These Are the Best Two Winter Tires For the Toyota Prius

We look closely at the ratings and reviews to arrive at the best two winter tire choices for the top-selling Toyota Prius.

The Toyota Prius is a good winter vehicle. With front-wheel drive and a sophisticated traction control system, it will get most people to their destination in most weather. For those of us who live in a winter climate, a little more capability is always welcome. Winter tires offer dramatically better starting, stopping and turning performance than do all-season tires. To help Prius owners narrow the search we looked closely at Tire Rack's top-rated winter tires using a Prius Three with 16" wheels as our example vehicle. After looking closely at the ratings and reviews, here is what we found.

Best Overall Winter Tire For Toyota Prius
The highest-rated winter tire among Tire Rack's top models that fit the Prius is the Bridgestone Blizzak WS80. IN snow and ice it scored an "Excellent" 9.4 in Tire Rack's testing. If the best traction in snow and on ice is your top priority, this is your pick. At $120, it is also a very affordable tire.One Prius owner who bought the tires said in a review, "These snow tires definitely helped quite a bit during this snowy winter in hilly Connecticut. The Prius is not the best car in the snow regardless of tires but the snow tires helped in snowfall of 4-6 inches, slush, and ice. With traction control and stability control we did not get stuck and always got up the steep hills where we live."

Best Value Winter Tire For Toyota Prius
Those on a tight budget may wish to consider the $110 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D. The 4D scores a respectable 8.6 in winter conditions in Tire Rack testing. One Toyota owner who bought these tires reported, "Better wet/dry traction than the Michelin X-ice XI3, which I used last winter. Good light snow traction that is better than an all-season, but not quite the level of the X-ice." The X-Ice i3 is similarly rated and only $3 more per tire.

As always, winter tires are best used in sets of four. Since the winter tires allow your all-season tires to rest when they are in use, you only pay for mounting and balancing twice per year over time. Which is why we say, "winter tires cost you next to nothing" to own.