The OCU weighs in: these are the best tire brands you can buy in Spain

Tires are the only component of a vehicle that is always in direct contact with the road . For this reason, it's a good idea to check them regularly and replace them when necessary, as they are essential to ensuring the safety of your vehicle .

On the other hand, a few days ago the Organization of Consumers and Users presented a ranking evaluating the quality and durability of tires from the main brands that sell them in our country. They were then classified into three categories: good, acceptable, or poor .

Which tires are best rated by the OCU?

In the "good" category, to which the OCU assigns four stars, we find the Continental brand, which has a quality of 64 out of 100, with Bridgestone (62/100) and Goodyear (62/100).

Regarding the "acceptable" tires (three stars) according to the OCU , more brands appear: Pirelli (59/100 quality), Michelin (58/100), Vredestein (57/100), Toyo (56/100), Kumho (56/100), Nokian (55/100), Falken (54/100), Esa Tecar (54/100), Hankook (52/100), Semperit (51/100), BFGoodrich (50/100), Barum (50/100) and Giti (50/100).

Which tires are the worst rated by the OCU?

These are the ones established in the "bad" category and that only have two stars in relation to their quality, according to the OCU classification: Apollo (49/100 quality), Nexen (49/100), Sava (49/100), Maxxis (49/100), Fulda (49/100), Uniroyal (47/100), Yokohama (44/100), Kelber (39/100), Laufenn (38/100) and GT Radial (35/100).

When is a tire considered worn?

The Consumers and Users Organization points out that to know if it's time to change your tires, you need to look at the tread pattern. This pattern contains indicators—small studs—that indicate the minimum legal tread depth, which is 1.6 mm .

If these indicators are level with the tire's surface, it means the tire is excessively worn and needs to be replaced . If they are not replaced and a Civil Guard Traffic Unit officer stops us, we could receive a fine . Furthermore, driving with tires in poor condition significantly increases the risk of an accident.