Consumers are now able to tell straight away which tyres will help them to save fuel. Every new tyre has to come with a new easy-to-read label displaying information on three essential aspects of the performance of a tyre: fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise. The new requirements are laid down in a new EU regulation on labelling of tyres that has just come into force.
By way of clear and easy-to-understand pictograms the label will help consumers make informed choices when buying tyres. Similar to the well-known energy label for household appliances it ranks product performance on a scale from G (bad) to A (best).
As tyres account for 20% to 30% of the fuel consumption of vehicles, choosing a tyre rated ‘A’ for its energy efficiency can help you make fuel cost savings in the range of Eur170-Eur230 per year compared to the least performing model. When taking into account the higher price of ‘A’ class tyres compared to ‘G’ class (Eur240-Eur320 for a set of four) break-even point is reached in the course of the second year following your purchase, ie well before the end of life of high-quality tyres.
The new label helps to save energy in a sector dominated by a single fossil fuel and marked by its high C02 emissions, making road transport cleaner while reducing our dependency on imported oil. Informed consumers going for better quality in tyres are likely to encourage manufacturers to optimise the three tyre parameters. This will increase competitiveness of the industry and pave the way for more sustainable consumption and production.