Review: The Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT Tire

Pirelli is a name typically synonymous with Italian supercars slicing through Madrid and high-performance rubber hugging the fresh asphalt of an F1 track. It is not, historically, a brand you think of when you’re creeping down a sun-bleached wash in the middle of the Mojave. For decades, the off-road segment was a landscape dominated by a select few brands; while Pirelli had a presence in all-terrain, it didn’t dominate.

That might be changing. The new Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT represents a significant step forward for the brand, arriving after a three-year development cycle aimed squarely at North American off-road enthusiasts and weekend warriors. 

Pirelli has a history in all-terrain tires, starting with the Scorpion Mud in 1998 and continuing with its most recent All-Terrain Plus in 2017. The XTM, however, is a clean-sheet design, featuring an aggressive tread pattern with large voids that blend neatly into the sidewall, a Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating for severe snow, and a 55,000-mile warranty.

Many of its initial 20 sizes also carry an "ELECT" marking, indicating they are optimized for the high torque and weight of EVs, and designed to optimize battery efficiency with lower rolling resistance. Pirelli is also betting its new compound can handle the transition from the commute to the campsite without missing a beat.

To see if this newcomer could actually handle the rough off-road of the American West, I took it through three distinct environments that would make most tires weep: Death Valley, Nellis Dunes, and the Valley of Fire.

Testing in Death Valley provided an unforgiving baseline where the terrain evolves as quickly as the wind blows. Across two specific fitments - a Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco - the XTM was subjected to shifting sands and washed-out riverbeds. The testing here was "un-manicured," meaning there were no staged courses; just raw desert, with the only advice from our guides being to avoid the sharpest rocks and keep a steady momentum through the sandy flats.

Located just 25 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, Nellis Dunes offers over 10,000 acres of "choose your own adventure" terrain. I spent hours traversing open dunes renewed by recent rains, creating treacherous, uncharted paths while also complicating worn paths from days prior. The XTM excelled in these soft, sliding conditions, providing enough bite to prevent the need for recovery gear, even on steep, challenging inclines.

If Nellis Dunes is the playground, Valley of Fire State Park is detention. Located an hour outside Las Vegas, Valley of Fire features distressing, rocky trails and deep, soft creek beds. Recent rains had disturbed the riverbeds, turning terra firma into unpredictable silt. I traversed rough, rocky hill climbs where jagged stones as large as the tires themselves threatened the sidewalls. Despite the jagged terrain, the XTM remained composed, even when I deliberately ventured off-path to find the limits of its traction. My head, however, rang for days after finding the door frame of the Jeep Wrangler I was in several times while off-roading in the Valley of Fire.

After several days and hundreds of miles of sand, rock, highway roads, and wildly varying temperatures, the XTM’s personality became clear. It’s a tire for the driver who wants capability without compromise. It can handle LA freeways and stare down a 50-foot descent off a soft sand dune with equal aplomb. 

• No-Fuss Traction: Impressively, I never had to air down the tires to maintain grip in the sand or on the rocks; we ran them at the manufacturer-recommended PSI all day without any noticeable performance issues.

• Civilized On-Road Manners: Unlike many aggressive AT tires that drone like a 1940s propeller plane, the XTM’s noise frequency is non-abrasive and low, and I can confirm is absolutely quieter than the wind noise you get from a Bronco or Wrangler.

• EV-Ready: The "ELECT" program makes it one of the few serious AT options optimized for the low rolling resistance and high weight of modern EVs. In Death Valley, we tested the ELECT tire on a Rivian RT1 and were impressed with its overall performance. 

• Sharper Steering: Compared to several other all-terrain tires, the Scorpion XTM feels more reactive and predictable on asphalt, reducing that floaty feeling common in deep-tread rubber.

• Unproven in Mud: Pirelli admits that mud performance is highly variable, and they haven't marketed this as a primary mud-terrain contender. We drove through many muddy situations during testing, but there was no specific “mud trial” we put it through.

• Tread Depth: With 10.8mm of tread, it is slightly shallower than some "Extreme" all-terrain competitors that prioritize depth over road manners. But it’s a trade-off we welcome.

The all-terrain market is crowded, and the Scorpion XTM AT is stepping into the ring with quite a few heavyweights.

The KO3 is the benchmark for AT tires. In testing, the KO3 often wins on big-hit comfort as it rounds out sharp bumps. However, the KO3 often carries a premium, typically costing between $50 and $200 more per set, depending on the size.

The Falken is known for legendary snow and wet-surface performance. Visually, the Falken has a more aggressive sidewall that extends further down the tire than the Pirelli. Unfortunately, the Falkens are often significantly heavier, which can impact fuel economy and longevity.

The DuraTrac RT remains a favorite for those who spend more time in the mud than the Pirelli is designed for. It handles well, but may lack the refined steering precision the Pirelli brings to the pavement. We like this one for mud-first driving (like a farm truck might encounter) but prefer the Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT for all-around performance.

The Pirelli Scorpion XTM AT is a genuinely viable rival to the established off-road kings. It’s a tire built for the driver who values a quiet highway ride but wants the confidence to tackle any off-road environment without reaching for the air compressor every time the pavement ends. 

While not an apples-to-apples comparison, because a Rivian RT1 is much heavier than a Bronco or Wrangler, I was impressed with the ELECT tire as well. The terrain might have been different thanks to the size and weight of the Rivian, but we still navigated dunes, rocky outback, and more in Death Valley without issue.

Yes. Pirelli used advanced sound analysis to ensure that while there is a slight hum, it’s not the abrasive drone found in more traditional AT tires.

This signifies that the tire is designed to handle the high torque and heavier loads of electric vehicles while maintaining low rolling resistance to extend range.

Yes, it carries the Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMSF) rating, making it ideal for severe snow conditions.

Pirelli tested the tire specifically for chunking, where pieces of the tread break off on sharp rocks, to ensure it holds up to abrasive desert use. Given all we put the tire through, and that it never showed any wear, we’re satisfied it’s durable.