Michelin Primacy 4+ review
Relative score 60% tests + 40% owners
Better than 95% of the summer tires we score.
Owners 71 · 40 reviews analysed Road tests 85 · 10 tests
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Michelin Primacy 4+ has a Relative Score of 78 out of 100 among summer tires. In 13 road tests with an overall ranking it finished first 1 times and in the top three 7 times. Testers rate it best for treadwear (95) and weakest for comfort (73). 40 owner reviews rate it 71 out of 100. 68% would buy it again.
Projected tread life in 4 wear tests: about 51,000 km (32,000 miles) on average, newest 2025.
- Strength: Treadwear 95 — 1st of 16 (2024 ADAC Summer tire Test), 4th of 50 (2023 ADAC Summer tire Test)
Owners rate it 14 points lower than the instrumented road tests do — see the two score breakdowns below for where they disagree.
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
71/100From 40 owner reviews analysed, scaled like the road tests: the average tested tire gets 70.
By road tests
85/100Scaled across every tested tire: the average gets 70, the best 100.
What owners like and dislike
Themes extracted from 40 owner reviews found online.
The Michelin Primacy 4+ is generally well regarded as a comfortable, safe and long-wearing premium touring tyre, with many owners praising its dry and wet grip, ride quality and low wear. Road noise (especially on rough surfaces) and weaker performance in cold, damp conditions are the main recurring complaints, and a few owners cited price or shorter-than-advertised life. Overall sentiment is positive but with notable dissent.
Pros
- Strong wet and dry grip and braking confidence, often cited as a big improvement over Bridgestone, Dunlop and Nexen tyres, including on powerful cars and PHEVs that previously spun their tyres
- Comfortable, compliant ride with soft sidewalls that suits softly sprung and family cars
- Low and even tread wear, with several owners reporting little visible wear after 5,000–10,000 miles and one reporting about 60,000 km in hot climates
- Quiet on smooth roads, and several owners found them much quieter than the Dunlop SP Sport, Primacy 3 and Nexen tyres they replaced
- Good stability and confidence on long highway drives and at higher speeds
Cons
- Road noise and drone, especially on rough asphalt, was described as severe by several owners (Skoda Yeti, Lexus), contradicting other reports of quiet running
- Reduced grip and confidence in cold, damp conditions, with two UK owners saying the tyre behaves like a budget tyre
- Premium pricing, with some owners questioning value when life fell short of expectations
- Some reports of early wear or a drop in performance (30,000 miles against an 80,000-mile warranty claim, a noticeable drop in performance after about 45,000 km, and rapid depth loss in one report)
- Softer sidewalls give slower, less sharp steering response than sport tyres such as the Pilot Sport 4, and one hybrid owner saw fuel economy fall against Energy Saver tyres
Worth knowing
- Skoda owners were split: Octavia and Superb drivers praised the quiet, limousine-like ride, while Yeti owners found the drone intolerable.
- SUV variants on a Subaru Outback and Kia Carnival earned praise for grip, braking and ride comfort, and the Carnival owner reported no more wheelspin in the wet.
- Owners of powerful or tuned cars (a 450 Nm small car, a tuned turbo diesel, a PHEV Seat Leon) reported much better traction than with their previous tyres. A Mini Countryman in 205/60 R16 XL was praised for comfort, feedback and grip.
13 published test appearances (10 in the score)
Placement within each field. Open a test for the discipline-by-discipline result.
2025 EV tire Test · 215/55 R18
4th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 8 | |
| Wet Circle | 7th of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 8 | |
| Dry Handling | 4th of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 2nd of 8 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 7th of 8 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 7th of 8 | |
| Comfort (tester's mark) | 2nd of 8 | |
| Noise | 6th of 8 | |
| Value | 8th of 8 | |
| Wear | 2nd of 8 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 5th of 8 | |
| Range | 3rd of 8 |
Source: Auto Bild
2024 Motorhome Summer tire Test · 225/55 R17
4th of 10
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 5th of 10 | |
| Wet Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 10 | |
| Dry Handling | 3rd of 10 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 7th of 10 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 8th of 10 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 7th of 10 | |
| Noise | 7th of 10 |
Source: Auto Bild
2024 AMS Summer SUV tire Test · 235/55 R18
8th of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 7th of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 8th of 8 | |
| Wet Circle | 7th of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 8 | |
| Dry Handling | 8th of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 1st of 8 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 8th of 8 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 8th of 8 | |
| Noise | 4th of 8 |
Source: Auto Motor und Sport
2024 AZ Summer tire Test · 225/45 R17
7th of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 9th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 9th of 9 | |
| Wet Circle | 9th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 4th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 6th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 1st of 9 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 4th of 9 | |
| Noise | 2nd of 9 |
Source: Auto Zeitung
2024 AutoBild Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
1st of 20
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 20 | |
| Wet Handling | 12th of 20 | |
| Dry Braking | 7th of 20 | |
| Dry Handling | 10th of 20 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 12th of 20 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 3rd of 20 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 4th of 20 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 20 | |
| Value | 9th of 20 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 20 | |
| Total Cost of Ownership | 9th of 20 |
Source: Auto Bild
2024 ADAC Summer tire Test · 215/55 R17
2nd of 16
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 16 | |
| Dry Braking | 3rd of 16 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 10th of 16 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 13th of 16 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 16 | |
| Value | 10th of 16 | |
| Price | 16th of 16 | |
| Wear | 3rd of 16 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 6th of 16 | |
| Abrasion | 1st of 16 | |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | 5th of 16 |
Source: ADAC
2024 ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17
3rd of 9
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling | 5th of 9 | |
| Dry Braking | 8th of 9 | |
| Dry Handling | 2nd of 9 | |
| Exterior Noise | 4th of 9 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 6th of 9 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 5th of 9 | |
| Curved Aquaplaning | 3rd of 9 | |
| Dry Handling (tester's mark) | 5th of 9 | |
| Wet Handling (tester's mark) | 2nd of 9 |
Source: ACE/ARBÖ/GTÜ
2024 Summer tire Market Overview · 205/55 R16
5th of 55
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 55 | |
| Dry Braking | 6th of 55 |
Source: Auto Bild
2023 Motor Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
2nd of 8
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 2nd of 8 | |
| Wet Handling | 6th of 8 | |
| Dry Braking | 5th of 8 | |
| Dry Handling | 7th of 8 | |
| Rolling Resistance | 4th of 8 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 2nd of 8 | |
| Noise | 3rd of 8 | |
| Price | 6th of 8 |
Source: Motor
2023 ADAC Summer tire Test · 205/55 R16
3rd of 50
| Discipline | Placement | Field position |
|---|---|---|
| Wet Braking | 6th of 50 | |
| Dry Braking | 5th of 50 | |
| Straight Aquaplaning | 7th of 50 | |
| Value | 16th of 50 | |
| Wear | 4th of 50 | |
| Fuel Consumption | 33rd of 50 | |
| Abrasion | 4th of 50 | |
| Wet Braking (concrete) | 11th of 50 |
Source: ADAC
2023 Autoklub ČR Premium Summer Tire Test R16 · 205/55R16
2nd of 8
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: Autoklub ČR
2023 UTAC Summer Tire Test R17 · 225/45R17
3rd of 11
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: UTAC
2022 Auto Express SUV tire Test · 235/55 R18
5th of 7
Only the final ranking was published for this test, not the results per discipline.
Source: Auto Express
Michelin Primacy 4+ specs & sizes
Prices vary by size, so each one links out separately.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| EU label: wet grip | A |
| EU label: energy | C in 62% of sizes |
| EU label: external noise | 68–72 dB |
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