Top 5 Best Gas Saving Car Tires [2023 Review]

By Tire Expert, Joe Steffen
By Tire Expert, Joe Steffen

When looking for the best fuel-efficient tires, you will notice that they aren’t exactly easily labeled “designed for better fuel economy.”

I made a buying guide of the top five best gas-saving tires to give you an easy list to make your decision much more straightforward. I have over nine-plus years in the industry and have seen it all, including the knowledge of how a tire can be designed to provide better gas mileage.

Tires for increased fuel economy will have much better mpg (miles per gallon) results with an electric hybrid vehicle. If you are shopping for tires on your crossover or hybrid sedan, keep reading to see why I handpicked these five tires.

Our Top Pick
Michelin Energy Saver A/S
Michelin Energy Saver A/S
3.5/5
3.5
Best Budget
Hankook Kinergy GT
Hankook Kinergy GT
3.0/5
3.0
Best High End
Continental PureContact LS
Continental PureContact LS
3.5/5
3.5
Best For Daily Driving
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
3.5/5
3.5
Best For Highway Driving
Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter
Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter
3.5/5
3.5

Updated as of May 26, 2023

Michelin Energy Saver A/S

Michelin Energy Saver A/S
Our rating:
3.5/5
3.5/5

Pros and Cons

Ratings

Wet Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Handling:
3.0/5
Dry Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Noise:
4.0/5
Snow Traction:
2.5/5
Ride Comfort:
4.0/5
Tread Life:
3.5/5
Value For Money:
3.5/5

Out of all the tire manufacturers, Michelin has the most innovative and industry-leading technology. It should be no surprise that the best gas-saving tire is the Michelin Energy Saver A/S.

A unique silica rubber compound is used in the Energy Savers tread to ensure the tire stays cool when rolling on the road. What makes a tire save fuel is the ability to keep cool when there is friction. When the tread compound starts to heat up, it causes more resistance, making the vehicle use more fuel to push the tire forward, hence why they are referred to as lower rolling resistance.

The Energy Saver A/S has a symmetric tread pattern because it makes the tire last longer and wears more evenly. If a tire suffers from uneven wear, it can cause more resistance on one point of the tire, decreasing fuel savings.

This tire’s tread design makes it more durable in the treadwear category. It will come with a sixty-five-thousand mile warranty in the S, T, and H speed ratings and a fifty-five-thousand mile treadwear warranty.

All-season traction is something you will see a decrease in eco-friendly tires, but the Michelin Energy Saver A/S gets excellent traction on dry and wet roads. It has full depth siping in the tread, allowing the tire to stay safe when new and worn. With this Michelin product, you will not need to worry about your tires losing performance prematurely.

Aside from all the mentioned benefits above, you will notice that the ride quality is so smooth and quiet that you will not regret buying these tires. Michelin never compromises their ride quality for any of their lines of tire. Even their all-terrain truck tires don’t use an aggressive off-road tread design to provide a smooth ride on-road.

The Michelin Energy Saver A/S is the best option for anyone looking to increase their gas savings at the pump. It is offered in a wide variety of tire sizes made to fit anything from a two-door coupe to a minivan, and you will find this tire to be worth the Michelin price tag.

Hankook Kinergy GT

Hankook Kinergy GT
Our rating:
3.0/5
3.0/5

Pros and Cons

Ratings

Wet Traction:
3.0/5
Ride Handling:
3.5/5
Dry Traction:
3.0/5
Ride Noise:
3.0/5
Snow Traction:
2.5/5
Ride Comfort:
3.0/5
Tread Life:
3.5/5
Value For Money:
3.0/5

Are you someone that just buys the cheapest tire out there? The Hankook Kinergy GT is the tire for you. The overall driving experience on this tire is as expected from a low-priced fuel-efficient tire.

Hankook uses Kontrol technology to give their tires a low rolling resistance, and out of all the manufacturers who use their respective technology, Hankook would be on the lower end.

Putting this tire on your hybrid vehicle will likely cause a decrease in mpg from the factory option. When deciding on the best budget tire, I picked the Kinergy GT because it was the lowest-priced set of tires I could find in the low rolling resistance category.

