Continental tyres

Founded in 1871, we are one of the world's leading tyre manufacturers and offer a wide range of products for passenger cars, commercial and specialty vehicles as well as two-wheelers.

This also includes services for the tyre trade and fleet applications, as well as digital management systems for tyres. Continuous investment in research and development makes a significant contribution toward safe, cost-effective, sustainable mobility.

We have a history of success going all the way back to 1871, when our company was first established in Hanover, Germany.

Wherever people strive to turn their ideas of mobility into reality, we’re ready to support them. It's a common thread running through every era of our history; our technologies, systems and service solutions make mobility and transport more sustainable, safer, more convenient, more customised, and more affordable.

There’s quite a lot of ground to cover, but here’s a summary of our key phases in 150 years of innovation and progress – and a tantalising glimpse into our future.

Founded in Hanover, Germany, in 1871, we’ve amassed a vast amount of knowledge and expertise. Decades of extensive research and testing, for example, have proven beyond a doubt that tyres aren’t only crucial for a vehicle’s overall performance – they significantly influence braking power, too.

With an emphasis on progress, we continually strive to optimise our product range. The Continental product development teams work to maximise all safety-relevant characteristics of our tyres, while simultaneously minimising rolling resistance. These aspects make a fundamental contribution to driving safety and sustainability.

We always strive to offer the best tyre solutions, no matter the vehicle. We apply our comprehensive understanding of research, development, and testing to a wide range of tyres, each tailored perfectly to their purpose. 

Our tyres come in many shapes and sizes: big ones and small ones, heavy ones and thin ones, fast ones and strong ones. Our tyres have been on race cars and Tour de France bikes, they have broken speed and range records, and they are regularly tested best in class and have often been the first of their kind.

We vigorously test our tyres on proving grounds around the globe, including the Contidrom, our in-house track near Hanover. Within the Contidrom is the world’s first fully automated tyre-testing system, AIBA, where tests are conducted year-round on wet and dry road surfaces.

This relentless focus on every single safety and performance aspect is confirmed repeatedly by independent tests around the world, where we regularly achieve the highest recommendations and accolades.

Furthermore, our tyres must also pass hundreds of vehicle manufacturers’ stringent tests to ensure they perform to the highest standards. Only then are Continental tyres approved as Original Equipment (OE).

Modern vehicles operate through a complex interaction of sophisticated components – and that includes the tyres. The right set of tyres guarantees that a vehicle’s performance on paper translates into performance on the road.

It’s a good thing, then, that one in every three passenger cars in Europe delivered from the factory is fitted with tyres from Continental. As the leading OE supplier in the European market, gaining approval from our partners is a sign of a product’s exceptional quality. Our success in this area also reflects our commitment to sustainable mobility: Continental Original Equipment tyres have received approvals for more than 40% of the all-electric passenger car and van models produced in Europe and over 50% in the Americas. We also deliver tyres to six of the ten most successful EV producers.