The Ford Explorer EV leaves the factory on 235/45 R21 and 235/50 R20 and 235/55 R19 and 255/50 R19 depending on wheel size, and the 255/50 R19 103H below is the one most owners are replacing. A standard load 103 rating is modest for an electric car and says something about where this one's kerb weight sits. It is staggered: a 235 section at the front and a 255 at the back, so the two can never be swapped across axles and the rear goes first. The Ford Capri takes the same size.
| Generation | Trim | Wheel | Tyre size | Load index | Speed | Construction | Marking | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Standard Range RWD 170PS (19in, square) | 19in | 255/50 R19 | 103 | H | SL | none | see plate |
| Current | All versions (19in, staggered) | 19in | 235/55 R19 front, 255/50 R19 rear | 101 | H | SL | none | see plate |
| Current | Standard and Extended Range RWD (20in) | 20in | 235/50 R20 front, 255/45 R20 rear | 100 | H | SL | none | see plate |
| Current | Extended Range AWD 340PS (20in) | 20in | 235/50 R20 front, 255/45 R20 rear | 104 | H | XL | none | see plate |
| Current | All versions (21in) | 21in | 235/45 R21 front, 255/40 R21 rear | 101 | H | XL | none | see plate |
Your own placard is the authority. You will find it on the on the driver's door jamb, on the B-pillar. Where it disagrees with this page, it wins. Match or exceed the size, load index, speed rating and construction class it gives, and use its pressure figure rather than anything printed on the tyre.
The European Explorer sits on Volkswagen's MEB platform and runs a narrower front axle than rear on most wheels: 235 at the front, 255 at the back. Staggered sets cannot be swapped between axles, so the rear pair wears out on its own schedule.
On the 20 inch wheel the motor changes the load rating. The 340PS dual-motor Explorer is listed at XL 104H front and 105H rear. The rear-drive versions are listed at standard-load 100H and 101H. A standard-load set taken off a rear-drive car is under-rated for the AWD.
The 21 inch is XL on both axles, and its 255/40 R21 rear has the thinnest sidewall on the car at about 102mm.
Every Explorer fitment is H-rated, 210km/h, and the highest index anywhere on the car is the XL 255/45 R20 rear of the AWD at 105, which is 925kg.
How these were chosen. Everything here already clears this vehicle's own load index, speed rating and construction class. Each heading is a question about use rather than a ranking. The whole method.
Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. Graded A for rolling resistance, the best of anything here, and that is the figure that shows on the range display. EPREL registration 2626877.
Graded A for rolling resistance, the best of anything here, and that is the figure that shows on the range display. Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. EPREL registration 2619342.
Measured at 70 decibels, the quietest of the set. Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. EPREL registration 2644146.
A winter tyre, so a second set rather than a replacement for what is on the car now. Graded D for wet grip. Graded B for rolling resistance. EPREL registration 727673.
Rated below the speed this vehicle left the factory at, which is permitted for a winter tyre and is why it carries a T or an R. The load index and the construction class still match. Do not exceed the tyre's own rating while it is fitted.
Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. Graded A for rolling resistance, the best of anything here, and that is the figure that shows on the range display. EPREL registration 1367619.
Ordering is by the registered label figure, not by anything we think of them.
Designed for electric cars from the ground up rather than adapted from a combustion tyre, and the winner of the 2025 Auto Bild EV tyre test.
An all-season tyre for electric cars, which is a sensible default in a climate that rarely makes a full winter tyre worth the second set of wheels.
Continental's efficiency summer tyre in the sizes heavy electric cars actually use, available in some fitments with the ContiSilent foam liner.
Graded A for fuel efficiency in several of the sizes heavy electric cars use, which is a harder result on a two tonne car than it looks.
A studless winter tyre built for the weight and the rolling resistance demands of an electric car.
Rated below the speed this vehicle left the factory at, which is permitted for a winter tyre and is why it carries a T or an R. The load index and the construction class still match. Do not exceed the tyre's own rating while it is fitted.
Sumitomo's electric-car range at a price well below the flagships, with the load ratings heavy battery cars actually need.
A Korean-built summer tyre that turns up as original equipment more often than its profile suggests, graded A for fuel efficiency.
A high performance summer tyre available in the Y rated sizes that heavy, fast electric cars are specified with.
Graded A for wet grip in the large sizes electric SUVs run, which is the grade worth paying for.
A performance summer tyre built for heavy, fast electric cars, with an acoustic foam liner bonded inside the cavity.
Every figure here comes from one tyre maker's own fitment data, checked across different years or trims. That is a second look rather than a second opinion, so check the label on your door jamb before you buy.
