Nokian Hakkapeliitta R5 EV – The Ultimate EV Winter Tire

At the end of every winter, I usually try to swap my winter tires for summer/all-season tires at the earliest possible opportunity. Here in the Toronto area of Canada, that usually means in the second week of March. Because summer tires are generally more pleasant to drive on, in terms of comfort, handling, and efficiency. Winter tires provide supreme control on snow and ice, but there’s usually a compromise in other areas.

But this year was different. I had a set of Nokian’s excellent Hakkapeliitta R5 EVs on my winter rims, and I kept delaying switching over to summer rubber until just now in late-April. Not only are the Nokian tires great in the frigid depths of winter, but these tires are also pleasant to drive on dry, sunny days. Driving on snow and ice is not at all intimidating with the Nokians; the traction levels felt more like a wet road on a rainy day than a winter snowstorm. But on dry and mild days, they feel more like a competent all-season tire than a hardcore winter tire, albeit a lot softer. You get all the benefits of a dedicated winter tire, with almost none of the drawbacks. Perhaps that’s the highest compliment I can give these tires.

Traction

As I mentioned in the video above, the grip on snow and ice was better than with any tires I’ve used before. With 255mm width tires on my Model Y on all four corners, you have to really try to get any slip with a stomp on the brakes or hard acceleration. I’ve also observed much better turn-in characteristics when driving on snow. My previous winter tires from Falken still had plenty of life when I replace them, but those old tires had a very noticeable tendency to understeer wide in the snow.

With the Nokians, I’ve had much more confidence to approach corners faster knowing I had the front-end grip. In normal driving, you’re not likely to approach the limit of traction with these tires, in any conditions. The optimized tread pattern and very soft rubber compound really do wonders here. There is a very real peace of mind knowing that when you’re letting a family member borrow your car during the winter, they will be safe.

EV Optimization and Efficiency

The R5 “EV” variant of these tires offers some specific benefits of to drivers of electric vehicles. Nokian claims that the R5 EV has been further reinforced to handle increased weight and torque demands of electric cars. These tires have also been optimized to reduce rolling resistance so they require less energy to travel, and therefore increase driving range.

I can’t comment on the durability aspect yet. But I’ve covered 7,000km (4,400mi) and they still look and feel new. But I did perform extensive experimentation on energy consumption in my earlier article/video and I can confidently say that I did see more range on the Hakkapeliitta R5 EVs than I had with my previous non-EV winter tires. I observed a reduction of about 5-6% on the highway, which is very significant.

Ride and Comfort

Hakkapeliitta R5 EVs ride very supple and plush, I was not expecting this when I first received these tires. It is probably the biggest reason why I was delaying switching back over to my Goodyear Eagle F1 summer tires all through April. My first-gen Tesla Model Y just rides SO MUCH better on a soft tires like these Nokians. This car has a notoriously firm ride (and even more so in the winter), but the Nokians really do a great job taking the edge off and making my Model Y a better cruiser in the winter. This is my favourite feature of these tires.

With a soft tire like the Hakkapeliitta R5, you’re giving up some performance characteristics for more spirited driving. On dry pavement, the car feels less sharp and a bit slower to change direction. Under heavier braking with the window open, I can actually feel and hear the tread blocks flexing when stressed. But honestly, I don’t care! For winter driving I’ll take supple comfort over sharp handling any day of the week.

NVH was also improved by swapping over to the Nokians. The R5 EVs have foam inserts and optimized tread pattern to reduce road noise. While I was not able to take measurements, I can confirm that these tires were noticeable quieter around town and on the highway. With my old non-EV winter tires, it could be challenging to hear podcasts while driving on the highway. The Hakkapeliittas allow me to listen to audio at a much lower volume.

Verdict

April is an odd time to publish a winter tire review. But here I am summarizing my thoughts and impressions after a driving on these Hakkapeliittas through one of the most BRUTAL winters in recent memory. I’ve driven on winter tires from Bridgestone, Pirelli, Michelin, and others, but none have been as impressive as these. Nokian is afterall the inventor of winter tires, and it shows that they still have the leading products in the class. If you are looking got a set of the best tires next winter for your EV, these are the ones to get.