Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport 2025 review – the ultimate all-season performance tyre?
It’s been almost a decade in the making, but Michelin believes it’s finally cracked the code for an all-weather performance tyre with the CrossClimate 3 Sport. We sample it for the first time
The all-season tyre has been around for over half a century, but it’s only in the last decade that the market has really taken off. In 2015, Michelin introduced its popular CrossClimate range and since then, all-season demand has increased exponentially to become the fastest growing tyre type. Now, four years since the launch of the CrossClimate 2, Michelin is launching what it hopes will be a game-changer for the segment: the CrossClimate 3 Sport. Orders will open in Europe on July 1.
It’s easy to see the appeal of an all-season tyre, as they offer decent dry weather performance with added safety and peace of mind for heavier winters. Not having to switch to dedicated winter rubber also makes them more cost effective, which can only be a good thing in today’s financial climate. With that said, performance car owners have traditionally found all-seasons wanting for ultimate grip and precision in summer months, and that’s exactly what the new CrossClimate 3 Sport has been designed to improve upon.
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For the last eight years Michelin has been working its magic to develop a compound and tyre construction that allows for the best of both worlds. Developing tyres at either end of the summer-winter spectrum is one thing, but combining attributes of both to create a top performing tyre on both warm, dry tarmac and icy winter roads is challenging to say the least. With the new CrossClimate 3 Sport, though, Michelin believes it has pulled it off, with a full three peak certified all-season performance tyre.
Before now, buyers were limited to the CrossClimate 2 and 2 SUV, but the new Sport option is said to be the very first of its kind, outperforming even the new CrossClimate 3 to become a new product in its own right. Due to the difficulties associated with developing such a tyre, Michelin claims there’s no direct competitor, making it an intriguing offering for those who use their performance cars all-year round.
Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport impressions
Designed as a ‘sports tyre with snow capabilities’, according to Michelin, this new tyre increases precision in the wet and dry while also giving you confidence in sub-zero temperatures. All-season tyres have traditionally been known for their soft edge and wooly steering response, mostly down to the requirement of a softer compound and more flexible construction in the tread and sidewall. The CrossClimate 3 Sport’s entirely new construction and compound is said to make that a thing of the past.
Our first experience of the CrossClimate 3 Sport takes place in a warm, (mostly) sunny Switzerland and so a test of cold weather performance is still to come. Regardless, a mixture of surfaces, road types and dry and wet conditions gave us a good impression of what you should expect if you decide to make the switch.
As much as we’d love this to be the case, this tyre does not defy the laws of physics. Push on and limits are undoubtedly lower than they would be with a dedicated summer tyre, but this limit is well communicated in the lead up, with breakaway progressive and predictable. Initial front end response is considerably better than an ordinary all-season, with the Audi S5 we tested it on feeling reassuringly positive – this is thanks in part to the new hybrid aramid and nylon belt, designed with a higher cable density for more rigidity. There is still some initial slack on turn-in, likely down to the more aggressive tread (and therefore tread movement) designed to evacuate water, but that woolly all-season feel is much less noticeable than you might expect – keep speeds reasonable and standing water is also shrugged off in a way that a summer couldn’t manage, making sudden downpours much less of a concern in an aquaplane-prone performance car.
Road noise does seem to be more pronounced than with a summer tyre, but then more tread is bound to create more noise. Whether or not Michelin will create a more refined, foam-filled variant for certain models is yet to be seen. Speaking to evo, Michelin’s Director of Scientific and Innovation Communication Cyrille Roget said that while he couldn’t confirm whether manufacturer-specific compounds were in development, there is more to come from the CrossClimate 3 Sport. We’ve already tested the firm’s new GT3 RS-specific Pilot Sport S 5, which is a game changer for wet weather performance, and a more focused all-season of this ilk would be fascinating to see.
Speaking of wet weather performance, the grip this all-new compound finds on a wet road is impressive, with little to no noticeable performance degradation from dry to wet at ordinary road speeds. Michelin says it has the same wet braking capabilities as the Pilot Sport 5, despite the CrossClimate 3 Sport’s ability to perform in much lower temperatures.
Beyond its performance improvements, the new tyre is said to be hard-wearing too. An all-season compound is typically softer than a summer compound and wears more quickly as a result, but Michelin says you can expect the same mileage from the Sport as if you were to run a Pilot Sport 5 in the summer, then switch to its full-winter Alpin 5. It also happens to have better rolling resistance (B) than both the Pilot Sport 5 and Alpin 5, making it more efficient (handy for EVs).
The Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport isn’t quite the physics defying spectacle some might have wished for, but it’s finally given us an all-season with a genuine performance edge. Find yourself on a good road in virtually any conditions, and you won’t be frustrated by the fact you’re running all-seasons.
Michelin CrossClimate 3 Sport sizing and availability
The CrossClimate 3 will be available to order as an aftermarket tyre from July 1 in Europe, and while initial sizing will be limited, it will eventually be made available for 18- to 22-inch wheels. The smallest size will be a 205-section, 40-profile tyre for 18-inch wheels.
