Finally: A Proper All-Terrain Tire That Doesn’t Ruin Your EV Range

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Today I’m excited to review the Pirelli Scorpion XTM all-terrain for you. Tires are a bit outside of our normal scope, but I thought it was important for a three reasons:

1. The new generation of electric vehicles are extremely capable off-road with a few simple modifications, with tires sitting at the top of the list.
2. Many buyers of electric vehicles don’t know how many options are available for replacement tires for their vehicles and the impacts to range and performance that come with each.
3. Tires have an outsized environmental impact, and it’s good to have a baseline understanding of how you can improve that.

Why Pirelli?

Pirelli has established itself as one of the primary OEM suppliers of tires for electric vehicles on a wide range of vehicles like Rivians, the all-season tires on the Cybertruck, and more. Pirelli had yet to offer a robust all-terrain tire until recently.

Disclaimer: Pirelli sent a set of the Pirelli Scorpion XTM ATs to the author for the purposes of this review.

The Pirelli Scorpion XTM All-Terrain is an aggressive, meaty all-terrain tire that just went on sale in the stock dimensions for the Cybertruck. We did a deep dive into the environmental impacts of Pirelli last year and were eager to see how their well-established racing chops held up when it was time to leave the pavement.

Upgrading From Stock

The all-wheel drive Cybertruck and most Rivians come with a set of Pirelli Scorpion ATR all season tires. These lightweight tires were designed to be efficient and safe on road. All season tires are often selected as the factory tires on electric vehicles to maximize the OEM range of the vehicle and that holds true for the Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires.

I’ve taken the them off-road on both the Cybertruck and the Rivian R1S. The tires themselves are fine for dry gravel and fire roads, but they aren’t the most durable tires for more aggressive off-roading. I took the Rivian R1S up the famed Schneebly Road in Sedona, Arizona, on Pirelli Scorpion ATR all season tires and they performed fine. They don’t have the large lugs of a traditional all-terrain tire so they are not well suited for steep off-road climbs, sharp rocky trails, or mud.

The smooth sidewalls on the all season tires doesn’t provide as much protection from rock and wood punctures as you have with a traditional all-terrain tire with their beefier builds. I have had two holes sliced and poked in my sidewalls when off-roading in my heavily modified Tesla Model Y while out on the trails in the Black hills of South Dakota, so sidewall punctures are definitely something that happens.

Compared to the stock Pirelli Scorpion ATR all season tires, the XTM ATs were 9% less efficient driving at highway speeds. Because of the more aggressive lugs and the blockier nature of the tread pattern, the XTM ATs also produced slightly more road noise, though that’s expected with any all-terrain tire.

The negative impact of off-road tires drops on highway as speed is reduced due to less wind drag coming from the more aggressive tread pattern. Conversely, efficiency typically drops when driving off-road regardless of the tire used because of the increase in rolling resistance and elevation changes.

The rubber compound used in the XTM ATs feels grippier than the all seasons, which is reassuring in aggressive driving and in wet weather. I was fortunate to have a heavy rainstorm in the middle of testing and I pushed them hard to see how they performed and they held up well. Traction was never an issue regardless of how hard I drove.

All-Terrain Tires For Electric Vehicles

In addition to the Pirelli Scorpion ATRs that come on the Cybertruck, I had a set of BF Goodrich all-terrain TA KO3 tires on the truck for 15,000 miles. These are at the top of the list of tires for many off-roaders and are some of the most durable, versatile all-terrain tires in the world.

Replacing the KO3s with Pirelli scorpion XTM ATs was a night-and-day difference. The XTM ATs were so much quieter that they almost felt like street tires when driving on the tarmac.

In addition to a noticeably quieter ride, the ride was also much smoother. The lugs on the KO3s are more aggressive, which is something you can definitely feel when driving, especially in quieter, smoother electric vehicles. The XTM ATs were so much smoother and felt like they had more grip on road. The quiet ride is a result of intentional pitch sequencing by Pirelli that utilizes uneven tread blocks and gaps to eliminate the thrum typical of off-road tires on the highway.

That’s a really important characteristic because people are generally spending far more miles driving their off-road vehicles on highways and around town than they are out in the dirt. That makes it even more important to have tires that perform well on-road with minimal efficiency impact while also delivering the same durability and performance you need when it is time to hit the trails.

To see how the XTM ATs performed off-road, I headed up into the mountains above Ojai, California. Ojai is known as a hipster’s paradise where Hollywood’s elite go to wind down, but it’s the rugged mountains flanking the small town that get me excited.

I had my eyes set on the connector trail that climbs up to the famed Nordhoff ridge which traces the spine of the mountains flanking the small town. I’ve hiked it many times and always enjoy the steep climb up to the ridge where you can enjoy a views for days as a nice reward for the hard work you put in.

That climb up was the perfect place to test these tires in the nearly 7,000-lb Tesla Cybertruck. It’s littered with rocks ranging from large river stones all the way on up to blocky sandstone blades. The Pirelli Scorpion XTM ATs handled everything I threw at it without batting an eye. The Cybertruck’s off-road mode maximized traction and even on some of the sketchiest downhill off-camber sections, the XTM ATs crawled down with confidence.

Looking at the tires after a few dozen miles climbing around the mountains, they held up well. They have stone injectors built into the pattern and aggressive shoulders that provided additional protection from punctures where the tread meets the sidewall. Pirelli also uses a thicker rubber compound and shoulder ribs to reinforce the sidewalls so they’re beefier than typical light truck tires.

We don’t get much snow here in Southern California, but it’s reassuring to know that they are also 3-Peak snowflake rated tires. That doesn’t replace true winter traction tires or chains, but their tread pattern is chock full of deep siping for maximum traction in the snow over the life of the tire.

Overall

Tire companies are starting to make tires of all shapes and sizes that are optimized for electric vehicles. It’s really exciting to see these Pirelli Scorpion XTM ATs performing well and delivering meaningful improvements over aggressive all-terrain tires designed for combustion vehicles. They deliver a much quieter ride than the BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO3s without sacrificing off-road performance.

The BFG AT TA KO3s would be my go to choice for maximum durability on trails known for eating tires. The KO3s feature a 50,000-mile warranty, which is just a tad less than the 55,000-mile warranty the Pirelli Scorpion XTM ATs come with. The Pirelli XTM ATs are perfect for drivers spending more time on the highway with occasional aggressive off-road driving. They are quieter and smoother on the highway with equivalent performance and a slightly better warranty.

The Pirelli Scorpion XTM ATs are a part of Pirelli’s special line of tires for electric vehicles called ELECT. This family of tires are optimized for the extra weight and efficiency needs of electric vehicles. In our testing, the Pirelli Scorpion XTM All-Terrain tires were 1-2% more efficient than the BF Goodrich all-terrain TA KO3s on the highway. That’s not going to change the world, but it’s a nice bump over tires not optimized for efficiency.

Head over to the Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT’s official website for more information.