Best Tires For Prius – Buyer’s Guide 2022
When it comes to smooth rides and high fuel economy ratings, the Toyota Prius remains a top choice in the hybrid category. Reliability, great mileage, and room for people are the main characteristics that make a Prius shine.
So while it’s not an athletic and sporty car, the Toyota Prius is still one of the best hybrid vehicles money can buy. You can call it the old reliable (in a sense that the name is still the go-to vehicle line for more than two decades) even with humanity’s progressive move towards electric cars.
Honda Accord is another car that may be considered as old reliable, and you can look at our review of the greatest tires for Honda Accord.
The Toyota Prius is a top choice for daily commutes and long drives, especially if safety and reliability are two priorities at the top of your list. As for the maintenance, it’s not a lot of work either – you only need to pay attention to the engine oil and tires.
Paint removal on tires may not be as necessary but can be done easily on your own. The Toyota Prius may be sensitive to tire changes, so it’s extremely important that you find only the best tires for Prius and make sure they’re the right fit.
And as you may already know, shopping for new tires can be exhausting due to the many tire choices out there in the market. Don’t worry, this list and buying guide will walk you through the list of the tires that will give you all-weather excellent traction, stable handling, and maximum value.
Table of Contents
- 5 Best Tires for Toyota Prius – Reviews & Comparison
- 1 – Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
- 2 – Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus All-Season Radial Tire
- 3 – Michelin Energy Saver A/S All-Season Radial Tire
- 4 – Michelin Premier A:S All-Season Radial Tire
- 5 – Falken Sincera SN250 Touring All-Season
- How To Choose The Right Tires For Toyota Prius
- Should I get Snow Tires for my Prius?
5 Best Tires for Toyota Prius – Reviews & Comparison
1 – Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Toyota Prius is known for its fuel efficiency, and it’s only fitting to choose a good tire that offers the same. Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max ups your gas savings, and you can already tell that from the tire name itself.
With its low rolling resistance tire tread compound, a set of four wheels can save you up to 2,600 miles worth of gas – and that’s certainly a lot. The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max is actually considered one of the best Toyota Prius tires for fuel economy, which is also what the Prius vehicle is all about.
This Goodyear tire features a notched center rib that’s designed for better stability at high speeds. Meanwhile, the dry tread zones are located in the inboard and outboard sections of the tire. The wet tread zone, on the other hand, is in the center section.
Both wet and dry tread zones help to effectively expel water when you’re driving in wet surfaces for a completely slip-free ride. Overall, these dual tread channels plus the circumferential grooves help improve performance and maintain better traction when you ride in all road conditions.
But even if this good tire is for use in all seasons, it’s still better to use winter tires if you’re planning to drive on deep snow. Of course, you would still want that extra bite in the Toyota Prius tires just to be completely safe.
With its fuel-saving design and high-speed stability, this Goodyear set of tires is one of the most suited tires for Prius and is in fact considered an exact match for the vehicle. With good speed rating and load index, you’ll get great performance with this high-quality tire.
- Great performance, enhanced stability on wet and dry roads
- Good tire for fuel economy
- Low rolling resistance tires tread compound
- Solid grip with circumferential grooves
- Exact match for the Prius
- Not the best performance for winter use
2 – Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus All-Season Radial Tire
If you’re looking for a good Toyota Prius tire that will give you a comfortable ride while being friendly to the environment, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP433 Plus is the best choice on our list.
The Bridgestone Ecopia is an eco-tire that has substantially lower CO2 emissions compared to the conventional touring tire. Just imagine if every driver used an eco-tire for their vehicle – we’d be significantly reducing the carbon dioxide each vehicle releases into the environment!
But don’t be fooled by the environment-friendliness of the Bridgestone Ecopia. Equipped with NanoPro-Tech, this Bridgestone tire comes with an all-season tread compound which minimizes rolling resistance and energy loss.
You get that great performance, better traction, low rolling resistance, and good stability that all great Prius tires provide. The Bridgestone Ecopia is a performer in dry, wet, and light snow so your vehicle has that extra sense of safety in all weather conditions.
Surprisingly, the track grip is still at best even when you’re driving your vehicle in heavy rains and deep mud. It has a T speed rating and a load index of 98.
The Ecopia has symmetrically designed treads complete with notched shoulders, center blocks, and intermediate ribs that help increase traction. It’s extremely durable as well so you’d be expecting to use a set of four for a longer time.
The overall experience? Stable handling and better traction provide a quiet ride. The only catch is that this Bridgestone tire don’t come cheap at about $440 per set of four. Nevertheless, you really get the performance you expect with these Prius tires.
Overall, the Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tire definitely deserves a spot as one of the best tires for Prius. Although the price is a bit steep and you can get others for less, you really get what you pay for with these tires. And with lower CO2 emissions, the environment will be thanking you!
- Quiet ride
- Fuel-efficient
- Low rolling resistance tread compound
- Great traction and handling
- Warranty at 70,000 miles
- Price tag is a little steep
3 – Michelin Energy Saver A/S All-Season Radial Tire
Another cost-efficient and fuel-efficient tire for your Prius, the Michelin Energy Saver All-Season radial tire is an affordable but high-quality choice. Michelin has established a top reputation for producing some of the greatest tires for many vehicles, not just the Prius.
