Best tires for the Audi A5
Top picks across four categories for the Audi A5, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 235/45R18. Every recommendation is selected from our 22,000-tire catalog by ranking on UTQG treadwear, mileage warranty, cabin-noise rating, and season class; no commission-weighted reordering.
Daily driver
Best all-season touring
Long warranty, low noise, balanced ride. The one-tire compromise that works for 80% of owners.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Audi A5 owners.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
UTQG 820 with a 85,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Audi A5 owners.
Michelin
CrossClimate 2
UTQG 640 with a 60,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Audi A5 owners.
Michelin
Defender 2
UTQG 800 with a 80,000-mile warranty; long-wear all-season compound built for the daily-driver mileage profile typical for Audi A5 owners.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
820 UTQG with a 85,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Cooper
CS5 ultra touring
800 UTQG with a 80,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
800 UTQG with a 90,000-mile warranty works out to roughly 0.00¢ per 100 miles before install. Best price-per-mile in this size; no premium-brand markup.
Lowest cabin noise
Best quiet
Tread patterns engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning. Pick this if you commute long highway distances daily.
Bridgestone
Turanza QuietTrack
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
Defender 2
68 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Pirelli
Cinturato P7 all season plus 3
69 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Michelin
Pilot sport all season 4
69 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Bridgestone
Blizzak WS90
Dedicated winter tire compound; stays pliable below 7 °C where summer/all-season rubber hardens. Recommended for Audi A5 drivers in cold or snowy regions.
Michelin
X-Ice snow
Dedicated winter tire compound; stays pliable below 7 °C where summer/all-season rubber hardens. Recommended for Audi A5 drivers in cold or snowy regions.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Bridgestone Turanza QuietTrack | Best budget Goodyear Assurance MaxLife | Best winter Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | 800 | 820 | - |
| Mileage warranty | 80,000 mi | 85,000 mi | - |
| Cabin noise | 68 dB | 70 dB | 71 dB |
| Season class | all-season | all-season | winter |
| Type | touring | touring | passenger |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the audi a5 use?
Recommendations on this page are anchored to the latest model-year's OEM size. Confirm yours against the driver-door placard before purchase.
| Year | OEM size | |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 245/40R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2008–2011 | 255/35R19 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2012–2025 | 245/40R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2026 | 235/45R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the audi a5
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 235/45R18; and filtered our catalog of 22,000+ tires to those offered in that exact size. From there, four parallel rankings:
- Best all-season ranks on a weighted score: tire type matches passenger car segment, season is "all-season", premium brand bonus (Michelin / Continental / Bridgestone / Pirelli / Goodyear / Nokian).
- Best budget ranks on cost-per-warranty-mile; the lower the better. Premium brands get no bonus here.
- Best quiet ranks on the EU tire-label dB rating; lower is quieter.
- Best winter filters to tires marked 3PMSF severe-snow rated or all-weather class, with a small premium-brand bonus because winter-compound R&D is capital-intensive.
For sedans and compacts, the all-season touring tire below is the best default; long warranty, low cabin noise, reasonable cost per mile. Switch to the quiet pick if highway droning is a deal-breaker; switch to the winter pick if you see significant snow each year. Use the side-by-side comparison above to weigh the trade-offs against your specific driving; highway-heavy, winter-state, performance-oriented, or budget-constrained.
NHTSA-reported issues for audi a5
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (13) · Tread / Belt (4)
Reported across: 2010 – 2025 (4 years)
What owners described
Tread or belt separation appears in 33% of these reports; about 2.5× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 9 reports covering every model year of the Audi A5 that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread or belt separation | 33% | 13% | 2.5× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 22% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Sidewall failure | 11% | 15% | 0.7× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 11% | 8% | 1.3× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Audi A5. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATED COMPLETELY FROM THE SIDEWALLS, ON BOTH SIDES. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF ANY ISSUES, LOW PRESSURE, PULLING ETC. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CAR DRIVING NORMAL. I STARTED TO HEAR A PULSATING VIBRATION SOUND LIKE A WHEEL BEARING. I LET OFF THE GAS TO SLOW DOWN A BIT AND LISTEN, THEN THERE WAS SOME LOUD NOISES, I PULLED OVER TO FIND THE TREAD HAD SEPARATED COMPLETELY ALL THE WAY AROUND.
The front tires started to come apart (tread separating from belt). I purchased new tires and had a shop install them. Some time later, after I had replaced the tires, I received a recall notice from Audi/Continental Tire for this exact issue. The notice (NHTSA Recall ID 24T009) stated to contact continental for reimbursement. I have contacted Continental Tire via telephone. They instructed me to submit pictures of the tires and receipts via their website. I did so on 11/14/2024, 12/5 and 1/14. I have only received automated validations of receipt. Continental Tire has not responded and will not address the issue. I have attached the documents sent to Continental Tire.
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Audi A5 →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Audi A5?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Audi A5?
Does the Audi A5 need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Audi A5?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.