Best tires for the Kia Optima
Top picks across four categories for the Kia Optima, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 215/60R16. 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 Kia Optima 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 Kia Optima 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 Kia Optima 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 Kia Optima 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.
Continental
TrueContact tour
Lowest sticker price in this size that still meets the OEM load index. Trade-off is shorter warranty vs premium options.
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.
Goodyear
Assurance MaxLife
70 dB cabin-noise rating per the EU tire label; library-quiet. Tread pattern engineered to break up the harmonic peaks that cause highway droning.
Hankook
Kinergy PT
70 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 Kia Optima 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 Kia Optima 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 kia optima 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 195/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2001–2005 | 205/60R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2006 | 205/55R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2007–2008 | 205/60R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2009–2010 | 215/50R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2011–2015 | 225/45R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2016–2020 | 235/45R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the kia optima
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 215/60R16; 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 kia optima
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (26) · TPMS (6) · Tread / Belt (5) · Spare Tire (3) · Sidewall (1)
Reported across: 2001 – 2019 (16 years)
What owners described
Bubble or bulge in the tire appears in 26% of these reports; about 4.4× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 31 reports covering every model year of the Kia Optima 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 26% | 6% | 4.4× |
| Sidewall failure | 16% | 15% | 1.1× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 13% | 20% | 0.6× |
| Tread or belt separation | 10% | 13% | 0.7× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 6% | 9% | 0.7× |
Mileage at failure
18 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 17,500 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 1,500 and 47,800 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Kia Optima. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
2012 KIA OPTIMA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO STRUCTURAL DEFECT IN VEHICLE TIRES. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN ON A SNOW COVERED, BUT PLOWED STREET, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO A VERY DANGEROUS SKID IN A BUSY INTERSECTION. HE COMPLETELY LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE GOING 5 MPH. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO CARS OR PEDESTRIANS NEARBY, BUT WHILE THE CAR WAS SKIDDING, HE CRASHED INTO THE DIAGONAL STREET CORNER WHICH CAUSED THE REAR FENDER TO BE SCRAPED AND THE TIRES MISALIGNED. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER OCCASIONS, WHERE THE VEHICLE SKIDDED AND HYDROPLANED ALWAYS CAUSING HIM TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER ALSO NOTICED A BULGE IN THE REAR TIRE THAT DID NOT HIT THE CURB.
ALL 4 HANKOOK OPTIMO 225/45/18 TIRES THAT CAME WITH MY 2012 KIA OPTIMA SX VEHICLE DEVELOPED A BUBBLE IN THE SIDEWALL WITHIN 18 MONTHS. DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND ADVICE FROM THE DEALERSHIP ALL 4 TIRES WERE REPLACED AROUND THE 2 YEAR POINT FROM PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 KIA OPTIMA. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE BRAKES FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND BEGAN DRIVING ON THE SIDEWALK. THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRES EXPLODED AND DESTROYED THE RIM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,200. UPDATED 8/31/15*CN UPDATED 10/26/2017
THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS GIRLFRIEND, WHO WAS THE DRIVER AND OWNER OF A 2013 KIA OPTIMA EQUIPPED WITH PIRELLI P4 FOUR SEASONS PLUS TIRES, SIZE: 215/55/R17 (NA). WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AND DAMAGED THE SIDE REAR QUARTER PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE TIRE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DETERMINATION OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE TIRE BACK TO SAM'S CLUB. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS TAKEN BACK TO SAM'S CLUB AND REPLACED. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,000. THE VIN AND VEHICLE FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
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 Kia Optima →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Kia Optima?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Kia Optima?
Does the Kia Optima need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Kia Optima?
Where can I buy these tires?
Last verified 2026-10-07.