VW

Buyers of Europe's most popular SUV are protesting because their new car arrived on Chinese Linglong tires

It's not a rule, but if you buy a new VW Tiguan, you could get it with Chinese Linglong tires. This VW favorite model is also equipped with Linglong tires as original equipment (OE) in Europe, and the cooperation between VW and the Chinese manufacturer began last year. This partnership marked Linglong's entry into the European original equipment market, and the specific tire – 255/45 R19 100V Grip Master C/S G1 – was developed specifically for the VW Tiguan, according to Linglong.

Despite this, some buyers in Europe have expressed dissatisfaction and concerns about Chinese tires.

As reported by Jutarnji.hr, a sarcastic post on LinkedIn recently caused a stir: the owner of a new Tiguan publicly asked why such "cheap tires" were installed on a car worth almost 40 thousand euros.

He was referring to tires from the aforementioned Chinese manufacturer Linglong. The debate over the whole story has flared up and is now in full swing. The tire manufacturer itself has not let the criticism go unanswered. Through its German branch in Hanover, Linglong announced that it is "fully committed to the quality, reliability and safety of its products".

The cooperation with Volkswagen has been going on for some time, and the tires designed for the Tiguan must meet all the requirements of the original equipment manufacturer. We remind you: as an original equipment supplier (OEM), only a manufacturer that successfully passes the vehicle manufacturer's rigorous tests - from braking distance and aquaplaning resistance to rolling resistance and long-term durability tests - can supply tires to the car manufacturer.

What is Linglong anyway? Shandong Linglong Tire Co. is a Chinese joint-stock company that has been producing tires for passenger cars since 1987. In addition to plants in China and Thailand, it has a new factory in Serbia since 2024.

It is among the 20 largest tire manufacturers in the world in terms of sales (to be precise, it is in 17th place). Linglong tires have been sold on the German market since 2015. Volkswagen is not the only manufacturer that cooperates with them - tires of this brand are also mounted on the Fiat 500e directly at the factory.

Therefore, we will look at how Linglong tires passed the rigorous tire tests of the German Auto Bild to understand how high-quality these Chinese tires are. As for summer tires, in the 2024 test, the Linglong Comfort Master model (205/55 R16) failed in the qualifying test, where the stopping distance was tested. It took 35th place, in the lower middle of the scale. In the all-season tires, the Grip Master 4S (225/50 R17) entered the main test and finished in 15th place with a rating of "recommended with reserve". It received praise for its comfort and durability, but criticism for its poor performance in aquaplaning and on snow.

But then the summer tires in the 2025 test pleasantly surprised. The Sport Master model (225/40 R18) took fifth place in qualifying, and in the main test it finished 11th out of 20 tire models with an overall score of 2.6 ("satisfactory"). It achieved excellent results on dry surfaces, but was weaker in durability and rolling resistance.

The all-season model Sport Master 4S (225/40 R18) won fourth place in qualifying, even ahead of brands such as Michelin, Dunlop and Continental. However, it did not defend its performance in the main test – a score of 3.0 and 19th place. It performed well on dry roads, but worse on snow. The all-season SUV tire from 2025, the Grip Master 4S (215/55 R17), finished 10th out of 11 tires tested with a score of 3.4 ("satisfactory"). It performed quite well on dry roads, but was unbalanced and had high rolling resistance on wet roads.

Linglong is no longer an unknown brand and has made significant progress in Auto Bild's tests. The tires now show solid results, especially on dry roads, but they still have shortcomings in wet and snowy conditions. Durability is often also a weak point, but Linglong is not the only such tire.

Conclusion: there is no need to fear, the quality standard exists and is respected by the Chinese manufacturer, which is the basis for installation on a car that comes new from the factory, and finally, Linglong's confidence in its product and global appetites is perhaps best evidenced by the strategic partnership with the Real Madrid club, whose global partner they have been since last year...

Autonews