort.
Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 87 vs 83 on wet.
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Michelin Primacy 5 Energy, 87 vs 83 on our wet score.
Neither, by our numbers: 82 vs 83 on the dry score, within 3 points.
Michelin Primacy 5 Energy, 82 vs 76 on our comfort score.
Neither, by our numbers: 81 vs 80 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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
