Best tires for the Subaru Impreza
Top picks across four categories for the Subaru Impreza, anchored to the current-generation OEM size 205/55R16. 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 Subaru Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza 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.
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.
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 Subaru Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza 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 subaru impreza 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 175/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1993–1995 | 165/80R13 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1996 | 185/70R14 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 1997–2001 | 195/60R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2002–2005 | 205/55R16 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2006–2007 | 215/45R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2008 | 205/50R17 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2009–2014 | 245/40R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2015–2016 | 195/65R15 | Year-specific fitment → |
| 2017–2026 | 225/40R18 | Year-specific fitment → |
How we ranked these tires for the subaru impreza
We started with the latest model-year's OEM tire size; 205/55R16; 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 subaru impreza
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (36) · Sidewall (5) · Tread / Belt (2) · TPMS (2) · Valve (1)
Reported across: 1993 – 2024 (23 years)
What owners described
Sidewall failure appears in 39% of these reports; about 2.6× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 31 reports covering every model year of the Subaru Impreza 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidewall failure | 39% | 15% | 2.6× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 32% | 6% | 5.5× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 23% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 19% | 9% | 2.1× |
| Pressure-monitoring (TPMS) fault | 13% | 2% | 5.4× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 10% | 8% | 1.2× |
Mileage at failure
18 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 9,192 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 2,000 and 70,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Subaru Impreza. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
TIRE SIDE WALL BULGE DEVELOPED AFTER HITTING POTHOLE IN PARKING LOT AT <15 MPH. BULGE ~1/2" HIGH AND EXTENDS FROM JUST ABOVE BEAD TO JUST BELOW EDGE OF TREAD. BULGE ~1" WIDE. FOUR TIRES PURCHASED AND INSTALLED BY SEARS (PLATTSBURGH, NY) ~1 YEAR AGO - OEM SIZE ON OEM RIMS. VEHICLE HAS TWO SETS OF WHEELS (SUMMER. WINTER), NO SEASONAL DISMOUNT/REMOUNT. REPORTING INCIDENT AS THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH THIS TIRE.
CONTINENTAL EXTREME CONTACT DW TIRES THAT CAME WITH USED SUBARU HAVE ALMOST NO WEAR ON TREAD, BUT WHEN I ASKED THAT THEY BE SWAPPED WITH THE CAR'S WINTER TIRES, TECHNICIAN SAID THEY WEREN'T SAFE BECAUSE OF CRACKS IN THE TREADS. THESE TIRES ARE ONLY 2 YEARS OLD, MANUFACTURED IN MARCH 2013, AND HAVE BEEN STORED IN COVERED SHED SINCE LATE LAST FALL (SO NO EXCUSE FOR SUNLIGHT DEGRADATION). CONTINENTAL'S WARRANTEE IS ONLY FOR ORIGINAL BUYER, SO WE'RE OUT OF LUCK. DEFINITELY WILL NOT REPLACE THESE WITH CONNENTALS!!!!
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM SENSOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TIRE AIR PRESSURE WAS LOW ON MULTIPLE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO YOUNG SUBARU LOCATED AT 3920 RIVERDALE RD, OGDEN, UT 84405, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VALVE STEMS WERE FAULTY. THE VALVE STEMS WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACTED INDICATED THAT OVER THE YEARS, THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ALL FOUR WHEELS. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE FAILURE WAS NOT CAUSED BY FAULTY TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Impreza equipped with Continental tire, tire line: Pro-contact TX, Tire Size: 225/55/R16, DOT number: A3T2WC393019. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 65 mph, the rear driver's side tire experienced a blowout. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. The driver exited the highway and parked at a nearby exit. The contact called the local dealer the next day to have the vehicle towed and the rear driver's side tire replaced. The contact stated then later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21T001000 (TIRES) however, the dealer stated that the tire was not included in the recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,340.
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 Subaru Impreza →
FAQ
What's the best all-season tire for the Subaru Impreza?
Should I get a cheaper tire for my Subaru Impreza?
Does the Subaru Impreza need winter tires?
Can I run a different tire size on my Subaru Impreza?
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Last verified 2026-10-07.