The European Commission has brought about new rules regarding the labels on road tyres for the European Union (EU). These changes aim to better highlight each tyre’s fuel efficiency, safety and noise performance to the consumer. Tyres for cars, vans and trucks are all covered under these new regulations.
The new label looks similar to the EU energy efficiency label on household appliances, and on it you’ll first see the tyre manufacturer name and tyre type. From there, you’ll get two scales: one for rolling resistance and one for wet braking performance; lower rolling resistance correlates to better fuel economy. These scales have been restructured from the previous label to a new A to E scale. Higher grades on these scales indicate better fuel efficiency and shorter wet braking distances.
Furthermore, you’ll also get a symbol for noise performance, indicated by the decibel levels listed on the label. There’s also an A to C scale on the noise performance symbol. Another two symbols will appear if the tyre is suitable for running on snow or ice. You’ll also see a QR code on the top right of the label. This QR code leads you to an EU database with extra information on the tyre model as well as a product information sheet.
You’ll see these labels on or near the tyre when purchasing in person. The dealer should also hand you the EU label before they finalise your tyre purchase, and you can also request for a print out of both the label and the product information sheet from the EU database. If you’re buying your tyres online, the label should be present on the listing.
The new EU label has already started being used, having been effect since May 2021. It remains to be seen however if Malaysia will adopt this tyre label system, though we can’t see any downsides to consumers if that were to happen. For more info about the new EU tyre label regulations, you can check out the video below:
