Michelin Primacy 5 vs Vredestein Ultrac plus
What makes this head-to-head interesting is that the Ultrac+ can look like a wet-weather hero in certain ECO-focused testing (2nd overall in the 195/55 R16 ECO test, including a standout 35.5 m wet stop), yet it also lands at the bottom of the table in other mainstream summer tests (9/9 in Motor's 225/45 R17). The Primacy 5, by contrast, is rarely the dynamic class leader on pure grip metrics, but it repeatedly scores on the “daily-driver” measures-noise, rolling resistance, and especially longevity-often by a meaningful margin.
Test Results
Independent comparison tyre tests are the best source of data to get tyre information from, and the good news is there have been four tests which compare both tyres directly!
| Tyre | Test Wins | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Michelin Primacy 5 | three | |
| Vredestein Ultrac plus | one |
While it might look like the Michelin Primacy 5 is better than the Vredestein Ultrac plus purely based on the higher number of test wins, tyres are very complicated objects which means where one tyre is better than the other can be more important in real world use.
Let's look at how the two tyres compare across multiple tyre test categories.
Key Strengths
- Best-in-class efficiency trend: lower rolling resistance in all shared tests (e.g., 7.12 vs 7.73 kg/t; 0.70 vs 0.762 kg/t) and lower energy use (10.4 vs 10.9 kWh/100 km in the ECO test)
- Refinement advantage: consistently lower measured noise and higher comfort scores (e.g., 70.9 vs 72.6 dB; comfort 6.9 vs 6.4)
- Strong wet safety consistency in braking and straight-line aquaplaning (wins wet braking in 3/4 shared tests; straight aquaplaning wins 3/4)
- Outstanding longevity/environmental metrics where measured: ADAC wear 56,000 km vs 30,600 km and much lower abrasion (54 vs 97 mg/km/t)
- Can deliver excellent wet braking in the right test context/size (ECO test: 35.5 m vs 38.8 m, ~8.5% shorter)
- Often competitive on wet cornering metrics (wins wet circle in 2/3 reported instances and wet handling in 2/3 where reported)
- Good aquaplaning resilience in corners in mainstream tests (curved aquaplaning wins 3/4, including ADAC: 3.5 vs 3.3 m/s²)
- Dry braking can be a strength versus Michelin in some sizes (wins 2/4 dry braking results, including ADAC: 35.3 m vs 36.3 m)
Dry Braking
Looking at data from four tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during two dry braking tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 stopped the vehicle in 0.03% less distance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Dry Braking: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Dry Braking winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [s]
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one dry handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 was 0.11% faster around a lap than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Dry Handling [s]: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Dry Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one dry handling [km/h] tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 was 0.09% faster around a lap than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Dry Handling [Km/H]: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Dry Handling
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during two subj. dry handling tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 scored 8.11% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Dry Handling: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Subj. Dry Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking
Looking at data from four tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during one wet braking tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus stopped the vehicle in 0.62% less distance than the Michelin Primacy 5.
Best In Wet Braking: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Wet Braking winner was calculated >>
Wet Braking - Concrete
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one wet braking - concrete tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 stopped the vehicle in 1.77% less distance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Braking - Concrete: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Wet Braking - Concrete winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [s]
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one wet handling [s] tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 was 0.21% faster around a wet lap than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wet Handling [s]: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Handling [Km/H]
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during one wet handling [km/h] tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus was 0.55% faster around a wet lap than the Michelin Primacy 5.
Best In Wet Handling [Km/H]: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Subj. Wet Handling
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one subj. wet handling tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 scored 1.27% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Wet Handling: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Subj. Wet Handling winner was calculated >>
Wet Circle
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Vredestein Ultrac plus was better during two wet circle tests. On average the Vredestein Ultrac plus had 1.89% higher lateral wet grip than the Michelin Primacy 5.
