The Avon ZZ5 is a mid-range summer performance tyre with generally strong dry and wet grip and favourable handling, steering and refinement feedback. Tread life divides owners, so durability is less consistent than its grip.
Dry and wet grip are the most consistently liked aspects in owner reviews, with sixty and forty-four favourable mentions respectively against two and seven criticisms. Handling and steering feel are also mostly praised, while noise receives thirty-one positive comments against eleven complaints. Comfort and value are generally liked too. These accounts make it worth considering for drivers seeking road grip and steering feel, although there is no independent test comparison to establish relative stopping distances or handling pace.
Tread life is the main uncertainty, with fifteen favourable comments and fourteen criticisms. Mid-life and end-of-life reports include long service with retained grip as well as rapid wear, so it is not a settled durability advantage. The owners who wrote later reviews do not establish a shared ageing pattern. Across ninety-one reviews, the 76.9% average reflects a generally favourable view, with noise complaints a minority concern and wear the more evenly divided issue.
The quick answer
Owners say82%from 93 owner reviews76% would buy againRead the reviews
Tests saySorry, we don't currently have any test data for the Avon ZZ5
Strengths & weaknessesGenerally strong dry gripMostly favourable wet gripTread life divides ownersSummarised from owner reviews
Built from every independent test result and vetted owner review we hold for this tyre - the evidence is all further down the page. Data updated May 2022.
Based on test and owner data, the Avon ZZ5 is expected to last around 16,894 miles (27,188 km).
What do owners say about the Avon ZZ5?
Across 93 owner ratings the Avon ZZ5 averages 82%. Owners rate Dry Grip highest at 9 out of 10 and Wear lowest at 7. 26 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles. 82% of owners score it 70% or better.
How comfortable and quiet are the Avon ZZ5?
Owners rate the Avon ZZ5 8.2 out of 10 for comfort and noise across 91 reviews.
How well do the Avon ZZ5 wear, according to owners?
Owners rate the Avon ZZ5 7 out of 10 for wear across 91 reviews. 26 of those reviews come from owners past 10,000 miles, and the typical review covers 4,000 miles.
Would owners buy the Avon ZZ5 again?
76% of owners say they would buy the Avon ZZ5 again, based on the 87 owner reviews that answered the question. 49% of them gave it the highest possible answer.
More questions about the Avon ZZ5(4)
What do owners say about the Avon ZZ5's dry grip?
Of the 91 owner reviews analysed for the Avon ZZ5, 62 mention dry grip: 60 praise it (strong dry grip) and 2 criticise it (limited dry grip). One owner wrote: "they have performed, in every area, extremely well, in all conditions,( not driven in snow)". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Avon ZZ5's wet grip?
Of the 91 owner reviews analysed for the Avon ZZ5, 51 mention wet grip: 44 praise it (confident wet grip) and 7 criticise it (weak wet grip). One owner wrote: "they have performed, in every area, extremely well, in all conditions,( not driven in snow)". Read those reviews
What do owners say about the Avon ZZ5's road noise?
Of the 91 owner reviews analysed for the Avon ZZ5, 42 mention road noise: 31 praise it (quiet) and 11 criticise it (noisy). One owner wrote: "improved noise level in the cabin (massively reduced noise)". Read those reviews
What does the Avon ZZ5 replace?
The Avon ZZ5 is the successor to the Avon ZZ3 in Avon's range.
Can I replace Avon ZZ5 with Avon ZV7 on my Fiesta ST ? Thanks.
June 3, 2020
Replacing the ZV7 with the ZZ5 is no problem.
Show all questions(2)
Do you know if AVON ever put their car tyres forward for comparison against their rivals? I believe Avon to be a respected British tyre company but i can never seem… Show moreDo you know if AVON ever put their car tyres forward for comparison against their rivals?
I believe Avon to be a respected British tyre company but i can never seem to find them appear in the tyre tests.
Because i want to support British companies i have 2 cars both with full sets of avon ZZ5 which i find to be excellent but it troubles me that i cant see them reviewed against direct rivals
Do they have something to hide? Show less
March 7, 2018
The Avon ZZ5 is quite an old tyre now. If you look at a newer pattern, such as the Avon ZV7, it has been tested and scores comparatively well for its price point.
Dry and wet grip are the clearest strengths of the Avon ZZ5, with sixty and forty-four favourable mentions respectively, against two and seven criticisms. Noise is generally liked too, with thirty-one positive accounts against eleven complaints, while handling, steering feel and comfort receive mostly favourable feedback. Tread life is almost evenly divided, with fifteen positive comments and fourteen criticisms. Mid-life and end-of-life accounts range from long service with retained grip to rapid wear, so longevity is not a settled advantage. The two owners who wrote later reviews do not establish a shared ageing pattern. Across ninety-one reviews, the 76.9% average reflects sixty-nine positive scores, fourteen neutral and eight below 40%.
What owners mention most counted across 91 reviews
Tap one to read only the reviews that mention it.
Owner ratings averaged from 93 ratings
Owner score82%
Dry Grip90%
Handling86%
Road Feedback83%
Wet Grip83%
Comfort82%
Wear70%
Featured reviews
Most helpful 71%
“The tyre was a solid all rounder, and for the price they are really a good choice. They handled as well as required for a 200bhp relatively light vehicle in the dry and the wet. They did sadly wear much quicker than...”
“This is the worst tyre I have driven a rear wheel drive car on. The tyre is okay in the dry, but in the wet they are terrible, the car can break away from you without warning. The fuel economy is awful too. 25% more...”
