The Best Winter, Snow, All-Season, and Off-Road Tires For Your Subaru 2025

What are the best winter, snow, all-season, and off-road tires for your Subaru Forester, Outback, or Crosstrek vehicle? Do you really need winter or snow tires on your all-wheel-drive SUV? I'll answer those questions and more here. 

I need new tires for my Subaru. Which are the best tires?

That is a question I often get from readers. With winter coming, should you buy winter, snow, or all-season tires? And what's the difference?

A new report from Consumer Reports (by subscription) ranks the best tires this winter for cars, Small SUVs, Midsize SUVs, and off-roaders. I will show the best for Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Ascent, Solterra all-wheel-drive vehicle SUVs, Impreza compact hatch, Legacy sedan, and WRX and BRZ sports cars. I'll also cover the best off-road tires. 

Consumer Reports (CR), a trusted authority in the automotive industry, emphasizes, "Tires may all look similar, but our testing shows that performance can vary significantly: how well they grip, affect braking distances, and even how long they last."

CR manages a comprehensive tire-testing program based in its 327-acre Auto Test Center. They drive in northern Michigan snow, evaluate ice braking at a skating rink, run lab simulations to measure rolling resistance and conduct 16,000-mile, real-world tread wear tests on Texas roads, ensuring the most reliable recommendations for Subaru owners.

If you don't have a Consumer Reports subscription, that's no problem. I'll cover the best picks for your Subaru model here. 

Do you need winter or snow tires with your all-wheel-drive vehicle? It all depends on where you live and how much extreme or severe weather you will experience. I answered the question in my report here. 

What are the best winter tires for customers in cold climates for an Outback, Crosstrek, Forester, or another Subaru all-wheel-drive model? 

Here are the best-recommended picks from CR for winter and all-season tires this winter. Note: Click on the blue links to get more information on each tire.

CR's best winter/snow tire recommendations for SUVs.

For Subaru owners who live in cold climates where you see snow and ice, CR recommends the Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, $240. They are excellent for Outback, Crosstrek, Forester, Ascent, and Solterra all-wheel-drive SUVs. 

CR says, "By definition, most tires in this category have excellent snow traction and braking grip on ice, but their performance varies in other tests. The Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5, Continental VikingContact 7, and Michelin X Ice Snow are all recommended, but each has slight advantages in different tests. The Continental has higher scores for ride comfort and noise, but member satisfaction is higher for Nokian and Michelin."

What are the best winter/snow tires for the Subaru WRX and BRZ sports cars? 

CR says that for the best winter/snow performance tire, they recommend the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005, which is $278.

CR says, "The best-performance winter/snow tire is the Bridgestone Blizzak LM005. It excels in hydroplaning resistance, snow traction, and ice braking, which are the very reasons you should consider this category. It's also above average for dry braking, a characteristic often compromised in this category."

"Tying it is the less expensive Hankook Winter i*cept Evo 3. It matches the hydroplaning resistance, snow traction, and ice braking ratings but trails the Bridgestone in some other measures."

What are the best all-season tires for your Subaru SUV?

CR recommends the Michelin CrossClimate2, $232 is ranked number one. The Pirelli Scorpion AS Plus 3, $202-$228, is the best value all-season tire. 

CR says, "These all-season SUV tires are tuned for those vehicles' performance, comfortable ride, and light-duty towing capabilities."

What are the best all-season tires for your Subaru Impreza or Legacy?

CR recommends the Michelin Defender2, which is $177-$200 and is ranked number one. The Hankook Kinergy XP, $149, is the best value all-season tire.

What are the best tires for your Subaru if you go off-road?

CR recommends the Continental TerrainContact A/T, $252. 

CR says, "The Continental TerrainContact A/T earns average or better scores in all test categories, including dry braking, handling, and hydroplaning resistance. Of special note, it receives top marks for noise, a trait that can be a particular concern in this category." 

"Even with its off-road capabilities, our tests indicate that this tire can be expected to last up to 65,000 miles. All told, this Continental is a great on-road performer in a category focused on off-road adventure and cosmetics."

Regardless of what winter/snow tires you buy, look for an Alpine pictograph (a snowflake inside a mountain) on the tire's sidewall. When you see this icon, you can be assured it meets more stringent winter traction performance requirements. This includes snowy, slippery roads and low temperatures.

Winter tire tips. 

Regardless of what winter/snow tires you buy, look for an Alpine pictograph (a snowflake inside a mountain) on the tire's sidewall. When you see this icon, you can be assured it meets more stringent winter traction performance requirements. This includes snowy, slippery roads and low temperatures.

Becasue your Subaru vehcile comes with Subaru's excellent all-wheel-drive tech, when you get new treads for winter, you should get four winter/snow tires of the same size and identical category to maintain optimal driving performance.

Buying the right winter tires can give you instant "bolt-on" traction, confidence, and control for your Outback, Crosstrek, Forester, or another Subaru vehicle.

Have you had excellent tires on your Subaru that you want to share with fellow readers? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know. 

I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Writer since 2012. I’ve invested over 13 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role, working with every major car brand. I am an experienced Rocky Mountain Automotive Press member. You'll find my expert Subaru analysis here. Follow me on my X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Riley Subaru