Blackcircles: labelling is changing tyre choice

Blackcircles.com has become the latest tyre firm to share its experience of how the adoption of tyre labelling is (or isn’t) affecting the purchase choices motorists are making. According to Blackcircles’ sales data, consumers are definitely using the EU Tyre Labels when deciding which tyres to purchase. Additionally, data collated by Blackcircles.com suggests shows that tyre safety is of more importance to motorists than fuel efficiency.

Comparing the top 100 tyre models (based on total units sold) between 2012 and 2013, Blackcircles explained the shift in buying habits. Focusing first on the wet grip score, Blackcircles found that the percentage of tyres sold with an ‘A’ label rating for wet grip rose from 15 per cent to 41 per cent. Tyres with a ‘B’ rating made up 45 per cent of the top 100 tyres, compared with 38 per cent the year before. No tyres in the top 100 in 2013 had a lower score than C.

Doing the same analysis but looking at the fuel efficiency scores, Blackcircles found that no tyre in the top 100 contained an ‘A’ rating in 2012 or 2013. Tyres sold with a ‘B’ rating made up 25 per cent of tyres sold, up from 2 per cent in 2012. Tyres with a lower rating than C fell from 70 per cent in 2012, to just 26 per cent in 2013.

This view is significant because previous studies suggested labelling was a “wasted opportunity” due to the lack of consumer demand for this information. However, with Goodyear Dunlop and other online retailers saying something similar to Blackcircles, it could mean that consumers haven’t yet been widely enough exposed to labels for everyone to see the same results.

Commenting on the research Michael Welch, founder and managing director of Blackcircles.com said: “The sales data collected is a clear indication that the label scores are helping our customers to make a decision. By displaying the scores prominently on our website motorists are able to compare tyres easily and are changing their tyre choices accordingly.

“It is also interesting to see that wet grip scores are having a bigger influence on the tyre choice than fuel efficiency. Given the rising cost of motoring some may have expected it to be the other way around, so it is encouraging to see that safety is a bigger factor than saving money on petrol when it comes to tyre choice.”