Best tires for the Dodge Neon
Top picks across four categories for the Dodge Neon, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 205/50R16. 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
Ecopia EP422 plus 205/50R16
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Bridgestone
Potenza RE 71RS 205/50R16
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Continental
ContiProContact 205/50R16
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Continental
ContiSportContact 2 205/50R16
Touring-tuned all-season compound; balanced ride, grip, and tread life for everyday driving.
Lowest cost per mile
Best budget
Best price-per-warranty-mile in this size. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options, not safety.
Yokohama
AVID ascend GT
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Falken
Sincera SN250 A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Uniroyal
Tiger paw touring A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
Falken
Ziex ZE960 A/S
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
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.
Cold-weather grip
Best winter
Dedicated winter or all-weather compounds that stay pliable below 7 °C. Necessary for >5 snow days a year.
Side-by-side
Pick the trade-off that matches your driving
| All-season Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus 205/50R16 | Best budget Yokohama AVID Ascend GT | Best quiet Michelin X-Ice Snow |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| UTQG treadwear | - | 740 | - |
| Mileage warranty | - | - | - |
| Cabin noise | - | - | 71 dB |
| Season class | - | - | winter |
| Type | - | - | passenger |
OEM tire sizes by year
What size does the dodge neon 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995–2000 | 185/65R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2001 | 195/50R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2002–2003 | 185/60R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2004 | 175/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2005 | 185/60R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2016–2018 | 205/55R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2019 | 195/65R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2020 | 205/50R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the dodge neon
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 205/50R16; 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 dodge neon
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (51) · Tread / Belt (7) · Sidewall (7) · Spare Tire (1)
Reported across: 1995 – 2005 (11 years)
What owners described
Blowout or sudden deflation is the most common description, in 27% of these reports. Percentages are shares of the 41 reports covering every model year of the Dodge Neon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 27% | 20% | 1.3× |
| Sidewall failure | 22% | 15% | 1.5× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 7% | 6% | 1.2× |
| Tread or belt separation | 5% | 13% | 0.4× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 2% | 9% | 0.3× |
Mileage at failure
22 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 19,500 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 6,000 and 77,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Dodge Neon. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
I BOUGHT 4 PIRELLI P4 P185/60R-15 TIRES. LESS THAN 6K MILES A TIRE BLEW OUT THE SIDEWALL. NOW AT 17K MILES ANOTHER TIRE HAS A BIG BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL. I AM TAKING THAT BACK TO DISCOUNT TIRE FOR A REPLACEMENT. I DID NOT HIT ANY POTHOLES AND I DRIVE SLOW. THIS IS SCARY.
MICHELIN, TIRE SIZE 18565R14, AFTERMARKET WITH 5000 MILES. CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WHEN TREAD SURFACE PULLED AWAY FROM TIRE, COMPLETELY DELAMANATED FROM SURFACE AND STEEL WIRE TORE UP ON RIGHT FRONT TIRE. AFTER VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED, CONSUMER NOTICED LEFT REAR TIRE HAS DEVELOPED CRACKS AND DRYROTT.*AK CONSUMER STATES THE TREAD PART OF THE TIRE STEEL BELT AND WIRE WERE COMPLETELY CUT THROUGH AS IF TIRE HAD A DEFECT AND THE TIRE BURST OPEN ACROSS THE TIRE TREAD CUTTING THROUGH THENTIRE TREAD PART OF THE TIRE, DOT NUMBER HNP8D93X017. *SLC
BOUGHT 4 GRAND SPIRIT TOURING TIRES SIZE 185/60TR15 ON 6/15/05. BELTS ON TWO OF THESE TIRES SEPARATED. ONE ON 7/21/08 THE SECOND ON 12/19/08. MANUFACTURER OF THESE TIRES IS TBC TIRES. ONE OF THESE TIRES WAS PRORATED AND REPLACED. I WAS INFORMED BY TIRE RETAILER,TIRE KINGDOM, THAT THE TIRE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. NOW I HAVE A TIRE WITH BELT SEPARATION AND TWO MORE THAT WILL NO DOUBT DO THE SAME.
NOT THE ORIGINAL TIRES ON DODGE, NEON, 1995 PURCHASED MARCH 30, 2000, SIZE 218565R/14. CONSUMER PURCHASED TWO OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES, CONSUMER HAD TIRES FOR 2 MONTHS AND HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE OF THE TIRE. *AK TIRES WORE DOWN TO CORDS WITHIN TWO MONTHS.
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 Dodge Neon →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Dodge Neon?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Dodge Neon?
Does the Dodge Neon need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Dodge Neon?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.