Tests – · none yet Owners 68 · 15 reviews
Head-to-head
Updated
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow vs Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — 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 0 + 10 road tests and 15 + 69 owner reviews. How we score
Winter Sottozero 3 leads, 73–69 Narrow edge
Add your size for an exact match
/R
Both Amazon links then search this exact size.
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 80 · 69 reviews
Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch 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.
-
67
Dry
Winter Sottozero 3 +976Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 8 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 73 Reviews found online 67 81 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 67.5 (est.) + 40% × 66.9 = 67
Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 80.7 = 76
No road tests of dry for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.41).
-
72
Wet
Winter Sottozero 3 +1183Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests ≈ 72 (est.) 80 Reviews found online 73 87 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 72 (est.) + 40% × 73 = 72
Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 86.5 = 83
No road tests of wet for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.55).
-
71
Snow
Scorpion Ice & Snow +665Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 10 tests ≈ 71 (est.) 56 Reviews found online 72 79 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 70.9 (est.) + 40% × 71.9 = 71
Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.4 + 40% × 78.9 = 65
No road tests of snow for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.32).
-
67
Comfort
Winter Sottozero 3 +673Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 1 tests ≈ 68 (est.) 72 Reviews found online 66 74 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 40% × 68.2 (est.) + 60% × 66.3 = 67
Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.1 + 60% × 74.4 = 73
No road tests of comfort for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.20).
-
63
Noise
Winter Sottozero 3 +871Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 64 Reviews found online 59 81 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 66.3 (est.) + 40% × 59.1 = 63
Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.3 + 40% × 81.3 = 71
No road tests of noise for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is the tested tires’ average (66): owners’ noise ratings barely follow the road tests.
-
66
Treadwear
Scorpion Ice & Snow +264Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 3 tests ≈ 66 (est.) 57 Reviews found online 66 75 Scorpion Ice & Snow: 60% × 66.4 (est.) + 40% × 66.1 = 66
Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.6 = 64
No road tests of treadwear for Scorpion Ice & Snow. The test half is estimated from the owner ratings, as far as owners and testers agree (correlation 0.36).
-
65
Handling (owners)
Winter Sottozero 3 +1782Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Reviews found online 65 82 -
–
Efficiency
No comparison76Why this score
Source Scorpion Ice & Snow Winter Sottozero 3 Professional tests (TWG score) · – / 7 tests – 76
Scores at a glance
| Category | Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow | Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Relative Score | 69 | 73 |
| Dry | 67 | 76 |
| Wet | 72 | 83 |
| Snow | 71 | 65 |
| Comfort | 67 | 73 |
| Noise | 63 | 71 |
| Treadwear | 66 | 64 |
| Handling (owners) | 65 | 82 |
| Efficiency | – | 76 |
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
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
69
/ 100
Scorpion Ice & Snow
73
/ 100
Winter Sottozero 3
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 Scorpion Ice & Snow
Pros
- Excellent grip on snow and especially ice, including steep icy hills, unpaved ice-covered roads in northern Sweden, and 3+ ft of snow in the Apennines
- Long tread life for many owners, including about 25,000 miles on a used set, 40,000+ miles over 4-5 years, and roughly 52,695 miles over 10 winters
- Confident, stable handling in varied conditions, including high-speed driving on snowy roads, slippery B-roads, twisty country roads and motorway journeys
Cons
- Noise on dry pavement, mentioned by several owners
- Rapid wear for some owners, particularly on dry roads and in warmer-season use
- Firm or hard ride quality
Tire B Winter Sottozero 3
Pros
- Excellent wet and slush performance, with strong resistance to aquaplaning and confident, stable braking
- Very good snow traction, with several owners saying it beat previous winter tires such as Nokian, Michelin and Sottozero 2, including on rear-wheel-drive and performance cars
- Sharp, precise steering and dry grip that feels close to a summer tire in cold conditions, which fits its UHP character
Cons
- Tread wear can be fast, especially when the tires are used in warm weather or all year. Some reported 3 mm left after about 27k km, and others reported wear near the indicator after 30,000 km
- Road noise is higher than on summer tires, particularly on the highway, and a few said it increased as the tires wore. Others reported feedback becoming vague and the tires getting louder above about 15°C
- Sidewalls can be vulnerable. Reviewers reported cuts from curb contact, tires that broke on rough roads, and bulges in the sidewall
Specs side by side
| Attribute | A · Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow | B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Winter | Winter |
| Vehicle type | SUV and 4x4 | Passenger Car / Crossover |
| Sizes available | 8 | 98 |
| Rim diameters | 18″ – 21″ | 16″ – 21″ |
| Tread depth | 10/32″ | 10/32″ |
| Sidewall | Blackwall | Blackwall |
| Max pressure | 50 psi | 50 psi |
| Sizes in common | 2 | 2 |
Which one should you actually buy?
69
/ 100
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
73
/ 100
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Narrow edge: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — better handling, wet and dry. Pick the Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow if snow matters most to you. Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow rests on little evidence so far (0 tests, 15 reviews), so read this result as provisional.
Pick tire B
You enjoy sharp, responsive handling
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 82 vs 65 on handling.
Pick tire B
Your priority is wet-weather safety
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 72 on wet.
Pick tire B
You want the most grip on dry roads
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 76 vs 67 on dry.
Pick tire B
You want a quieter cabin
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 71 vs 63 on noise.
Tire A · Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow
Tire B · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
TireWheelGuide may earn a commission from purchases made through these links.
Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Which is better in the wet, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 83 vs 72 on our wet score.
Which grips better on dry roads, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 76 vs 67 on our dry score.
Which is better in snow, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow, 71 vs 65 on our snow score.
Which is quieter, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 71 vs 63 on our noise score.
Which is more comfortable, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 73 vs 67 on our comfort score.
Which lasts longer, Scorpion Ice & Snow or Winter Sottozero 3?
Neither, by our numbers: 66 vs 64 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.
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