In fact, the Michelin brand is synonymous to the longevity and the best performance (like Yokohama), guaranteeing reliability and use for a long time.
In this case, this Prius tire helps ramp up your gas savings by reducing friction. This low rolling resistance tire is branded with Michelin’s Green X Technology, which is basically the company’s assurance that the tire is fuel-efficient and environment-friendly.
The tire’s weight, design, tread pattern, internal structure, and tread compound are all optimized through Green X to help minimize the rolling resistance happening while you drive. This means the pressure is eased off of the tire and you’ll have peace of mind on the tread life.
With Green X reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, the Michelin Energy Saver radial tire offers great fuel economy. It’s also one of the best low rolling resistance tires for the Prius.
As an all-season tire, the Energy Saver effortlessly keeps the water away from the tread so you’ll have trouble-free driving your Prius on wet and slippery roads. So when driving on these roads, these Prius tires have got your back.
The comfort factor is not left out in this tire as well. Of course, you’d want a quiet ride that would be as smooth as possible. The Energy Saver tires are equipped with Comfort Control Technology which will reduce road noise and vibrations in your vehicle while in transit.
Optimized by a computer so it’s designed for the best comfort, the treads of the tire effectively absorb road shocks for that smooth and quiet riding experience. Furthermore, this tire is a good choice for passenger vehicles due to its low maximum speed at 190 km/hr. The warranty is at 55,000 miles.
Each tire can also handle up to 615kg, that means it’s best for vehicles that will load up on cargo and passengers. So if you plan on taking your family for rides or you’re transporting goods, then these best Toyota Prius tires can handle it. All in all, this tire delivers great overall performance.
- Fuel efficiency
- Environment-friendly
- Strong traction in all types of weather
- Designed for a quiet and comfortable ride
- Low rolling resistance tires
- Warranty is at 55,000 miles
- Handling could’ve been better
- Lower maximum speed
4 – Michelin Premier A:S All-Season Radial Tire
Looking to invest in new premium Toyota Prius tires? The Michelin Premier A/S lives right up to the hype. We know, it’s the second Michelin on the list but it’s definitely worthy of the spot. It’s a high performing set of wheels that have the best track grip even on wet roads.
The tire boasts the EverGrip technology with hidden grooves that emerge when the old ones wear out. This tread is designed to ensure a high level of traction throughout the tire’s lifespan, delivering unfaltering performance even as the tire wears out.
To help maintain rubber pliancy and durability, Michelin used a signature blend of silica and sunflower oil in the tread compound. Silica improves the tire traction in wet conditions, while the sunflower oil maintains rubber pliancy both in hot and cold temperatures.
Handling the Michelin Premier all-season tire is also excellent. This means you’ll experience great stopping power both in dry and wet situations. As such, you’ll have excellent driving control, quick stops, and smooth turns whether the road is dry or slippery.
This good handling is all thanks to the previously mentioned EverGrip. Safety should always be your priority on the road, and this Prius tire will definitely not disappoint.
Like the Michelin Energy Saver, the Premier adapts the Comfort Control Technology to give passengers that much needed ride comfort while in transit. Road impact is effectively absorbed by the tire. That means you’ll barely feel anything, even bumps.
Passengers will like the significantly less road noise and vibrations, resulting in a truly quiet and comfortable ride with your Prius.
Additionally, you will get a 60,000 miles treadwear warranty on the Premier touring tire. So even when the set of four tires come at a high price tag, you get consistent performance and peace of mind as well.
If you like premium tires for your Prius vehicle, the Michelin Premier is certainly one of the most suitable tires for a Toyota Prius.
- Good tread design and remarkable grip in both wet and dry conditions
- Comfortable ride
- Great performance and handling
- Tread compound has silica and sunflower oil
- Long tread life with emerging grooves
- Comes with treadwear warranty
- Expensive
5 – Falken Sincera SN250 Touring All-Season
While a premium tire is a great option for your Prius, you can also opt for the cheaper tire without sacrificing much of the quality. This time, we’re looking at the Falken Sincera SN250.
It’s an all-season touring tire for your Prius that’s significantly inexpensive compared to other high priced touring tires in the market. Although it sells for cheaper, it still offers top all-season performance for your vehicle and is among the best tires for Toyota Prius.
The Falken Sincera SN250 has three-dimensional Canyon Sipe Technology that makes use of multiple sipes to maintain consistent balance and stability while simultaneously channeling water out of the tires.
Plus, the tire has an asymmetrical rib tread design that utilizes Dynamic Range Technology combined with optimized tread block placement. That means moother performance and enhanced grip for your vehicle.
With the tread design and 3D Canyon Sipe tech working together, the Falken Sincera SN250 is a set of four Toyota Prius touring tires that improve traction in both dry and wet roads. True to its all-season purpose, this tire would have no problems at all when driving in all kinds of weather. The speed rating and load index is good too.
