Hankook vs Yokohama Tyres — Which is Better for Australian Drivers?
Hankook and Yokohama are the two most popular mid-range tyre brands in Australia — and for good reason. Both sit in the $150–$250 per tyre range for most common sizes, both are available from all major retailers, and both significantly outperform budget brands in wet conditions. So which one should you choose?
Brand background
Hankook is a South Korean manufacturer that supplies original equipment tyres to BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Hyundai at the factory level, and ranks among the top 10 tyre manufacturers globally by volume — a genuine engineering operation, not a budget rebrand. Yokohama is a Japanese manufacturer founded in 1917 with a long motorsport heritage including the ADVAN performance range, and supplies OEM tyres to Toyota and Nissan. Both brands have substantial R&D operations and their products reflect genuine investment in tyre engineering.
Wet grip comparison
Both brands score well in independent wet braking tests conducted by ADAC, Auto Bild, and Which? magazine. The Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 and Kinergy 4S2 consistently rank near the top of the mid-range category for wet braking distance. Yokohama's Advan Sport V107 and BluEarth-GT AE51 also score strongly in the same tests. In practice, both brands offer meaningfully better wet braking than budget brands — and the difference between Hankook and Yokohama in wet conditions is smaller than the difference between either brand and a genuinely cheap tyre.
Tread life and value
Yokohama's BluEarth range is specifically engineered for tread longevity and low rolling resistance, with owners regularly reporting 50,000–60,000 km from the BluEarth-ES and BluEarth-GT in everyday conditions. The Hankook Kinergy range also prioritises tread life and fuel economy with comparable real-world results from Australian drivers. Yokohama's ADVAN performance range trades some tread life for outright grip — a different proposition for different buyers. The price difference between equivalent Hankook and Yokohama models is typically $10–$20 per tyre, making value roughly equal once tread life is factored in.
Road noise
Yokohama holds a slight edge on road noise across most independent comparisons — the BluEarth range in particular is one of the quietest tyre families in the mid-range category. The Hankook Kinergy range is also quiet and well-suited to passenger car use, but the Hankook Ventus performance tyres can be noticeably louder at highway speeds. If minimising cabin noise is a priority — especially on a family SUV or refined sedan — the Yokohama BluEarth-GT AE51 is one of the best choices available in its price bracket.
Which brand to choose
For performance-focused driving where dry grip and steering response are priorities, the Hankook Ventus S1 evo3 is the stronger choice. For everyday passenger and SUV use where longevity and a quiet ride matter most, the Yokohama BluEarth-GT is the recommended option. For SUV and crossover fitments, the Hankook Dynapro HP2 and Yokohama Geolandar G055 are very closely matched — let price be the deciding factor. For the most budget-conscious approach within the mid-range, check both brands on Tyre Trawler and buy whichever is cheaper that week; both are genuine quality options.
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