Tyre Labelling In the EU: Part 1 of 5

The manufacturer’s view and the consumer impact

Under the EU’s new tyre labelling regulations, any tyre produced after July 2012 and sold in the European Union after November 2012 should be supplied with a label clearly indicating the tyres rating on fuel efficiency, wet grip, and external rolling noise. As part of the EU’s aim towards sustainable mobility, the tyre regulations are intended to give the consumer greater information about the performance as well as the safety and energy efficiency of a tyre.

EU and Worldwide Regulations

The EU regulations aim to harmonise information provided to consumers concerning tyres, and to promote tyres which are energy efficient and are capable of braking on wet road surfaces. The legislation has also had a major impact on the international tyre market, as many of the large tyre-producing countries, such as Japan, Korea, and China, export to Europe.
The tyre labelling legislation in the EU relates to tyres of types C1, C2, and C3, but is not applicable to any of the following:

• Off-road professional tyres
• Re-treaded tyres
• Tyres designed to be fitted to vehicles registered prior to 1st October 1990
• Tyres designed to be fitted only to vehicles used exclusively for racing
• Tyres which have a speed rating of less than 80km/h
• Tyres which have a nominal rim diameter of less than 256mm or more than 635mm
• T-type temporary-use spare tyres
• Tyres which are fitted with additional devices to improve traction control

The impact on the international market has led to Japan adopting its own voluntary tyre labelling system which is similar to the EU legislation, while South Korea, which exports 28% of its tyre production to Europe, launches a labelling system simultaneously with the EU in November 2012. The US is currently revising its own regulations, while China is another country expected to follow suit. Approximately 15% of China’s tyre production is exported to the EU, but up to 50% of its tyres would not meet the current regulations.

This article is part of our series on tyre labelling