The Volkswagen ID. Buzz leaves the factory on 235/50 R20 and 235/55 R19 and 235/60 R18 depending on wheel size, and the 235/60 R18 103T 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 Kia EV5 takes the same size.
| Generation | Trim | Wheel | Tyre size | Load index | Speed | Construction | Marking | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | Pro and Cargo (18in) | 18in | 235/60 R18 front, 255/55 R18 rear | 103 | T | SL | none | see plate |
| Current | Pro, Cargo and GTX (19in) | 19in | 235/55 R19 front, 255/50 R19 rear | 105 | T | XL | none | see plate |
| Current | Short wheelbase Pro, Cargo and GTX (20in) | 20in | 235/50 R20 front, 265/45 R20 rear | 104 | T | 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 ID. Buzz is staggered on every wheel size. The difference is greatest on 20 inch wheels, where a 265 rear sits behind a 235 front.
Its load indices are high for the tyre widths involved: the 20 inch rear is 108 XL, 1,000 kg per corner, and the 19 inch rear 107 XL, 975 kg. Only the 18 inch pair, 103 and 105, is standard load.
Michelin's US listing for the long-wheelbase model puts it on HL (High Load) tyres at 20 inch, 235/50 R20 107T front and 265/45 R20 111T rear. An XL tyre of the same size does not carry that load, so a long-wheelbase Buzz should be checked at the sidewall, where HL is printed before the size.
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 B for rolling resistance. EPREL registration 701629.
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 1367608.
Measured at 69 decibels, the quietest of the set. Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. EPREL registration 2644145.
A winter tyre, so a second set rather than a replacement for what is on the car now. Graded D for wet grip. Graded A for rolling resistance, the best of anything here, and that is the figure that shows on the range display. EPREL registration 1425792.
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.
Ordering is by the registered label figure, not by anything we think of them.
Sumitomo's electric-car range at a price well below the flagships, with the load ratings heavy battery cars actually need.
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.
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.
A touring summer tyre built with Bridgestone's Enliten construction, which cuts weight and rolling resistance across the range rather than in one model.
An efficiency-first summer tyre aimed squarely at range rather than at cornering.
Graded A for wet grip in the large sizes electric SUVs run, which is the grade worth paying for.
Continental's efficiency summer tyre in the sizes heavy electric cars actually use, available in some fitments with the ContiSilent foam liner.
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.