“Typical Avon tyres, cracked and split before the tread is even near the 3.0mm limit to generate an MOT advisory. Tyres seemed to create a lot of road noise through the car, number of people commented on the constant...”
The tyre was a solid all rounder, and for the price they are really a good choice. They handled as well as required for a 200bhp relatively light vehicle in the dry and the wet. They did sadly wear much quicker than hoped. And they were quite loud.
Purchased a pair for the front of my ST200, now twenty months old and very near to needing replacement. They were immediately quieter than the Ford standard fit and have been providing me excellent grip throughout their use. I'm seeking to buy ZZ5's again!
Check out how the BEST all seasons tyres perform against premium summer and winter tyres!
If you have a heavy oil burner with soggy suspension you should not be buying sport tyres. If however you drive a mid weight VW TT or GtI you definitely want these. Lets start by saying a performance tyre will not last as long , I know this is an obvious mute point but it needs to be said. So lets start by saying we had these on the car when we bought it and the fronts even worn to legal limit felt fantastic, I had to get an old stock set as I dont think they make them any more any way put them on they feel like typical new tyres bouncy squidgy but after less 150 miles they are back to the perfect tyre for on the TT. The grip turn in and progressiveness of this tyre is outstanding as is mid corner stability. I send best wishes to engineer that designed his tyre ....outstanding on VW AUDI
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Bought these with Audi A6 C6 '10 plate. They were pretty much new when I bought the car. 20k later there was nothing left on the front. I still got few k left on rear ones. The sportiest tyres I ve had, however I never really owned a proper sport tyre before. In warm weather, once the tyre was warm I was really happy with the grip, handling and responsivness even though my Audi was front wheel drive only. Had my car remapped to 205bhp on the wheel and aprox 430NM so quite a lot of torque sent to the front. In these conditions tyre performed really well. Even more experienced drivers were suprised at what speeds you can go around the corner. On the other hand, in wet and cold conditions it can be quite scary, trying to go up the hill and around the corner in first normally results in wheelspin howevever I am aware my front were worn unevenly. It appeared previous owner was putting way to much air in them as middle part had considerably less tread than sides. Had the front swapped for Nexen N Fera SU4 (£75 a piece). This was much more comfortable to ride on and better in wet however much noisier and even though the dry grio was good, Avon felt much sportier and way mlre responsive. Overall really good in dry, not so good in wet. Not the best in terms of wear. For £124 a tyre I will be trying Goodyear Eagle F1 AS5 as it has much better reviews and I miss the sporty feel.
Fitted to my Audi TT Quattro, replaced set of miss matched Chinese hedge finders that came with the car.
Absolutely transformed the handling. Ok I've got four wheel drive but have never managed to loose grip in spirited driving in the wet or dry.
Were rubbish for the first hundred or so miles, really slippy but guess they were bedding in.
Purchased used Audi A4 with 4x new Avon ZZ5 tyres. Less than 12000 miles later I'm changing all tyres. Whilst there's a good amount of tread left, I've never been satisfied or felt secure with grip in either wet or dry conditions. However, my biggest complaint is tyre noise. Whilst I appreciate a 19†tyre will never provide a quiet, comfortable ride, these tyres are woeful. The tyres make a drone noise similar to a failing bearing and especially in colder conditions. I've been to several garages who have confirmed bearings are good and all suspect the tyres. For me and my fellow passengers sanity these tyres are going. Would I recommend? No. Would I buy myself? Definitely not.
Fitted them to fronts of my MX5, after puncture on original Bridgestone tyre ... these are so much better. Definitely recommend. More grip and feel, especially when below 15 DegC - inspiring confidence, without any wear issues.
While these tyres perform well in dry and wet conditions after 10000 miles I can say predominant dry driving will wear these tyres quickly. Switching tyres back to front half way is advised as the drive tryes lose adhesion after some wear, which translates poor wet driving grip.
Fitted these tyres after acquiring some larger OEM wheels with no tyres. I'd shopped around and looked at alternatives from Pirelli, hankook and Michelin but decided on Avon's due to reviews and price (cost me £277 fitted)
These tyres grip very well in the dry even when pushing the car, they seem to gradually lose grip and push into underdetermined but I have to really push the car to get that to happen.
In the wet they also have a good amount of grip. Not as good the uniroyal rainsport 3 tyres I was running previously. Although they still grip at 50 mph during corners in the cold wet weather.
After 4,500 miles they seem to be wearing well with a good amount of tread remaining, that's being fitted to my 165bhp Abarth. They're a bit noisy and uncomfortable but then again the car isn't so it could just be the car and not the tyres
I loved these tyres when I first bought them. First thing I noticed was how quiet they were. Very grippy in the wet, dry and all summer tyre conditions (but not tried them in the ice and snow). Great driving feedback and fairly progressive too. Wear initially appeared to be good, but after less than 10,000 miles, both are now down to the tread wear markers. I don't drive aggressively and given that all other sets of tyres on the same car have outlasted these, I can't recommend them. A shame because in all other respects these are excellent. If Avon sorted out the wear, they'd have a winner on their hands.
mx5 bbr super 200
after 22000 miles of spirited driving, i have replaced the ZZ5 avons on the rear of my mx5 at 3mm tread remaining.
they have performed, in every area, extremely well, in all conditions,( not driven in snow)
they have never let go...i have tried.
they have taken me on fast road trips around Scotland (twice) and wales (twice)
as well as 2500 miles through France down to Spain and back....never a problem.
the best tyre i have ever had.
