Head-to-head Updated

Pirelli Scorpion vs Michelin Primacy 5 Energy — Compared

Relative Score (0–100): 60% professional tests, 40% owner reviews.

Primacy 5 Energy is ahead, 83–76

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Tire APirelli

Scorpion

Summer

Tests 85 · 4 tests Owners 73 · 1,030 reviews

“New Tires Range Hit? Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 ELECT Just recently swapped the OE Continentals for the Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3 ELECT tires and drove a little over 500 miles since then. The same commute I’ve been taking went from around 220-240 Wh/mi to 260-280 Wh/mi. Longer trips on almost pure highway went from 270 Wh/mi to 285-290 Wh/mi. I guess the new tires has higher rolling resistance than the OE tires and probably should have looked into Hankook Ion if one was to want efficiency? The Pirelli is comfortable and quiet, just the hit in efficiency wasn’t what I was expecting. Read more”

Category by category

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

  1. 80

    Dry

    Primacy 5 Energy +3
    83
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Professional tests (TWG score)84–
    Reviews found online7492
  2. 80

    Wet

    Primacy 5 Energy +5
    85
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Professional tests (TWG score)83–
    Reviews found online7491
  3. 79

    Comfort

    Scorpion +1
    78
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Professional tests (TWG score)82–
    Reviews found online7486
  4. 83

    Noise

    No comparison
    –
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Professional tests (TWG score)94–
  5. 70

    Treadwear

    Primacy 5 Energy +6
    76
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Reviews found online7384
  6. 73

    Handling

    Primacy 5 Energy +19
    92
    Why this score
    SourceScorpionPrimacy 5 Energy
    Reviews found online7392
Scores at a glance
Pirelli Scorpion vs Michelin Primacy 5 Energy: scores by category (0–100)
CategoryPirelli ScorpionMichelin Primacy 5 Energy
Relative Score 76 83
Dry 80 83
Wet 80 85
Comfort 79 78
Noise 83 –
Treadwear 70 76
Handling 73 92

Higher is better. The Relative Score follows your weights below; category scores do not change.

Weight the categories that matter to you

Wet grip and treadwear start at “Important” — the two things buyers rank highest. Move the sliders and the scores update instantly.

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Neither tire has a score here yet, so this weight changes nothing.

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Recomputed
Headline score

Scorpion

Primacy 5 Energy

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

Pros

  • Exceptional ride comfort and quietness on the road
  • Confident dry and wet grip for daily driving
  • Good tread longevity and durability compared to stock alternatives

Cons

  • Average steering feedback and imprecise cornering during spirited driving
  • Reduced grip when starting from a standstill facing uphill in wet conditions
All owner themes in the Scorpion review

Tire B Primacy 5 Energy

Pros

  • Significantly reduced road noise and quieter cabin experience
  • Noticeable improvements in fuel economy and EV battery range
  • Enhanced dry and wet grip and overall vehicle stability

Cons

  • Higher price point compared to some alternatives
  • Firm ride compound can occasionally transmit small road imperfections and cause interior rattles for some users
  • A few users reported higher-than-expected noise levels on specific highway surfaces
All owner themes in the Primacy 5 Energy review

What real owners are saying

From Reddit, forums and review threads. Not part of our score

Tire A

Pirelli Scorpion

Mixed

Community opinion on the Pirelli Scorpion tire line is mixed, balancing strong praise for comfort, quietness, and wet-weather performance against occasional reports of premature wear, dry rot, or efficiency drops on hybrids and EVs. Many users prefer variants like the WeatherActive and AS Plus 3 over competitors like the Michelin CrossClimate 2 for offering a softer ride and lower noise levels, though a few drivers note stiffness or durability issues depending on the specific model variant.

r/tires ·1 upvote ·2026-07-10

“I just purchased a set of the Pirelli Scorpion AS 4 for my 2023 Acura RDX. There was not much data or reviews to go on, but I compared them against the Pirelli Scorpion AS 3, which seems to have great reviews online. Discount Tires website indicated the Pirelli Scorpion AS 4 scored "4" on ride quality, comfort and noise level, as well as 4.5 on fuel efficiency. That's what I was looking for, a quiet, smooth ride, over tire longevity. Thus far, in less than 10 miles of driving home from the tire shop,...the tires seem to be a much better improvement over the Continental Cross Contact LX Sport that came OEM on my Acura RDX when new.”

r/xcmtb ·38 upvotes ·2025-11-21

“Yes, another tire advice post. Anybody running Pirelli Scorpion XC M + Scorpion XC RC combo? Hi, Thinking about buying a Pirelli set for my Scale. Now running stock OEM Schwalbe Racing Ray/Ralph Performance in 2.35. They’re grippy, but slow and heavy most of the time, and they lack suppleness. No other tire was throwing me around so much on small roots and sharp hits. When I lower the pressure they get even slower while still being not supple enough. Logical upgrade was same combo Ray/Ralph 2.35 in SuperRace, so a much lighter and softer version, but I bought 2 sets and had to return both of which, because they were 2.15 actually, not 2.35. Mezcal and Barzo seem like too little grip for me, and I have a crossmark/ikon combo for the super dry conditions. I mostly ride flat singletrack, a bit of sand and want to race. So to the Pirellis. I’d like them to cover most conditions, much like the Racing Ray/Ralph which are surprisingly alright in the wet. I’d like to run both in 2.4, XC RC prowall rear and XC M Lite front. Thanks for any advice! Read more”

r/CX5 ·178 upvotes ·2026-07-25

“2023 CX5 Tire Change - 2 yr update on Pirelli Scorpion Switched from the OEM Toyo tires to Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3s on my 2023 Mazda CX-5 at around 47,000 miles . The car is now at 95,000 miles , so I’ve put about 48,000 miles on them over the last two years. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the fuel economy improvement. Before the swap I consistently averaged around 22–23 MPG . Since switching, I’ve been averaging 26–27 MPG with essentially the same commute and driving habits. The ride is quieter, smoother, and the wet-weather grip has also been noticeably better. Math: 48,000 miles driven 22.5 MPG → ~2,133 gallons 26.5 MPG → ~1,811 gallons Fuel saved: ~322 gallons Estimated fuel savings: ~$1,175 Cost of Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3s: $821.67 Net fuel savings after tire cost: ~+$350 Inb4 stock toyos are trash. This post was to provide insights to anyone waiting until stocks are worn out, if you plan to drive the car 2+ more years it’s well worth it. Read more”

Top themes
#Ride Comfort and Noise#Wet and Snow Traction#EV and Hybrid Efficiency#Tread Wear and Longevity#Comparison with Competitors

Based on 40 community posts

Tire B

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy

We haven't collected enough community discussion about this tire yet.

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli Scorpion B · Michelin Primacy 5 Energy
CategorySummerSummer
Vehicle type—Passenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available7251
Rim diameters16″ – 22″16″ – 22″
Tread depth10/32″—
SidewallBlackwall—
Max pressure50 psi—

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli Scorpion

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy

Winner: Michelin Primacy 5 Energy — better handling, treadwear and wet. It leads or ties in every category we score.

Pick tire B You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 92 vs 73 on handling.

Pick tire B You want the longest tread life

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 76 vs 70 on treadwear.

Pick tire B Your priority is wet-weather safety

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 85 vs 80 on wet.

Pick tire B You want the most grip on dry roads

Michelin Primacy 5 Energy scores 83 vs 80 on dry.

Tire A · Pirelli Scorpion
Tire B · Michelin Primacy 5 Energy

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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.

Community buzz from Reddit and forums is shown for context only — it never changes the score.

83

Leads

Primacy 5 Energy

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