Continental tires
German engineering with class-leading wet grip. Typically $100–$300 per tire.
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Continental AG was founded in Hanover, Germany in 1871 and today is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world, making brakes and electronics as well as tires. Its tire division builds US-market passenger tires in Mount Vernon, Illinois and Sumter, South Carolina, and it also owns the General Tire brand.
Continental's reputation in the US was built on wet performance. Its tires consistently post some of the shortest wet-braking distances in independent tests, and the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus has been the default recommendation for an ultra-high-performance all-season tire for a decade. The PureContact LS is a refined touring tire, the CrossContact LX25 covers crossovers and SUVs with a long warranty, and the TerrainContact A/T is one of the quieter all-terrain tires for trucks.
Prices land slightly below Michelin and roughly level with Goodyear and Bridgestone. Continental's Total Confidence Plan is one of the better warranty packages: a 60-day trial period, three years of flat-tire roadside assistance and a limited road-hazard component on many models. The trade-off is that Continental's tread life, while good, does not quite reach Michelin on the longest-wearing touring lines, and the brand has fewer aggressive off-road options.
$110 prepaid Mastercard, up to $200 with Continental card
$110 Continental Tire Prepaid Mastercard on 4 qualifying tires (CrossContact, TerrainContact, SecureContact, VikingContact and van lines), +$90 when paid with the Continental Tire (Synchrony) credit card. Dealer pages state the fall window as 9/14-12/6/2026 with forms due 12/31/2026, but continentaltire.com still showed the Jul-Aug offer as ended on 9/26 - confirm before quoting dates. Submit at continentaltire-rebates.com. Ends Dec 6, 2026.
Continental models worth buying
| Model | Type | Mileage warranty | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PureContact LS | All-Season Tires | 70,000 mi | $150 | Sedans and coupes that want a quiet ride with better-than-average grip in the rain. |
| ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus | Performance Tires | 50,000 mi | $170 | Performance sedans and sports cars in four-season climates that see wet roads and occasional snow. |
| TerrainContact A/T | All-Terrain Tires | 60,000 mi | $200 | Pickups and SUVs that need light off-road ability but spend most miles on the highway. |
| CrossContact LX25 | Highway Truck & SUV Tires | 70,000 mi | $180 | Crossovers and SUVs that want long tread life and a comfortable, quiet ride. |
| VikingContact 7 | Winter Tires | None | $150 | Drivers in heavy-snow regions who want a studless winter tire that is also good on wet roads. |
| ExtremeContact Sport 02 | Summer Tires | 30,000 mi | $180 | Track-day enthusiasts and spirited drivers who want summer grip with a mileage warranty. |
| ProContact TX SSR | Run-Flat Tires | None | $190 | BMW and Mini owners replacing original-equipment run-flats with the matching tire. |
Strengths
- Consistently excellent wet braking across the lineup
- ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is the reference UHP all-season tire
- Total Confidence Plan includes road-hazard coverage on many models
Weaknesses
- Tread life slightly behind Michelin on touring tires
- Limited choice for mud-terrain and heavy off-road use
Continental as a company
Made in the US at: Mount Vernon, Illinois; Sumter, South Carolina; Clinton, Mississippi.
Continental has made tires in the United States since it bought General Tire in 1987 and today runs three US tire plants: Mount Vernon, Illinois (passenger and truck tires), Sumter, South Carolina (passenger and light truck) and Clinton, Mississippi (truck tires), employing more than 6,700 manufacturing staff between them. Its Americas tire headquarters sits in Fort Mill, South Carolina, opened in 2020 and expanded in 2024. Continental-brand tires are supplied as original equipment to many carmakers and sold in the aftermarket through independent dealers, Continental's own and franchised outlets and online retailers such as Tire Rack, alongside its sister brands General, Barum, Semperit, Viking and Gislaved.
Figures are GROUP-level for Continental AG, not tire-division-level. Continental completed the spin-off of its automotive electronics business as Aumovio SE on 17 September 2025, so the listed entity (Continental AG, Frankfurt/DAX) now consists of Tires plus ContiTech, with ContiTech earmarked for divestment during 2026. FY2025 group sales were EUR 19.7bn and group adjusted EBIT margin 10.3%; the Tires group sector alone had sales of EUR 13.8bn (about USD 15.5bn) and an adjusted EBIT margin of 13.6%. Tire Business' Global Tire Report put Continental 4th worldwide on fiscal 2024 tire-only sales of USD 12.5bn (tire-only sales are lower than sector sales, which include retail and services). EUR converted at a rounded 1.12 USD per EUR (approximate 2025 average). Employees: 92,653 at 336 locations at the end of 2025 per the 2025 annual report; Continental's own figures page quoted about 76,000 in March 2026 after the ContiTech OESL business was sold on 2 February 2026, and the Tires sector alone employs about 53,000. Production volume in tires or tonnes is not published at group level, hence null; the three US plants alone have capacity for more than 16 million tires a year. No sourced global market-share percentage was found, hence null. Latest public figures: fiscal year 2025 (reported 4 March 2026).
Continental through the years
- 1871Continental was founded on 8 October 1871 in Hanover as Continental-Caoutchouc- und Gutta-Percha Compagnie, a rubber goods maker.
- 1892The company started developing and producing pneumatic bicycle tires.
- 1904Continental introduced the first car tire with a grooved, patterned tread.
- 1979Continental bought Uniroyal's European tire operations, becoming a major European tire group.
- 1987Continental acquired General Tire from GenCorp, giving it US tire plants and a US brand.
- 2025Continental spun off its automotive electronics arm as Aumovio SE in September, leaving a tire-focused listed company.
Did you know?
- Continental says it built the world's first car tire with a patterned tread back in 1904 - before that, car tires were smooth.
- Its plant in Mount Vernon, Illinois is Continental's largest US tire factory: it built its first tire in 1974 and now employs more than 3,900 people making both passenger and truck tires.
- Continental's three American plants can turn out more than 16 million tires a year, and the company has put over 1.5 billion dollars into US tire manufacturing in the past decade.
Continental tires: common questions
Where are Continental tires made?
Continental builds many of its US-market passenger tires in Mount Vernon, Illinois and Sumter, South Carolina. Some sizes are imported from Germany, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Mexico or Malaysia. The DOT plant code on the sidewall identifies the factory.
Are Continental tires good in snow?
The all-season and all-weather models are competent in light snow, and the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus is better than most performance tires in slush. For real winter conditions Continental's VikingContact 7 is a dedicated studless tire that competes with the Bridgestone Blizzak WS90 and Michelin X-Ice Snow.
What is the Continental Total Confidence Plan?
It is the warranty package included with most Continental passenger and light-truck tires. It includes a 60-day customer-satisfaction trial, three years of flat-tire roadside assistance, mileage coverage up to 70,000 miles depending on the model, and limited road-hazard coverage for the first year on eligible tires. Registration is not required, but keep your receipt.