The sipes you’ll find along the tread design give that biting edge you’d like for increased grip in snow. The Sincera holds itself pretty well when it comes to traction in snow, but its dry and wet performances are much more impressive.
On the whole, we like the great tread quality, all-season reliability, and comfortable ride that the Falken Sincera provides for the Prius. If you want an all-season touring tire similar to this, another cheap brand option is the Yokohama Avid Touring S. Yokohama.
- Suitable for all types of weather conditions
- Great traction and performance in dry and wet conditions
- Smooth and comfortable rides
- Can be a bit noisy
How To Choose The Right Tires For Toyota Prius
Without a doubt, the Prius is a great hybrid vehicle brand in anyone’s top 10 due to its reliability, roomy passenger space, fuel efficiency, and extra load space. However, one of the issues on the Toyota Prius is its sensitivity to tire replacement. Nevertheless, there’s a good amount of brands and tires out there for the Prius hybrid vehicle.
There are brands that produce high performance tires and there are others that produce tires of less quality. But in whatever scenario, you always want good Toyota Prius tires that will perform nicely and ensure your safety.
After all, it’s your Prius car we’re talking about and it’s something that should be well-maintained and reliable at all times. So the question is, how do you choose the best wheels for a Prius? Here are a few factors to look at in the best tires:
Tire Type
You should determine what type and brand of tire you like for your Prius. Typically, the three most common tire types include all-season tires, snow tires, and summer tires. All season tires are the most popular because they can be used all-year round whether it’s raining or the sun is shining.
Winter tires are specialized tires that can handle deep snow or even break ice. You would need tires that could handle snow, whether or not snow is harsh in your area during the winter. Lastly, summer tires are best for high performance driving like in sports cars.
Handling and Braking
The best Toyota Prius tires will have excellent handling in different conditions whether dry, wet or light snow. Braking should also be a major factor you want to look into, so consider how solid the grip is.
An all-season tire typically offers excellent traction on dry roads, but not all can give a higher-than-average performance on wet and snowy roads. Handling and braking are factors that determine your safety on the road so don’t overlook them. In addition, warranty should be good as well.
Comfort
No one would like driving in a noisy Prius, or in any car for that matter. Consider the comfort level that a tire provides. If quiet and smooth riding are in your list of top 10 priorities, choose a better tire that’s designed to effectively absorb road noise and impact.
Especially if you like to drive around a city where there are many irregular patches and potholes that can hold you back, you need excellent tires for Prius that will be able to better handle every bump contact.
If you like to change your tire syle and add some wheel spacers to push your tires out. Check out this guide.
How Long Will Prius Tires Last?
Short answer: it depends. Of course, there are many things that may contribute to the longer or shorter lifespan of your Prius tire. Tire type (which among the three), tire size, speed rating, vehicle condition, gas mileage, environmental factors, and you as the driver all play a part in the span of time that a tire can be used.
Still, here are some estimates you can look at:
All-season tires
As most of the products in the list above are an all-season tire type, let’s discuss it first. As this type of tire pretty much performs in every condition, it’s not particularly designed for delivering in extreme situations. This type of tire is also expected to last from 50,000 to 70,000 miles.
Touring All-Season Tires
Touring tires are built for comfort riding and longer tread life. Expect touring tires to last 50,000 to 60,000 miles. An example is the Yokohama Avid Touring S. The Yokohama Avid touring tire has a long tread life and all-season traction.
Performance All-Season Tires
As the name suggests, performance tires are best for sharper handling and heavy-duty use. Because of that, it does reduce the tread life so expect about 40,000 to 50,000 miles of tire life.
Should I get Snow Tires for my Prius?
Driving in winter weather is unsafe if you’re not equipped with tires that can handle the contact with icy and slippery roads. While any of the all-season tire types can handle mild snow just fine, the bite that winter tires provide gives you less worries and even more grip for icy roads and deep snow.
Winter tires are formulated with special rubber compounds intended to handle snow and extremely low temperatures. Your regular set of tires work at their best only in a specific temperature range, which may lead to trouble if you insist on using them in snow.
On the other hand, the rubber in winter tires stays soft even below 50 degrees, so buying winter tires is a no-brainer if you live somewhere where winter is harsh. Studs provide added protection and can be applied by a professional. The reverse is something you can do on your own, as is discussed here.
The tread pattern is also different in winter tires. By simply looking at the tread pattern, you can already spot the difference.
Every shape and size of the grooves in winter tires all serve their own purpose on the road. This much more rugged yet purposeful tread pattern offers excellent traction and grip for wet and snowy conditions.
The bottom line is that if you live somewhere where temperatures dip below 45 degrees F on a regular basis during the winter, then you should definitely invest in high-quality winter tires for your Prius. Though they may have a steep price tag, they’re definitely worth it.
Besides, safety should always be your number one priority when it comes to car usage and maintenance.
Conclusion
Choosing the best tires for Toyota Prius may be a daunting task. But the various ones we compiled in this list of the should be able to help you pick out which brand is right for you so you can buy the perfect new one.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to make the best possible choice and get new tires that give the best value for your money.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
