8Rank 08 of 8 · Best Winter Tyres 225/45 R17
Falken Falken Eurowinter HS02 PRO
The cheapest 3PMSF tyre here from an established brand at €92.39, and it holds wet grip B despite the price. But it finished seventh of eight in the only current size-correct test.
- €92Price
- 7th of 8 (Auto Express 2025, 225/45 R17)Independent test result in 225/45 R17
- 8 of 8in Best Winter Tyres 225/45 R17
- 7.4BPR score 0–10
Review
What this product is
Written after the analysis, from the same sources the score is built on: the manufacturer's documentation, available studies and verified owner feedback.
The budget option that is worth naming honestly rather than dismissing.
At €92.39 against a €157.50 list price it is the cheapest tyre in this ranking, €51 below the Continental. And it does something the genuinely cheap tyres do not: it holds wet grip class B, the same class as every premium tyre here except the Pirelli. Noise is 70 dB class B, joint quietest in the ranking, with EPREL registration 1202159 — one of only five we could verify.
The test result is the problem. Auto Express 2025 placed it seventh of eight in 225/45 R17 — the only current test conducted in this size, and it finished second from bottom. sport auto graded it "befriedigend" in issue 10/2023.
Rolling resistance is class D, which alongside the Dunlop is the worst here — roughly 0.2 l/100 km more than the Nokian, eroding part of the price advantage over a tyre's life.
But the comparison that matters is downward, not upward. In the ADAC 2023 test in this exact size, the Kormoran Snow scored 5.4 "mangelhaft" — and in emergency wet braking it was still travelling at 36 km/h at the point where the Hankook had come to a complete stop. That is roughly a car length and a half of difference at the moment it matters most.
Falken is an established brand with a wet grip B label and a seventh-place finish in a field of eight premium tyres. That is a different proposition entirely from a €70 tyre with no test record.
Buy it if the budget is genuinely fixed near €90. Do not go below it.
Technical data
Specification
Figures from the manufacturer's documentation, verified against available outside sources. Values we could not confirm are marked as declared.
- Size and index
- 225/45 R17 94V XL NBLK
- EU label - rolling resistance
- D
- EU label - wet grip
- B
- EU label - noise
- 70 dB, class B
- EPREL registration
- 1202159
- Markings
- M+S and 3PMSF
- Auto Express 2025 (225/45 R17)
- 7th of 8
- sport auto 10/2023
- befriedigend
- List price
- EUR 157.50
- Price
- EUR 92.39
Component scores
Where the score
comes from.
Four components, equal weight, each on a 0–10 scale and each resting on a named source. The overall score is their mean — the full procedure is in the methodology.
What we liked
- €92.39 against a €157.50 list price — the cheapest tyre here
- Holds wet grip class B, matching the premium tyres
- 70 dB class B, joint quietest in this ranking
- EPREL registration verified (1202159)
- Established brand with a real test record
- M+S and 3PMSF — legal across Europe
Worth knowing
- 7th of 8 at Auto Express 2025 — the only current size-correct test
- Rolling resistance class D, joint worst here
- sport auto graded it only befriedigend
- No ADAC result in this size
- €51 cheaper than the winner, and measurably behind it
Comparison
How it compares
within the category
All values come from the same analysis and are comparable only within the category Best Winter Tyres 225/45 R17.
| Product | Score | Independent test result in 225/45 R17 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental WinterContact TS 870Top score | 8.8 | 1st of 16 — 2.0 gut (ADAC 2023) and 1st of 8 (Auto Express 2025) | €144 |
| Falken Eurowinter HS02 PROThis product | 7.4 | 7th of 8 (Auto Express 2025, 225/45 R17) | €92 |
| Category average8 products analysed | 8.2 | — | — |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is a cheap winter tyre dangerous?
It depends how cheap. This one holds wet grip class B and finished seventh in a field of eight premium tyres — behind them, but on the same page. The Kormoran Snow in the ADAC 2023 test in this size scored 5.4 mangelhaft, and in emergency wet braking was still doing 36 km/h where the best tyres had stopped. The gap between an established budget brand and an unknown one is far larger than the gap between a budget brand and a premium one.
From the same ranking
Other products in Best Winter Tyres 225/45 R17.
The same protocol, the same key parameter, the same set of sources.
-
No. 018.8/ 10
Continental WinterContact TS 870
The only tyre here to win in this exact size in both test programmes — ADAC 2023 and Auto…
-
No. 028.6/ 10
Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3
Second at Auto Express 2025 in this size, and the outright winner of the ADAC 2025 test — in…
-
No. 038.5/ 10
Bridgestone Blizzak 6
Third at Auto Express 2025 in this size, at €125.58 — €18 below the Continental. The Enliten…
-
No. 048.2/ 10
Dunlop Winter Sport 5
Fourth in the ADAC 2023 test in this exact size at 2.4 "gut", for €111.64 — €32 below the…