Delticom offers ‘DEX’ as label alternative

One occasional criticism of the European tyre label is that, unlike the energy efficiency label, it provides more than just a single performance measurement. Delticom is avoiding such issues with its new Delticom Efficiency Class Index, or, DEX a measurement it will offer its customers in addition to the label.

Delticom developed the DEX on the basis of a survey it conducted with more than 40,000 customers in 15 European countries, including the UK. The online retailer asked consumers to evaluate the three label criteria in terms of their relevance to their own tyre purchases. The three label criteria were then evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10. More than half of respondents said they considered wet grip to be the most vital of the tyre properties provided for in the EU label. Rolling resistance came second with over 25 per cent, and rolling noise was accorded the lowest level of significance on the survey scale.

With these results in mind Delticom developed the DEX, an evaluation system featuring a score between one and five stars. Shoppers making tyre purchases on Delticom’s websites have the option of selecting their tyres via the DEX search function, which the company says will enable them to “identify at a glance which of the new EU label criteria best meets their own requirements.”

“We welcome the introduction of the EU tyre label,” stated Delticom CEO Rainer Binder. “It is a useful instrument which provides purchasers with tried and tested information. As Europe’s leading online tyre retailer, however, we have a commitment to provide active assistance in areas where consumers are unsure with regard to the EU label. One of these areas of uncertainty is which of the three criteria can actually be the determining factor in a tyre purchase. For this reason, our online shop mytyres.co.uk provides additional and convenient guidance for customers in the form of the DEX classification. This offers an immediate opportunity to compare just about any type of tyre in accordance both with the DEX and individual label criteria.”

Binder recommends customers should consult expert opinions and tyre checks carried out by independent motoring associations and testing organisations for information regarding winter tyres. “The EU tyre label does not include any evaluation of tyre handling characteristics on ice and snow,” he pointed out. “We therefore recommend that our customers should continue to refer to test reports drawn up by established motoring organisations when purchasing winter tyres. Our neutral tyre testing site tyre-test.com also provides these reports.”