24/06/2021
From the 1st May this year, new regulations on tyre efficiency labelling came into force for European Union countries and Northern Ireland. The UK is to follow suit very soon.
The UNECE regulation 2020/740 says that consumers must be advised of the tyre efficiency information relating to new vehicles they are wanting to purchase. An official label must be used and clearly visible so that the information is available before any purchase decision is made.
Most manufacturers typically use four or five different types of tyre for any given model and wheel combination, therefore information provided needs to cover all eventualities.
When placing a factory order, it will not be possible to choose a specific tyre set due to production processes being complex.
The regulation only applies to new vehicles and not to the sale of used vehicles.
Labelling is due to show all possible tyres fitted to the new vehicle and the associated energy efficiency rating. This may appear online or in the showroom vehicles and in the dealer inventory systems. Your Sales Advisor can show you this information relating to the vehicle of interest.
The left section of coloured letters refers to fuel efficiency. The less resistance tyres have to overcome while driving, the less energy is required. Tyre resistance can impact on CO2.
The right section in shades of blue, deals with wet grip. The better the wet grip, the shorter the braking distance on a wet road. Measured at 50mph on a wet road, the braking distance of the tyre increases by approximately 5 to 6 metres as you move down the categories A - E.
The bottom left indicates external tyre noise relative to the EU limit of 2016. For example, Category C meets the EU limit and Category B is up to 3 decibels below it.
The bottom right section gives ice and snow grip. That is, if the tyre is suitable for use in extreme snowy or icy conditions.
Now you're an expert in tyre efficiency information! If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask our showroom staff or send us an enquiry online. We'd be happy to help.