Best In Wet Circle: Vredestein Ultrac plus
See how the Wet Circle winner was calculated >>
Straight Aqua
Looking at data from four tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during three straight aqua tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 floated at a 0.33% higher speed than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Straight Aqua: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Straight Aqua winner was calculated >>
Curved Aquaplaning
Looking at data from four tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one curved aquaplaning tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 slipped out at a 1.06% higher speed than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Curved Aquaplaning: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Curved Aquaplaning winner was calculated >>
Subj. Comfort
Looking at data from two tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during two subj. comfort tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 scored 7.25% more points than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Subj. Comfort: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Subj. Comfort winner was calculated >>
Noise
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during three noise tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 measured 1.3% quieter than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Noise: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Noise winner was calculated >>
Wear
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one wear tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 is predicted to cover 45.36% miles before reaching 1.6mm than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Wear: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Wear winner was calculated >>
Rolling Resistance
Looking at data from three tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during three rolling resistance tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 had a 10.54% lower rolling resistance than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Rolling Resistance: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Rolling Resistance winner was calculated >>
Energy Consumption
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one energy consumption tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 used 4.59% less energy than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Energy Consumption: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Energy Consumption winner was calculated >>
Abrasion
Looking at data from one tyre tests, the Michelin Primacy 5 was better during one abrasion tests. On average the Michelin Primacy 5 emitted 44.33% less particle wear matter than the Vredestein Ultrac plus.
Best In Abrasion: Michelin Primacy 5
See how the Abrasion winner was calculated >>
Real World Driver Reviews
Tyre Reviews also collects real world driver reviews for the Michelin Primacy 5 and Vredestein Ultrac plus.
In total the Michelin Primacy 5 has been reviewed 32 times and drivers have given the tyre 86% overall.
The Vredestein Ultrac plus has been reviewed 5 times and drivers have given the tyre 80% overall.
This means in real world driving, people prefer the Michelin Primacy 5.
They are much quieter than All Season Pirellis, the noise is mainly a low hum, which is nicer to the ear than the alternatives.
I feel more comfortable when cornering at speed with them. Been driving some forest/field roads and they held up nicely. The tread doesn't seem as deep as other brands, will update how things are looking after 10k km.
Conclusion
The Vredestein Ultrac+ is more “situational.” In the 2026 ECO test it delivered genuinely strong wet performance (wet braking 35.5 m vs Michelin's 38.8 m, and slightly better wet handling/circle), which is a real, safety-relevant gap. But outside that result, its overall placings are weaker (10/13, 12/16, and last in Motor), and multiple reports flag below-average dry precision and heat sensitivity when pushed. The takeaway: Ultrac+ can be an attractive choice if your top priority is wet stopping performance in the right size/category, but Primacy 5 is the better all-round ownership tyre-especially if you value efficiency, comfort, and tread life more than chasing the last tenths of lap-time feel.
Key Differences
- Consistency vs variability: Primacy 5 is mid-pack but steady across tests; Ultrac+ ranges from 2/8 (ECO) to last place (9/9) in Motor's summer test
- Running costs are clearly in Michelin's favor: ADAC predicts 56,000 km wear for Primacy 5 vs 30,600 km for Ultrac+, plus far lower abrasion (54 vs 97 mg/km/t)
- Efficiency/refinement lean strongly Michelin: Primacy 5 is quieter and lower rolling resistance across the board (e.g., 70.9 vs 72.6 dB; 7.12 vs 7.73 kg/t; 10.4 vs 10.9 kWh/100 km)
- Wet braking generally favors Michelin across mainstream summer tests (wins 3/4), but the Vredestein's best-case wet stop is meaningfully shorter in the ECO test (35.5 m vs 38.8 m)
- Aquaplaning split: Michelin more often wins straight-line aquaplaning (3/4), while Vredestein more often wins curved aquaplaning (3/4) and can feel strong in wet cornering metrics
- Driving feel/limit behavior: reports repeatedly describe Primacy 5 as safe but not sharp (and sometimes imprecise/thermally sensitive), while Ultrac+ is more often criticized for vague steering and overheating quickly when driven hard
Overall Winner: Michelin Primacy 5
Based on the tyre test data and user reviews we have in our database, the Michelin Primacy 5 has demonstrated better overall performance in this comparison. However, as you can see from the spider diagram above, each tyre has its own strengths which should be considered in your final tyre buying choice.Similar Comparisons
Looking for more tyre comparisons? Here are other direct comparisons involving these tyres:
Vredestein Ultrac plus Top Comparisons
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Footnote
This page has been developed using tyre industry testing best practices. This means we are only comparing tests which have had both tyres in the same test.
Why is this important? Tyre testing is heavily affected by things like surface grip levels and surface temperature, which means you can only compare values from the same day. During a tyre test external condition changes are calculated into the overall results, but it is not possible to calculate this between tyre tests performed on different days or at different locations.
As a result you will see other tests on Tyre Reviews which feature both the %s and %s, but as they weren't conducted on the same day, the results are not comparable.
Lots of other websites do this sort of tyre comparison, Tyre Reviews doesn't.
Discussion
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