F.A.Q.

Find an answer to your questions concerning this new tire label.

• Why has the EU introduced this new tire regulation label?

  The aim of this label is to inform you on the safety performance of tires by indicating a tire's wet grip performance, and on the environmental aspects by showing how fuel-efficient the tire is and how much exterior noise it produces. With the introduction of this label on all tires, it becomes easier to compare tires of different brands, giving you the opportunity to make an informed decision on all relevant aspects. Also, the label will help you choose safer and more fuel-efficient tires, which has a positive impact on general safety and economic and environmental efficiency.

• What aspects will be integrated in the new label?

  You will find three indicators on the EU tire label: wet grip, fuel efficiency and exterior noise.

• Why are these aspects integrated in the new label?

  With information on fuel efficiency, wet grip and exterior noise, you have all the information to make a balanced purchasing decision. Moreover, many aspects of a tire are interrelated, and therefore an integrated label provides more valuable information than a label consisting of one aspect only.

• Where and when can I find the EU tire label?

  From November 1, 2012, at the latest, all tires that are on display at a tire dealer, garage or showroom should have a sticker with the tire label on it, or have the EU tire regulation label displayed close to it.
  When buying tires that are not on display, but in storage rooms or on inventory lists for instance, you should always get the information of the EU tire label before you actually buy the tire.
  Moreover, you will find the information on all three aspects on your invoice or in an information leaflet that you will receive together with your invoice.

• Are the rules the same in every country?

  As this is a European Regulation which becomes directly applicable and binding in all of the European Member States, the rules will be identical throughout the European Union.

• What does wet grip indicate?

  It provides consumers with information on an important safety aspect of tires: their grip on wet roads. Improved wet grip reduces the braking distance on wet roads.

• How is wet grip expressed in the EU tire regulation label

  Wet grip is expressed in grades ranging from A to G, similar to existing energy efficiency labels found on domestic appliances such as refrigerators. 'A' is the highest performance tire in its category; 'G' is the lowest.

• How is fuel efficiency expressed in the EU tire regulation label?

  Fuel efficiency is expressed in grades ranging from A to G, similar to existing energy efficiency labels found on domestic appliances such as refrigerators. A is the highest performance tire in its category; G is currently the least performing, but nevertheless legally compliant, tire.

• Why is fuel efficiency indicated in a color diagram and wet grip not?

  The fuel efficiency diagram makes use of the standardized pictogram of energy consumption introduced by the European Union, which includes colors for each grade. Since wet grip does not relate to energy consumption, the same colors cannot be used.

• How is the exterior rolling tire noise expressed EU tire regulation label?

  The exterior tire noise is expressed in decibels, accompanied by one, two or three sound waves. One wave indicates the best performance, which means that the noise level of the tire is at least 3 dB below the future legal limit. Three black waves is the weakest performance and represents a noise level in between the current maximum limit and the new, lower limit that will be introduced in Regulation 661, coming into force between 2012 and 2016.

• In what form will the EU tire regulation label be presented?

  There are two possibilities foreseen in the EU tire Regulation. The first one is that the label will be provided as a sticker to be applied directly on the tire tread.
  The second one foresees that the tire dealers will be provided with a printed label accompanying each batch of identical tires delivered. For tires visible to consumers this label must be shown to the consumer and displayed in close proximity of the tires at the point of sale.