Hankook tires are somewhat notorious for promising a high mileage warranty on a tire only to have it fall way short of what was expected. The Kinergy GT will come with a seventy-thousand-mile tread wear warranty that you can reasonably expect to receive around forty-five to sixty thousand miles.

The key to ensuring you receive the best possible mpg and high mileage longevity, is to maintain the recommended tire pressure. An underinflated tire will wear unevenly and lose its low rolling resistance because of the increased friction.

All-season traction will be average. Since LRR tires use polymers to help the tire stay cool, you may want to take it slow when it hits the light snow. The rubber compound has difficulty staying flexible to provide snow packing in the tread.

I recommend having a set of winter tires if you purchase the Kinergy GT, as they will provide the safest traction in snow.

I have noticed the Kinergy GT gets great feedback for handling. Customers have said it will take the tightest of turns with no hesitation.

The Hankook Kinergy GT will not be the cheapest tire out there, but it will be the most inexpensive in terms of being a fuel-efficient tire. That’s why I chose it as the best budget option.

Continental PureContact LS

Continental PureContact LS
Our rating:
3.5/5
3.5/5

Pros and Cons

Ratings

Wet Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Handling:
3.5/5
Dry Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Noise:
3.5/5
Snow Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Comfort:
3.0/5
Tread Life:
3.5/5
Value For Money:
3.5/5

Very rarely will you see a low rolling resistance tire with an asymmetric tread pattern. Typically LRR will be touring tires using a symmetric tread pattern. They are designed like this to provide long, even treadwear.

The Continental PureContact LS uses Continental patented ecoplus technology that not only gives it a lower rolling resistance but also makes the rubber compound last longer. It comes with a seventy-thousand-mile treadwear warranty, and it’s one that I have seen it achieve.

While offering the most extended tread life I have seen out of gas-saving tires, it also has extremely safe all-season traction, especially in the snow. It has a temperature-activated polymer allowing the tread to stay flexible in colder conditions without sacrificing fuel consumption.

Where this tire feels extremely safe is in wet conditions. Water on the road doesn’t stand a chance since the deep circumferential grooves make hydroplaning difficult even at high speeds.

Since the PureContact LS is a performance all-season type of tire, it has excellent cornering ability, and a stable center rib gives it the responsive steering to make you feel in control.

The only area of this tire that could improve was the ride comfort, it isn’t terrible, but it is worth mentioning that when driving at high speeds on this tire, the stiff sidewalls reverberate every road vibration to the seats and steering wheel.

Suppose the PureContact LS offered the same level of rolling resistance as Michelins Green X technology and as a comfortable ride. In that case, It could have been heavily considered for the top spot. It still made it the best high-end, so that counts for something.

The Continental PureContact LS is only made for sedans and coupes. If you were shopping for SUVs or CUVs, I would recommend the Continental CrossContact LX20.

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max

Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Our rating:
3.5/5
3.5/5

Pros and Cons

Ratings

Wet Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Handling:
3.0/5
Dry Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Noise:
3.5/5
Snow Traction:
3.0/5
Ride Comfort:
3.5/5
Tread Life:
3.0/5
Value For Money:
3.5/5

The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max is a tire that came as original equipment on the Chevrolet Volts when they were still in production. Chevrolet chose the FuelMax to provide their hybrid vehicles with low emissions and reduce energy loss from the batteries.

I chose the Goodyear assurance Fuel Max as a tire best for daily drivers for a few reasons.

The first reason is it has incredible stopping capability in wet and dry conditions. What makes this tire evacuate water out is it’s multi-depth siping. Multi-depth siping is when the sipes range from full-depth to partial-depth throughout the tread.

Typically when a tread pattern doesn’t have full-depth siping, it won’t perform in wet weather conditions, but the FuelMax does have these. They are just mixed in with partial-depth siping.

The second reason I chose this tire for daily drivers was the number of miles I saw it receive from consumers who drove on it daily. On average, you should expect to receive between fifty and sixty-five-thousand miles. It comes with a sixty-five thousand mile treadwear warranty.

