Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 review
Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners
Better than 99% of the winter tires we score.
Owners 85 · 4 reviews analysed Road tests 82 · 3 tests
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Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 has a Relative Score of 82 out of 100 among winter tires. In 3 road tests with an overall ranking it finished first 1 times and in the top three 2 times. Testers rate it best for wet (94) and weakest for efficiency (72). 4 owner reviews rate it 85 out of 100.
Projected tread life in 1 wear test: about 56,000 km (35,000 miles), newest 2026.
- Strength: Wet 94 — 1st of 10 (2026 Auto Bild Allrad SUV Winter tire Test), 4th of 50 (2026 Winter tire Braking Test - 50 Sets)
- Strength: Comfort 89 — 1st of 10 (2026 Auto Bild Allrad SUV Winter tire Test), 2nd of 20 (2026 Auto Bild Winter tire Test)
Two scoring systems, side by side
Owner scores come from reviews found online; road-test scores come from instrumented tests. Where they disagree, it is usually a discipline owners rarely push to the limit.
How scores work
- Relative score
- 0–100. Blends road tests (60%) and owner reviews (40%) category by category, the same way on every TireWheelGuide page. With only one of the two, the missing half is estimated from it, so the score stays closer to average. It needs at least one road test or five owner reviews.
- Road tests
- 0–100 per score, from published tests, newer tests counting more. Each result is compared with every other tire in the same test, so a win against a strong field counts for more. The average tested tire gets 70, the best 100; with only one or two tests a tire stays nearer 70. The discipline rows show % of the best tire in that test.
- Owner reviews
- 0–100 from the owner reviews we found online, adjusted for how generously each site rates and scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70. With only a few reviews a tire stays near the average.
By owner reviews
85/100From 4 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.
By road tests
82/100Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.
What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 4 owner reviews found online.
Reviewers are overwhelmingly positive about the Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4, rating it 93–97 out of 100. They praise its dry and wet grip, precise steering, comfort and low noise. The tire is described as feeling closer to a summer tire than a typical winter tire. Most feedback comes from early impressions, and snow and ice performance has not yet been tested.
Pros
- Very strong dry grip and sporty, precise handling, with one reviewer describing cornering as predictable and 'on rails'
- Excellent wet performance and grip, noted in multiple reviews
- High ride comfort, including good damping of bumps. One reviewer rated it better than a summer Bridgestone Alenza.
- Quiet operation at city speeds and, per one reviewer, on highways
- Responsive, communicative steering feedback, with a dry-road feel that one reviewer found nearly indistinguishable from a summer tire
Cons
- Noise increases at speeds above about 100 km/h, according to one reviewer
- Steering feels slightly softer than on summer tires, according to one reviewer
- No reviewer has yet tested snow or ice performance, so winter capability is unverified in this dataset
Worth knowing
- The 235/45 size was used on a higher-torque car. The reviewer reported that the ESP light barely activated during full-throttle launches from a standstill to 100 km/h.
- The 245/40 R20 size was described as surprisingly comfortable, with excellent handling and steering precision.
- Vehicle models were not listed in the reviews, so no further vehicle-specific conclusions can be drawn.
3 published test appearances
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2026 Winter tire Braking Test - 50 Sets · 245/45 R19
4th of 50
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 50 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 50 |
Source: Auto Bild
2026 Auto Bild Allrad SUV Winter tire Test · 225/55 R18
1st of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 2nd of 10 | |
| Wet Circle | 4th of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 1st of 10 | |
| Snow Braking | 4th of 10 | |
| Snow Traction | 5th of 10 | |
| Snow Handling | 5th of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 5th of 10 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 1st of 10 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 1st of 10 | |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | 1st of 10 | |
| Noise | 1st of 10 | |
| Snow Slalom | 7th of 10 |
Source: Auto Bild Allrad
2026 Auto Bild Winter tire Test · 245/45 R19
3rd of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 4th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 8th of 20 | |
| Wet Circle | 8th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 20 | |
| Snow Braking | 7th of 20 | |
| Snow Traction | 7th of 20 | |
| Snow Handling | 12th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 20 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 10th of 20 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 6th of 20 | |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | 2nd of 20 | |
| Noise | 8th of 20 | |
| Value | 10th of 20 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 20 | |
| Snow Slalom | 11th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
Hankook Winter I*cept Evo 4 specs & sizes
Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| EU label: wet grip | B |
| EU label: energy | C in 69% of sizes |
| EU label: external noise | 69–75 dB |
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Reviews from our readers
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