I imported Continental EcoContact 6 from UK through eBay as in the US, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500 is the only available tire for BMW i3. EP500 has been released around 2013, and have only received minor updates since then. As a result of this, they have some notable issues, a) poor wet grip, b) very small amount of usable treads, c) poor wear, d) mediocre handling. I was tired of those tires, and wanted to see what EcoContact 6 can do vs EP500.

WiselyAutomotive measured the tread depth of Michelin E.Primacy, Bridgestone Ecopia EP500, and Continental EcoContact 6 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJIOQBxudrY around 1:25 mark). The EcoContact 6 had the most amount of treads in both the center, inner, and outer sides of the tire (6.26 mm, 6.55 mm, 6.13 mm). This means that out of all 3, we can expect generally better wet grip. This holds true in the EU labels as well, since EP500 received C/B rating for wet grip, whereas EcoContact 6 received constantly B or A.

After international shipping, the cost came out to be actually cheaper than EP500. I was happy to have installed all 4 of those for R20 wheel option, which is 155/60R20 and 175/55R20.

Handling - this tire handles really well. I was able to go around corners where EP500 lost grip, and it kept pulling through. It has bit of oversteery balance to it, but very predictable.

Dry - I was impressed with just how much stuff I can get away with this tire. I can stop in a comically short distance, and the tire had really good feedback overall. It felt like I was driving a completely different car.

Wet - This tire performed exceptionally on the wet. I could not get it to slide unless I was intentionally trying to get it to slide. Really good grip, and it was very confidence inspiring compared to EP500. It can however lose grip suddenly rather than predictably at times, so caution is always advised when driving on the wet surfaces.

Wear - This tire has more treads than EP500 to begin with, and newer technology. Tires have improved a lot since 2013, and it shows. After approx 1,000 miles, they look still brand new.

Ride quality - People complain that R20 option is too stiff and unforgiving. This tire fixed it -- it was so comfortable, the noise may be at 70 decibels, but it was much less harsh than EP500. It is considerably louder than Blizzak LM500 though, as expected.

A quick note about this tire -- the maximum pressure for rears is only 44 PSI, and the front even less (EP500 is rated for 50 PSI). So starting 2018-ish, BMW raised i3's tire pressure to 44 on the rears and 39 on the fronts. So I advise you check the tire pressure often if you are running 44, because there's a potential to exceed certified rating of 44. If you want to be safe, you can run 41 instead, which is pre-2018 tire spec for BMW i3 with the identical suspension and tire components for the most part.

Overall, I was super impressed, would buy again.

Nice tyres, very nice rolling and very low fuel consuption. The handling is descent, the grip is good on dry road, ok on the wet (much better than the previous michelin energy savers). 40K klms and still have so much rubber to wear. Light car and smooth driving is probably the reason, but they look like new to me

Very bad tyres, hard, heavy, uncomfortable and very noisy. I will change them after 1500 miles. I can't stand them anymore.

Factory fitted by the manufacturer. The most disappointing aspect is certainly the road holding on wet asphalt: the car tends to understeer heavily even at low speed, for example when traveling around a roundabout. Consumption is average as is noise. I've never had emergency situations in the dry, so I can't evaluate the performance in these situations: the sensation is of just enough precision when cornering.

I’ll start by saying that these tyres are probably amongst the worst tyres I have experienced on any car I have purchased over the past twenty years or so. Perhaps I’m being unduly harsh on the tyre and should in fact aim my disappointment at the car manufacturers for choosing the EcoContact 6 tyre as a suitable ‘year-round’ original-equipment fitment for a north European market. As a pure ‘summer-use only’ tyre it’ll undoubtedly work well enough, despite the meagre 6mm of tread depth from new, which limits its potential lifespan. My first experience with Continental tyres was with the EcoContact 4, as fitted to my then-new Fiat Panda Cross three years ago. As I took delivery of the car during the summer I had to wait until the winter to discover how unsuited those tyres were to northern European winters. At low air temperatures the tyres became very noisy, felt ‘wooden’ and ‘nervous’, and their grip on icy and snow covered tarmac was abysmal. After that first winter I changed to a set of Nokian Weatherproof All-Seasons tyres…and what a transformation. Now, just a few weeks ago, I took delivery of a new Fiat Panda Wild 4x4. My heart sank when I discovered it was equipped with the latest EcoContact 6 tyres. Again, these are pure ‘summer’ tyres. Thankfully I missed the worst of the winter weather, yet even so, on cold damp tarmac the EcoContact 6 tyres lack grip and composure and they don’t instil any confidence. But at least I will have many months to consider suitable replacements before next winter. And one final observation regarding EcoContact tyres… Why are the tyre sidewalls - even from new - all lumpy and uneven, giving the impression that they are damaged. Why?

Look like part worn tyres when they are new, terrible in the wet, and don't last very long

Terrible tyres, bought a new peugeot 2008 with continental Eco Contact 6Q tyres on it and was very disappointed, all that about Green Chilli and long tread life is Garbage, after 12 months of steady driving 10,000mls, I got a Tread wear warning, that doesn't happen with Good Year and Michelin tyres, avoid like a rash if purchasing some new tyres

Wet grip is basically non existant. Front tires will spin under moderate throttle in the wet. AVOID.

Horrible breaking performance from new and very noisy. Had to occasion to compare it on different cars, as maybe the Dacia Logan is not too much of a benchmark when it comes to breaking, handling and what not, but even on a new Astra J Sedan it's crappy. The tire gets very noisy after 90km/h and depending on the road surface it gets worse. Overall the tire feels like a cheap budget one and the "Continental" name ain't holding no value on this tire unfortunately.

Had these tyres as OEM fit for two months and initially they didn't feel very grippy even in the dry. Put this down to them being new. The dry handling has slightly improved but the wet performance is appallingly bad - understeer in damp/wet conditions giving no confidence in the car getting round a corner over 60mph. After 1500 miles there's only 6mm tread left at the back and 5.5mm at the front - pretty poor. Considering replacing them already.

Very unconfortable. They transmit all road problem into cabin. I will change them in when i reach 20K

The EcoContact 6 is a terrible tyre. I had them as OE with my xc40, from new. I found them fidgety in the wet and I had no confidence in them when it came to aquaplaning. As soon as the tread was halfway worn they started wheel spinning when pulling out at junctions or onto a roundabouts in the wet at anything other than a crawl. The fronts were worn out after 12,000 miles of easy driving.