Lastly, I chose the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max for its ride comfort. When driving through the city, you need a tire that can dampen all the bumps and cracks on unmaintained city roads. Goodyears have very soft sidewalls; what this means is that they can absorb road vibrations.

A soft sidewall’s downside is that the handling does not perform as well. It will flex when making turns at high speeds, generating more body roll. Body roll is when the vehicle feels as if it is tilting to one side when maneuvering.

Anyone looking for better fuel efficiency should not be taking corners at high speeds, as this will decrease your fuel efficiency.

The Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max is a great option for daily drivers looking for savings at the gas pumps.

Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter

Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter
Our rating:
3.5/5
3.5/5

Pros and Cons

Ratings

Wet Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Handling:
3.5/5
Dry Traction:
3.5/5
Ride Noise:
3.0/5
Snow Traction:
2.5/5
Ride Comfort:
3.0/5
Tread Life:
3.0/5
Value For Money:
3.0/5

When trying to decide what tire is best for highway driving, there are three things that I look for. I am looking for a quiet ride, great handling, and wet weather traction. Those are the essential things because no one wants to drive on a loud, wandering, and slick tire at high speeds.

The Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter has impeccable wet weather traction and hydroplaning resistance. The full-depth siping and vast amounts of tread channels for water to evacuate make it perform well in this category.

On the rainiest days, you can fly down the highway with confidence that you won’t start sliding back and forth into other lanes.

Firestone tires are owned by Bridgestone, a manufacturer that is known for its durability. What gives them this durability is the strong rubber compound they use in the tire’s sidewall. When combined with the nanopro tech used in the tread compound, you get not only a low rolling resistant tire but one that handles exceptionally well.

It will make quick last-minute maneuvers feel precise and responsive to where you’re trying to take the vehicle.

The symmetric tread design combined with smaller clustered tread blocks gives the Champion Fuel Fighter a quiet ride. Not only does it provide a quieter ride, but it will also not be prone to irregular wear patterns that typically come from sizeable open tread patterns.

Cruising down the highway at sixty-plus miles per hour will make your long trips feel like you’re riding on clouds.

The one thing about this tire I wanted to ensure I covered was that it does have a bad habit of the rubber drying out prematurely. Typically the rubber of a tire will stay nice and oiled for six years. However, I have seen this tire suffer from premature dry rot at around four years.

This is not something I saw frequently enough to avoid this tire, but if you park your vehicle in the sun, I recommend having a gel-based tire shine applied every month to keep the oils locked into the tire.

Overall, the Firestone Champion Fuel Fighter will be the best low-rolling resistance tire for highway drivers, as they provide all the things of concern when frequenting the highway.

What To Look For When Buying The Best Tires For Gas Savings?

Shopping for tires that will offer you savings at the pump can be challenging to find. Not every tire retailer labels the product a fuel-efficient tire. I have listed some tips below to help you identify them.

Do They Have A Low-Rolling Resistance Rating?

About ninety percent of retailers will disclose if a tire has a LRR rating. You can always double-check on the manufacturer’s website if it is not disclosed.

A tire must have this rating because if it doesn’t, it will cause more heat from the friction of the tire rolling on the pavement, causing your vehicle to need more power to push the tires along. LLR allows the tire to stay cooler and reduces the amount of friction build-up.

What is the Tread Pattern?

The tread pattern of a tire has a significant impact on the rolling resistance of the tire. Directional tires will cause the most resistance on the road( other than off-road tires). Directional tires have a tread that comes to a point in the center of the tire that will face right or left.

Asymmetrical tires’ design will be different on the inner half of the tread than on the outer half. They are made to offer better handling and all-season traction. Asymmetric tread designs are not common in a fuel-efficient tire because they do not provide the best rolling resistance.

You will find most fuel-efficient tires to be symmetrical because their tread pattern is the same on the inside and outside, allowing them to wear much more evenly and generate less resistance on the road.

When looking for Gas saving tires, look for a symmetrical tread design.

