Continental tyre on sale since 2023 reaches 65% renewable and recycled material

What is inside the tyre

Continental began selling the UltraContact NXT to dealers across Europe, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, in July 2023. The tyre is made at a Continental plant in Lousado, Portugal. Continental reports that the tyre reaches a combined 65% share of renewable, recycled or mass balance certified material. Renewable material, such as bio based silica made from rice husk ash and natural rubber, makes up 32%. Recycled material, including recycled rubber, recycled steel and polyester fibre made from 9 to 15 recycled plastic bottles per tyre, makes up 5%. The remaining 28% comes from a certification method called mass balance.

Mass balance is an accounting method, not a measurement of what sits inside 1 tyre. Continental explains that renewable and recycled raw material is physically mixed with fossil material inside its existing factories. The company then works out the renewable and recycled share moving through its whole production process and allocates that share to specific products on paper, under a certification system called ISCC PLUS, which tracks renewable and recycled material through a supply chain. That means the 28 percentage points from mass balance are not a promise that 28% of the rubber in any single tyre is itself free of fossil oil. No tyre sold anywhere today is entirely free of fossil oil.

At Continental, safety, performance, and sustainability go hand in hand. With the UltraContact NXT, we deliver on our ambitious sustainability goals.

Ferdinand Hoyos, who leads the replacement tyre business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Continental. Source 1.

How it performs in an independent test

AvD, a German automobile club not affiliated with Continental, tested the tyre for its 2026 summer tyre review. AvD independently confirmed the same top A, A, A rating that Continental reports. Under Regulation 2020 740 of the European Union, in force since May 1, 2021, every tyre sold in the bloc carries a letter grade from A to E for fuel efficiency, measured by rolling resistance, for wet grip and for exterior noise. Rolling resistance is the drag a tyre creates as it turns, and a lower rolling resistance burns less fuel or battery charge to cover the same distance. AvD found the UltraContact NXT had by far the lowest rolling resistance among the tyres it tested in that size, and ranked it first on ecological grounds, citing high mileage and low tyre wear.

The same test found a weaker point that the Continental release does not mention. In deep water and heavy rain, the tyre aquaplaning reserve, its ability to keep contact with a wet road instead of riding up on a layer of water, was only average. AvD ties that result to the same tuning that won the tyre its low rolling resistance.

How the number compares with a rival that has not shipped yet

Michelin, a separate tyre maker, unveiled 2 demonstrator tyres in October 2022 with higher percentages than the Continental tyre on sale today, a car tyre reaching 45% and a bus tyre reaching 58%. Michelin described both as pre production, not yet approved for sale, with a stated path of 2 to 3 years before any of that material reaches a standard tyre range. No source found for this article confirms that a Michelin tyre carrying either figure has gone on sale since. The Continental tyre, in contrast, has already been sold to dealers for 3 years.