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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 vs Yokohama W.Drive — 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 10 + 1 road tests and 66 + 16 owner reviews. How we score

Winter Sottozero 3 is ahead, 74–62

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Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
Tire APirelli

Winter Sottozero 3

Winter

± 6

Tests 67 · 10 tests Owners 81 · 66 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 20 in 2019 Auto Bild Winter 17 inch Tyre Test (dry braking)

Yokohama W.Drive
Tire BYokohama

W.Drive

Winter

± 8Provisional

Tests 65 · 1 test Owners 58 · 16 reviews

Best test result: #1 of 9 in 2018 AZ SUV 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. 77

    Dry

    Winter Sottozero 3 +11
    66
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 8 / 1 tests7373
    Reviews found online8256

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 72.9 + 40% × 81.9 = 77

    W.Drive: 60% × 73.5 + 40% × 55.8 = 66

  2. 83

    Wet

    Winter Sottozero 3 +20
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / 1 tests8066
    Reviews found online8759

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 80.5 + 40% × 87.1 = 83

    W.Drive: 60% × 66.1 + 40% × 59.3 = 63

  3. 65

    Snow

    Winter Sottozero 3 +11
    54
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 10 / 1 tests5654
    Reviews found online7954

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 56.3 + 40% × 78.5 = 65

    W.Drive: 60% × 54.2 + 40% × 54.4 = 54

  4. 74

    Comfort

    Winter Sottozero 3 +11
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 1 / – tests72≈ 67 (est.)
    Reviews found online7659

    Winter Sottozero 3: 40% × 72.2 + 60% × 75.7 = 74

    W.Drive: 40% × 67.4 (est.) + 60% × 59.3 = 63

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

  5. 71

    Noise

    Winter Sottozero 3 +4
    67
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 1 tests6471
    Reviews found online8260

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 64.4 + 40% × 81.6 = 71

    W.Drive: 60% × 71.2 + 40% × 60.2 = 67

  6. 64

    Treadwear

    Winter Sottozero 3 +1
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 3 / – tests57≈ 64 (est.)
    Reviews found online7560

    Winter Sottozero 3: 60% × 57.1 + 40% × 74.9 = 64

    W.Drive: 60% × 64.4 (est.) + 40% × 60.4 = 63

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

  7. 83

    Handling (owners)

    Winter Sottozero 3 +25
    58
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Reviews found online8358
  8. 76

    Efficiency

    Winter Sottozero 3 +13
    63
    Why this score
    SourceWinter Sottozero 3W.Drive
    Professional tests (TWG score) · 7 / 1 tests7663
Scores at a glance
CategoryPirelli Winter Sottozero 3Yokohama W.Drive
Relative Score 74 62
Dry 77 66
Wet 83 63
Snow 65 54
Comfort 74 63
Noise 71 67
Treadwear 64 63
Handling (owners) 83 58
Efficiency 76 63

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
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Important
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Neutral
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Less important
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Recomputed
Headline score
± 6

Winter Sottozero 3

± 8

W.Drive

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.

DisciplineCategoryWinter Sottozero 3W.DriveΔHead-to-head
Dry Braking Dry 96% #2/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 100% #1/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Dry Handling Dry 99% #11/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 100% #3/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Straight Aquaplaning Wet 94% #15/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 92% #8/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Braking Wet 86% #18/48 · 2020 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 52 Tyre Braking Test 90% #7/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Wet Handling Wet 95% #17/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 95% #7/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Braking Snow 94% #22/30 · 2020 Winter Tyre Market Overview - 52 Tyre Braking Test 86% #9/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Snow Handling Snow 97% #12/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 93% #9/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Noise Noise 97% #11/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 99% #2/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Rolling Resistance Efficiency 100% #1/20 · 2020 Auto Bild Performance Winter Tyre Test 84% #8/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Also published by the testers (not in the score)
Price Cost 54% #8/11 · 2019 AMS Winter SUV Tyre Test 66% #2/9 · 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests
Overall Ranking Overall #13/15 2022 Consumer Reports Winter Tires #8/9 2018 AZ SUV Winter Tyre Test – Different tests

Pros, cons & observations

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

Tire A Winter Sottozero 3

Pros

  • Exceptional wet weather performance and resistance to hydroplaning.
  • Strong dry-road handling and steering precision for a winter tire.
  • Excellent traction and stability in snow and slush.

Cons

  • Rapid tread wear, particularly if driven in temperatures above 15°C or year-round.
  • Susceptibility to sidewall damage and bubbling when encountering road hazards.
  • Increased noise levels as the tire ages and tread depth decreases.
All owner themes in the Winter Sottozero 3 review

Tire B W.Drive

Pros

  • Excellent traction and handling in snow and ice
  • Good performance and stability on cold dry asphalt
  • Comfortable and quiet ride quality for a winter tire

Cons

  • Dangerous rear-end grip loss and fishtailing on certain vehicles
  • Poor performance on wet or greasy roads
  • Noticeable fuel-efficiency penalty for some users
All owner themes in the W.Drive review

Specs side by side

Attribute A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 B · Yokohama W.Drive
CategoryWinterWinter
Vehicle typePassenger Car / CrossoverPassenger Car / Crossover
Sizes available98—
Rim diameters16″ – 21″—
Tread depth10/32″11/32″
SidewallBlackwallBlackwall
Max pressure50 psi50 psi

Which one should you actually buy?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3

Yokohama W.Drive

Winner: Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 — better handling, wet and efficiency. It leads or ties in every category we score. Yokohama W.Drive rests on little evidence so far (1 test, 16 reviews), so read this result as provisional.

Pick tire A You enjoy sharp, responsive handling

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 58 on handling.

Pick tire A Your priority is wet-weather safety

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 83 vs 63 on wet.

Pick tire A You want lower fuel or energy use

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 76 vs 63 on efficiency.

Pick tire A You want the most grip on dry roads

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3 scores 77 vs 66 on dry.

Tire A · Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3
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Tire B · Yokohama W.Drive
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Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Which is better in the wet, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 83 vs 63 on our wet score.

Which grips better on dry roads, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 77 vs 66 on our dry score.

Which is better in snow, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 65 vs 54 on our snow score.

Which is quieter, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 71 vs 67 on our noise score.

Which is more comfortable, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 74 vs 63 on our comfort score.

Which lasts longer, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Neither, by our numbers: 64 vs 63 on the treadwear score, within 3 points.

Which rolls more easily, Winter Sottozero 3 or W.Drive?

Pirelli Winter Sottozero 3, 76 vs 63 on our efficiency 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