UTQG stands for Uniform Tire Quality Grading, which is a set of standards for passenger car tires that measures a tires treadwear, temperature resistance, and traction. The UTQG rating is made up of three components: treadwear, traction, and temperature. The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test track. A tire graded 200 would last twice the distance on the government test course under specified test conditions as one graded 100. Traction represents the level of grip the tire possesses, and the traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. They represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of concrete and asphalt. Tires with a “AA” traction rating should stop at a much shorter distance than a tire with a “C” rating. Temperature rating shows the tires ability to disperse heat build-up. Heat is what causes a tire to deteriorate over time. Therefore, a tire that has a high temperature rating will disperse heat better than one with a low temperature rating. The temperature grades are A, B, and C, with A being the highest rating.

It is important to note that the Department of Transportation (DOT) does not conduct the tests to assign UTQG ratings. The grades are assigned by the tire manufacturers based on their test results or those conducted by an independent testing company they have hired. All tires manufactured for sale in the United States since March 31, 1979, are federally mandated to have the UTQG ratings on their sidewall as part of the DOT approval process, in which non-DOT approved tires are not legal for street use in the United States.