New tyre labelling rules move a step closer

On 29 April, the European Parliament announced that new tyre labelling rules have moved a step closer to implementation. The European Parliament and the Council of EU reached an informal agreement on the labelling scheme in November 2019. The Council formally endorsed the rules in February 2020 and Parliament’s industry, research and energy committee voted in favour of them on 28 April 2020. The Parliament as a whole must now approve the deal in order for the new labels to be rolled out.

The labels, which are an upgrade on the initial iteration of European Tyre Legislation that was implemented in 2012, will include information on fuel efficiency and wet grip, on a scale from A to G (similar to the energy labelling used for household appliances), as well as information about their external noise level, expressed in decibels.

Information on snow and ice grip can be added in the future, as well as information on mileage and abrasion (responsible for microplastic pollution) when a testing method becomes available.

Labels must be clearly visible to consumers, be on display in all situations where tyres are sold, including online, and should provide a QR code for easy scanning.