Label’s effect has been weak or non-existent, says French association boss

The head of the Syndicat des professionnels du pneu (SPP), the organisation representing the tyre industry in France, has added his voice to those who say the European tyre label has little influence on consumer purchase decisions. SPP president Régis Audugé was quoted by Reuters on 13 November as saying “The effect (of the label) has been weak, not to say non-existent.”

Sharing his opinion on the results of a survey of 3,402 motorists in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK that shows only one third of European consumers and aware of the tyre label and just three per cent of consumers base their purchase decision on it, Audugé commented “the question was whether labelling would persuade them to buy higher quality tyres. In fact, we’ve seen nothing of the sort.” Reuters also quoted an unnamed Michelin spokeswoman as confirming the tyre maker’s support for the label regulation while conceding that the introduction of labelling “has not had any impact on prices.”

The survey, released 13 November, was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the rezulteo.com tyre comparison website, which is operated by consulting firm Lizeo Online Media Group.