Look for Eco-Technology Verbiage In The Name Of The Tire

I have listed below the most common emblems manufacturers use on fuel-efficient products to help you identify them.

  • Pirelli EcoImpact
  • Yokohama BluEarth
  • Sumitomo Advanced 4D Nano Design
  • Falken Advanced 4D Nano Design
  • Hankook Kontrol Technology
  • Goodyear Fuel Max Technology
  • Firestone Fuel Fighter Technology
  • Michelin Green X
  • Nexen N’Blue
  • Bridgestone Ecopia
  • Continental EcoPlus+ Technology

How Much Do Gas Saving Tires Typically Cost?

Fuel Efficient tires will typically be more expensive than your average all-season tire. I searched various retailers to come up with ballpark estimates of what you can expect to pay for these new tires.

NOTE: The pricing of these tires will heavily depend on your size and retailer.

Four New Tires

Replacing all four of your tires with a fuel-efficient option can cost you anywhere between $500 and $1500.

Two New Tires

If you are only looking to replace two tires, you can expect to pay between $300 and $800.

It is always recommended to replace all four tires simultaneously to promote even tread wear.

Single Tire

Have a tire blowout and only need to replace one of your tires?

You can expect to pay between $150 and $400 to get that replaced.

Replacing only one tire is not ideal or recommended unless your other three tires are close to brand new. Only replacing one of your tires when the other three are worn out will lead to your new tire wearing out much faster and increased fuel consumption.

Are Gas Saving Tires Worth It?

To be honest, if you don’t drive a hybrid vehicle or any vehicle with gas-saving technology, no, they are not worth it. In most cases, a consumer who doesn’t have a fuel-efficient car will not even notice the amount of gas they are saving because it is so minimal.

If you have a fuel-efficient vehicle, I have seen customers replace the tires on their Toyota Prius, not go with a low rolling resistance tire, and come back claiming their gas mileage went down as much as three miles per gallon.

It truly depends on the vehicle. Otherwise, it is a perk that comes with the tire and only a perk that should be considered with cars designed to save gas.

How Long Should Your Gas Saving Tires Last?

On average, you can expect your gas-saving tires to last you between fifty and seventy thousand miles. How long your tires will last greatly depend on you. If you think all you have to do is pay for the tires, get them put on, and drive on them, you will be in a world of hurt when they are worn out in twenty-five to thirty thousand miles.

You need to ensure that you maintain your tires; otherwise, expecting more than half of the treadwear warranty is not reasonable. I have listed tire maintenance practices you should follow below.

  • Tire rotation every five to eight thousand miles
  • Check and maintain your tire pressure once a month
  • Make sure you get a wheel alignment annually

Follow these practices, and there’s no reason your tires won’t last.

Does the Year of Your Vehicle Matter When Buying New Gas Saving Tires?

The vehicle’s year doesn’t matter when looking for gas-saving tires. However, putting these on an older car may be a waste of money. The gas-saving tires were mainly designed for fuel-efficient vehicles, and as we all know, anything made before 1995 wasn’t exactly fuel efficient.

Anything Else Worth Knowing When Buying Gas Saving Car Tires?

Anyone looking at these for their next tire option should remember what you are losing for the extra fuel efficiency. To achieve a lower rolling resistance, they have a more shallow tread depth which makes the tire not as safe in wet and light snow conditions. Since there is less depth for the snow to pack into, it causes traction loss, and in wet weather, the siping is not deep, leading to less water evacuation.

For anyone living in severe weather conditions, it might be worth sacrificing the mpg for a safer all-season tire.

Frequently Asked Questions
Narrow, the key to getting better fuel efficiency out of your tire is less friction on the road. Narrower tires have less rubber contacting the road, generating less resistance.
Michelin Green X Technology is used in their eco-friendly tires designed to offer better fuel efficiency, longer tread life, and less manufacturing waste.
It depends on the vehicle they go on. For fuel-efficient cars, yes, they can make a massive difference in the mpg. Sadly for your standard vehicle, they have very little effect.

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