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UTQG ratings explained: treadwear, traction, and temperature grades on your tire sidewall

# UTQG ratings explained: treadwear, traction, and temperature grades on your tire sidewall

## What do the three UTQG numbers on a tire mean?

UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grading) is a US NHTSA testing standard that grades tires on three characteristics printed on the sidewall: treadwear (a number comparing expected wear life — 100 is the government reference tire, 200 means twice the wear life, 50 means half), traction (a letter grade from AA to C measuring wet-pavement straight-line stopping distance — AA is best), and temperature (a letter grade from A to C measuring heat resistance at speed — A is best). UTQG ratings are determined by tire manufacturers themselves using standardised testing procedures; they allow comparison between tires from the same manufacturer more reliably than between different manufacturers.

## What UTQG stands for and where it comes from

UTQG stands for **Uniform Tire Quality Grading**. It is a system mandated by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 139 (FMVSS 139). The system was introduced in 1979 and requires tire manufacturers to grade their passenger car tires on three characteristics: treadwear, traction, and temperature. The grades must be moulded into the tire sidewall and included on the tire label.

UTQG applies to most passenger car tires sold in the US. Tires sold in Europe and other markets often carry UTQG markings when the same tire model is also sold in the US, but European markets use the EU Tyre Label system (fuel efficiency, wet grip, and rolling noise) as the primary consumer-information standard.

## Treadwear: what the number means

The treadwear number is a relative index. The government uses a defined course in West Texas (the San Angelo course) over 11,520 km (7,200 miles) of driving and compares wear rates. A reference tire is assigned a grade of 100. A tire that wears twice as slowly as the reference tire receives a grade of 200. A tire that wears twice as fast receives 50.

| Treadwear range | Life vs reference | Typical tire types | Grip level | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **300 and above** | Very long — 3× or more than reference | Grand touring, highway all-season, long-mileage touring tires | Lower peak dry grip — compound is harder and less tacky | A 400 treadwear tire has approximately 4× the expected tread life of the government reference tire. High mileage warranties are typically found in this range. |
| **200–299** | Above average — 2–3× reference | Standard all-season passenger tires | Good all-round grip | The most common range for standard passenger car tires. Balances longevity and performance. |
| **100–199** | Average to below average — 1–2× reference | Performance summer tires, sports tires, some ultra-high-performance (UHP) | Better peak grip than higher treadwear ratings — softer compound | The reference tire itself (used for comparison) scores 100. A 120 treadwear tire lasts 20% longer than the reference. Many UHP summer tires fall in the 140–180 range. |
| **60–99** | Short — less than the reference tire | Max-performance summer tires, track-day road tires | High peak grip — very soft compound | Very short tread life in normal driving conditions. These tires are optimised for maximum grip at the cost of longevity. |
| **Below 60** | Very short — 1,000–10,000 km typical | Competition/track tires (some are UTQG-exempt), extreme-performance street tires | Maximum grip — compound is very soft and tacky | A treadwear of 40–60 is found on extreme-performance street-legal track tires (R-compound). Below 40 is typical of true racing slicks, which are usually UTQG-exempt. |

## Traction: what the letter grade means

The traction grade measures straight-line wet braking from 96 km/h on government test surfaces (both asphalt and concrete). It does not measure dry grip, wet cornering, or winter traction.

| Grade | Wet stopping distance | Test method | Common tire types | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **AA** | Best — shortest wet straight-line stopping distance | 96 km/h (60 mph) on skid pad — government test surface (asphalt and concrete) | Found on high-performance summer tires, some all-season UHP tires | AA is the top grade. Added as a category in 1997 because the A grade population became too large. Not all premium tires achieve AA — compound and tread design both affect wet braking. |
| **A** | Good — below AA, above B | 96 km/h (60 mph) on same government skid pad surfaces | Most all-season and touring tires fall in this grade | The most common traction grade. Many competent all-season tires that perform well in the real world are rated A, not AA. |
| **B** | Adequate — longer than A | Same conditions | Some older or budget designs; less common today | B grade indicates adequate wet traction but is noticeably worse than A in the government test. Less common in modern tire lines. |
| **C** | Minimum acceptable — longest of the graded types | Same conditions | Very rare — mostly legacy designs | C is the legal minimum for a UTQG-graded tire sold in the US market. Virtually no modern tires receive C — it is considered a fail-grade in practice. |

## Temperature: what the letter grade means

The temperature grade measures the tire's ability to dissipate heat at sustained speed. It is tested on a laboratory drum at progressively higher speeds. Heat build-up in a tire is one of the primary causes of tire failure at sustained high speeds.

