130-Year-Old Dunlop Scores Last Among Every Tire Brand In America After $735M Fire Sale
A 130-year-old tire brand just hit an unexpected low. JD Power’s 2026 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, released after surveying 38,244 owners of 2023 to 2025 vehicles, ranked Dunlop last in the passenger car segment with a score of 723 out of 1,000. The result surfaced months after Goodyear completed its $735 million sale of the brand to Sumitomo Rubber Industries on May 7, 2025. The timing raises a critical question about what the score actually reflects and whether it signals deeper issues within factory-fitted tire performance across today’s vehicles.
Dunlop Lands At The Bottom
JD Power’s 2026 study placed Dunlop last in the passenger car segment with a score of 723 out of 1,000. Michelin led at 816, while Goodyear and Toyo tied for second at 798. The rankings are based on owner feedback after one and two years of use, covering tire wear, ride quality, appearance, and traction or handling. Dunlop’s result stood apart sharply, especially as some reports described it as the lowest score recorded across the entire study, setting up a deeper look at what that number really means.
Why The Score Stands Out
JD Power organizes results by vehicle segment rather than one national ranking of every tire sold. Even so, Dunlop’s 723 drew attention because no other reported score fell lower in the 2026 study. That contrast became clearer when placed against industry leaders scoring near or above 800. The gap suggested more than routine variation. It highlighted a noticeable difference in owner satisfaction within its category, especially as other brands clustered closer together, hinting at a broader story behind Dunlop’s position in this year’s findings.
A Brand Changing Hands Midway
Dunlop’s ranking arrived during a major ownership shift. Goodyear completed the sale of the Dunlop brand to Sumitomo Rubber Industries on May 7, 2025, for $735 million. The deal included $526 million for the brand, $105 million for transition support, and $104 million for inventory. Because JD Power surveys drivers after one and two years of ownership, many responses reflected experiences that began before or during this transition, creating a timeline overlap that complicates how the results should be interpreted.
Goodyear’s Exit And Strategic Shift
Goodyear presented the sale as part of its Goodyear Forward transformation plan. The company stated it would use the $735 million in gross cash proceeds to reduce leverage and strengthen its financial position. That decision positioned Goodyear to streamline operations while stepping away from a long-held brand. Months later, the 2026 JD Power study showed Dunlop at the bottom of its segment, creating a striking contrast between a corporate exit strategy and the brand’s performance in customer satisfaction data.
What The Study Actually Measures
JD Power’s study focuses strictly on original-equipment tires fitted at the factory on new vehicles. It evaluates how those tires perform within specific vehicle applications over time, not how a brand performs across all products. Factors such as ride tuning, vehicle weight, and driving expectations can all influence satisfaction scores. This means the results reflect the combined experience of tire and vehicle, rather than a complete judgment of a brand’s overall lineup, a distinction that becomes important when interpreting Dunlop’s ranking.
Industry Trends Narrow The Gap
The broader 2026 study revealed that satisfaction differences across vehicle types are shrinking. Scores reached 789 for ICE vehicles, 775 for battery electric vehicles, and 772 for plug-in hybrids, marking the smallest gap since 2023. Tire brand loyalty also rose to 54%, though it dropped to 42% when owners replaced two or more tires. Against this backdrop of convergence, Dunlop’s 723 appeared even more isolated, making its position stand out more sharply than it might have in earlier years.
A High Stakes Reset For Dunlop
The $735 million transaction between Goodyear and Sumitomo represented more than a routine sale. It marked a major reset for a global brand with more than a century of history. For Sumitomo, the timing meant inheriting Dunlop just as the lowest score in the 2026 study became public. Automakers and suppliers often watch these rankings closely, so early perceptions during this transition period could shape future partnerships and factory fitment decisions in ways that extend beyond a single report.
A New Direction Takes Shape
Sumitomo moved quickly to redefine Dunlop’s identity. In December 2025, the company introduced the brand statement “TAKING YOU BEYOND” and announced the “ONE DUNLOP” global communication strategy. The goal was to strengthen Dunlop’s image as a premium brand worldwide. That effort placed added importance on future JD Power results, since improving customer sentiment would help validate the repositioning strategy, while continued weak scores could reinforce concerns raised by the 2026 findings.
The Key Detail Many Overlook
Goodyear exited with $735 million and a clearer financial path, while Sumitomo took control of a 130-year-old brand facing a challenging perception moment. The most important detail often missed is simple. Original-equipment satisfaction reflects how tires perform in factory-installed conditions, not the full quality of a brand’s entire lineup. Many readers see the lowest score and draw broad conclusions, yet the study measures a narrower experience, leaving the final judgment more complex than it first appears.
Sources:
Goodyear to Sell Dunlop Brand to Sumitomo Rubber Industries. Goodyear Press Release, May 2025
Sumitomo Rubber to Acquire Dunlop Tire Brand Rights in North America. Rubber News, 2025
J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study. J.D. Power, 2025
How J.D. Power Measures Tire Satisfaction. J.D. Power, 2024
Tire Warranty and Mileage Expectations Explained. Consumer Reports, 2024
NHTSA Tire Recall Database Overview. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2025
