Vehicle owners are less satisfied with tire traction and handling, according to the latest J.D. Power U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study. The same study ranks tire brands in four vehicle categories.
The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study surveyed 26,976 owners of 2022 and 2024 model-year vehicles from July through December 2024. The study looks at four vehicle segments: luxury, passenger car, performance sport and truck/utility.
And vehicle owners are asked to measure their satisfaction in four tire categories: tire ride, tire wear, tire traction/handling and tire appearance.
On a 1,000-point scale, J.D. Power says satisfaction with tire traction and handling dropped seven points, to 803, from the prior year study. It was the largest drop of the four categories.
J.D. Power says vehicle owners who had an issue with their tire traction and handling had a loyalty rate that is 19 points lower (39%) than those who didn’t report a problem with traction or handling.
After the first two years of ownership, J.D. Power says vehicle owners’ overall satisfaction score for tires drops from 796 to 790.
“The overall experience of tire traction and handling during poor weather conditions, such as snow-covered/icy roads and wet roads, is one of the top customer concerns,” said Jason Norton, director of benchmarking at J.D. Power. “If tire performance doesn’t meet customer expectations in these conditions, they will seek an alternative that does. In this competitive environment for tire manufacturers, a greater focus on quality will enhance overall customer loyalty.”
One highlight of the annual study is the rankings of tire brands in each of the four vehicle categories. In the 2025 study, three different tiremakers took the top spot in those four categories. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. claimed the highest score in both the luxury and passenger car segments, while Michelin North America Inc. ranked highest in performance sport, and Hankook Tire America Corp. took the top spot in the truck/utility segment.
See all the brands in all four categories in the charts below.