| Grade | Heat resistance level | What it means | Common tire types | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **A** | Sustained speed above 185 km/h (115 mph) in government test | Best heat dissipation — tire can sustain high-speed driving without internal heat build-up causing structural damage | Required for tires sold with a speed rating of V (240 km/h), W, or Y. Most modern performance tires. | The temperature grade measures heat generation and dissipation, not the tire's speed rating directly. A tire with a W speed rating must achieve temperature grade A by the test requirements. |
| **B** | Sustained speed 160–185 km/h (100–115 mph) in government test | Good heat resistance for normal highway driving | Touring and standard all-season tires with H or V speed ratings often achieve B. | Adequate for most real-world driving. The test condition (sustained speed on a drum) is more demanding than typical road use — a B-rated tire has significant thermal margin in normal driving. |
| **C** | Sustained speed 130–160 km/h (85–100 mph) in government test | Minimum acceptable heat resistance | Lower-speed-rated tires (S, T, H) | C is the legal minimum. A tire rated C is safe in normal driving but may be more vulnerable to heat failure during sustained high-speed driving (e.g., long motorway driving in hot conditions when underinflated). |

## Which tires are exempt from UTQG

| Tire type | Reason for exemption | What to use instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Winter / snow tires** | UTQG testing is performed at temperatures and conditions that disadvantage winter compounds. Winter tires are optimised for temperatures below 7 °C — UTQG treadwear and traction grades at warm test temperatures would be misleading. | Look for the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) symbol and M+S designation instead. |
| **T-type spare tires (space-saver)** | T-type spares are temporary use only and are not designed for normal sustained driving. UTQG grading would be irrelevant. | T-type spares have their own speed limitation (max 80 km/h) and are not part of the UTQG programme. |
| **Competition / racing tires** | Pure racing tires (slicks, rain tires) are not designed for public road use and do not need to meet the consumer-information purpose of UTQG. | Street-legal R-compound tires (track day / autocross tires) typically do carry UTQG markings (very low treadwear, high traction). DOT-legal racing tires must comply even if they have very low ratings. |
| **Deep tread off-road tires (some)** | Some light-truck and off-road tires designed exclusively for off-highway use are exempt. | Most light-truck tires sold for mixed on/off-road use do carry UTQG markings. |

## Limitations of UTQG: what it does not measure

| Limitation | Detail | What to do instead |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Cross-manufacturer comparison is unreliable** | Each manufacturer uses their own reference tire for treadwear grading. A treadwear 300 from manufacturer A is not guaranteed to last as long as a treadwear 300 from manufacturer B — each 300 is relative to that manufacturer's own 100-rated reference tire, which itself varies. | Use treadwear ratings reliably for within-brand comparisons. When comparing across brands, real-world tire tests and owner reviews are more informative. |
| **Traction grade is wet straight-line braking only** | The traction test measures straight-line braking on wet asphalt and concrete at 96 km/h. It does not measure cornering grip, dry grip, hydroplaning resistance, or winter traction. | A tire with a traction grade of A may perform worse in wet cornering than a competitor with the same grade, because the test does not capture lateral forces. |
| **Temperature grade does not directly indicate speed rating** | The temperature grade measures heat resistance, which is related to but not the same as speed rating. A tire with a temperature grade A can sustain above 185 km/h in the test, but the specific maximum speed rating (V/W/Y) depends on the full speed-rating test. | Check the speed rating symbol separately. Temperature grade A is required for V, W, and Y rated tires. |
| **Treadwear does not correlate with wet or dry grip** | Higher treadwear number = harder compound = generally longer wear life but lower peak grip. However, modern compound technology means this relationship is not perfectly linear — a 240 treadwear tire can have better wet grip than a 200 treadwear tire from an older design generation. | Do not choose a tire for grip based on treadwear rating alone. Use purpose (daily/performance/track) and independent test results. |

## Where to find the UTQG markings on a tire

UTQG markings are moulded into the tire sidewall, typically on the upper sidewall area near the tread shoulder. They appear in the format:

**TREADWEAR 320 TRACTION A TEMPERATURE A**

The three characteristics appear sequentially. They may be spaced over one or two lines on the sidewall depending on tire width and design. The markings are always in English regardless of the market the tire is sold in — UTQG is a US-origin standard.

On the EU Tyre Label (which covers tires sold in Europe), the three categories are different: fuel efficiency (rolling resistance — A through G), wet grip (A through G, with F and G not in use for passenger tires), and external rolling noise (dB level and star rating). EU wet grip and UTQG traction are both wet braking measures but use different test protocols and are not directly equivalent.

## Using UTQG when buying tires: a practical approach

For a **daily driver prioritising longevity**: look for treadwear 300+ with traction A or AA and temperature A. You will sacrifice peak grip slightly but gain significantly more km per tire.

For a **performance-oriented driver** who values grip and accepts faster wear: look for treadwear 100–200, traction AA, temperature A. These tires will need replacing more frequently but offer better wet braking and typically better dry response from the softer compound.

For **track day use**: very low treadwear (60 and below) R-compound tires. Accept that these will wear significantly faster on road use and are not appropriate as daily tires. Some track day enthusiasts mount R-compound tires for events and swap back to road tires afterward.

## More tools

- [Tire speed rating chart](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/speed-rating/)
- [Tire compound guide](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/tyre-compound/)
- [EU tyre label guide](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/eu-tyre-label/)
- [Tire tread depth guide](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/tread-depth/)
- [Tire wear indicators guide](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/tread-wear-indicators/)
- [Tire & wheel reference guides](https://tirefitlab.com/learn/)

[Last reviewed: 2026-06-22](https://tirefitlab.com/methodology/)

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