Comparison (0)

Braking distance calculator How quickly does your car stop?

Calculate the braking distance at different speeds and in different road conditions.

Simple. Fast. Accurate.

1. Your car

optional

The exact size is on the tyre sidewall and the driver's door frame.

km/h

4. Road conditions

Based on real testsIndependent tyre tests and official data
Transparent calculationsEPREL data + test results, with the source next to every figure
Verified accuracy~4% average error against measured braking distances
Why braking distance matters

Speed grows linearly. Braking distance doesn't.

Double the speed means more than double the braking distance. On a wet road the difference is even bigger.

Stopping distance = reaction + braking

Before the brakes start working, the car keeps going at full speed during your reaction time: at 90 km/h that is 25 m in 1 second. On a wet road the stopping distance is therefore about 69,4 m. Formula and examples

90 → 110 km/h

On wet roads, 44,4 m becomes 68,3 m — 23,9 metres or 54% more.

Wet vs dry

At 90 km/h on dry roads 29,8 m, on wet 44,4 m.

Tyre

Same car, same wet road: a tyre labelled class A 41,4 m, class E 59,1 m.

What affects braking distance

Six things you can influence

All figures are calculated with the calculator's own model — same car, one thing changed at a time.

Speed

The biggest single factor. Energy grows with the square of speed.

50 → 110 km/h on wet roads: 13,4 → 68,3 m

Road conditions

Snow and ice change everything. A summer tyre on snow is a different world.

Snow 50 km/h, summer vs winter: 60,9 / 26,3 m

Tyre

The wet grip class is official and comparable. Only in your size.

Class A vs E, 90 km/h: +17,7 m (+43%)

Temperature

On warm asphalt a winter tyre is soft and brakes worse.

Dry +25 °C, summer vs winter: 28,6 / 37,8 m (+32%)

Car

Weight, ABS and brakes. Load matters less than people think.

+375 kg load on wet roads: 44,4 → 45,2 m (+1,8%)

Tyre condition

A worn tread clears water less well. In deep water, many times worse.

8 mm → 3 mm, wet 90 km/h: 44,4 → 48,6 m (+9,5%)

How it is calculated

The result is a calculated estimate, not a lab measurement. The model simulates braking step by step: tyre grip at the given speed, ABS, air resistance, car weight and brakes.

Types of data on this site

OfficialEU tyre label (EPREL): wet grip, rolling resistance, noise, snow and ice symbols.
Independent testADAC, Tekniikan Maailma, UTAC — measured braking distances, with source and year.
CalculatedThis site's model for your car, speed and road conditions.
≈ EstimatedOur model's estimate for a property that hasn't been measured for this tyre (dry braking, braking in deep water, snow, ice) — based on the average for the tyre type.
Your inputCar, tyre size, speed, road conditions.

Assumptions

  • Wet: wet asphalt, 1 mm water layer, +10 °C
  • Dry: dry asphalt, +15 °C
  • Snow: packed snow, −5 °C
  • Ice: ice, −5 °C
  • New tyre (8 mm), pressure as recommended by the manufacturer, driver in the car.
  • Aquaplaning: the same new tyre, but with 3 mm of water on the road (ruts, a large puddle). A normal wet road is 1 mm.
  • Reaction time is not included. The braking distance starts from the moment the brake is fully pressed. Reacting usually takes about 1 second — at 90 km/h that is another 25 metres before the car even starts to slow down.
  • The car's factory sizes have been cross-checked online (tyre fitment and manufacturer sites) — there are usually 2–4 of them. The site suggests the most common one, but the exact size is on your tyre's sidewall.
  • If no car is selected, the calculation uses a typical compact car (VW Golf 8).

Accuracy

  • For tested tyres, grip comes from the measured result. Against measured braking distances, the model's average error on asphalt is 4.4%.
  • For tyres with only a label, only the class (A–E) is known. The class grip is not the nominal midpoint of the range but the median of measured tyres in the same class (e.g. a regular class A summer tyre 1.47, a class A sports tyre 1.64). Tyres in the same class are equal in the model — in real life they differ by ±3–4%.
  • On dry roads, snow and ice the label says nothing. On these surfaces only tested tyres are ranked.

Limitations

The model does not account for slush or braking in a bend. The range below the result shows the uncertainty.

Liability

The figures on this site are for general information and for comparing tyres. They are not a guarantee, an expert opinion or a basis for decisions on the road — always drive according to conditions. Terms of use and liability

Read the full methodology →