Abstract Thermal cracking of bituminous layers is one of the main modes of failure for asphalt pavements. This distress is highly related to the rheological properties of asphalt binders. The purpose of this study was to investigate the low-temperature behaviour of asphalt binders by performing Direct Tension Tests (DTTs) according to Superpave specification. The DTT results were analyzed and compared in terms of trend of stress–strain curve instead of conventional failure stress or failure strain values. Through the analysis of stress–strain diagram, it was possible to evaluate the effects of temperature, elongation rate and conditioning time on the rheological properties of binders. Particular attention was paid to the conditioning time variable as it was observed that the stiffness of the binder changes with time when it is stored isothermally at low temperature due to the physical hardening phenomenon. To this end, a modified superposition effects principle, which also includes the conditioning time in addition to the temperature and elongation rate variable, has been proposed. Finally, this principle allowed the authors to find an analytical model capable of describing the rheological properties of asphalt binders as functions of the three considered test variables.