As UK motorists get to grips with the cold weather, Which? has undertaken an extensive test of winter tyres and the Michelin Alpin A4 and Primacy Alpin PA3 tyres have been highlighted as ‘Best Buys’.

The tests, which were done in the Alps, will help to raise awareness amongst consumers and educate them about the benefits of fitting cold weather tyres to their cars during the winter months.

Steve Dolby, product marketing manager at Michelin, said: “There has been considerable interest from UK consumers in cold weather tyres this year and sales so far are estimated to be more than half a million tyres – up nearly 50% over the same period last year. However, this only represents around 2% of total UK tyre sales, still much lower than many other European countries.

“Although these figures may still seem small, this is impressive growth given that the weather conditions, usually the main trigger for sales, have been relatively mild up to this point.

The Michelin tyres awarded Which?’s ‘Best Buy’ performed to a high standard in snow, wet and icy driving conditions. The Alpin A4 was described as “performing well across the board” whilst the Primacy Alpin PA3 demonstrated “Michelin’s strength in designing tyres that wear as well as the best in the class”.

Dolby added: “Both the Alpin A4 and Primacy Alpin tyres provide an excellent balance of performance, which has contributed to their success in the Which? tests. The performance of these products can be put down to the enormous effort we make in the design and manufacture of our tyres, with more than 6,000 people dedicated to research and development in the Company.

“The tyres also received the top 5 star Which? rating in wear performance, which is a key area for consumers as this can affect how many winters the tyres can be used for. This could eventually impact on motorists budgets as tyres which wear quickly will need to be replaced earlier than longer lasting tyres.”