A guide to the EU Tyre label

By Chris Norman
on August 21, 2018 12:02:01 PM BST

A guide to the EU Tyre label

By Chris Norman
on August 21, 2018 12:02:01 PM BST

By law, every tyre sold within the EU must come with an efficiency label.

Believe it or not, buying the right tyre could save you ££'s on fuel or give you better braking distance on wet roads. 

In the UK we have a lot of wet roads... and we all like to save a bit of money so here is a simple guide to help you choose the right tyres.

The EU label is very similar to the ones you may find on new electrical goods. The label is made up of three factors :-

  • Fuel efficiency 
  • Wet grip performance
  • External Noise 
Most people don’t understand tyre labels and the factors they display because the labels are fairly new.

Each factor is graded by performance from A to G. Very much like school grades, 'A' being the highest and 'G' being the lowest.

 

Wet grip  

 

This part of the label indicates how well the tyre will grip the road during wet weather conditions. This can actually make a difference to your braking distance. Safety is paramount on our roads so it's beneficial you understand this label as the difference in grades could make a difference in being involved in a road accident or not.

 

Don’t worry if you don’t come across any ‘G’ grades for car tyres – (they are just used on 4x4’s or trucks)

 

Fuel Efficiency 

 

This part is where you could save money on fuel in the long run. Having a high grade in this section should reduce your fuel consumption and help the planet by reducing CO2 emissions.

A tyre loses energy when its moving causing ‘rolling resistance’ and this has a direct impact on the amount of fuel you use.

The easiest way to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, is to go with a high grade. The rolling resistance that occurs uses 15-20% of your car’s fuel… so getting that down could make a nice big difference to your wallet.

Saving a few quid when buying new tyres may cost your a lot more in fuel over the year if the tyre has a low grading...choose your tyres carefully. 

(Don’t worry if you don’t come across a D when searching for tyres as they have removed that grade to make a clear difference between the top and bottom 3)

 

‘Noise output’ 

 

That’s right… Your tyres actually have an impact on the noise coming from your car.

Displayed by black marking levels on the sound wave bar (Three decibels) the more black markings on the bar would indicate the louder the tyre). 

If you want to check out various tyres and labels for you car - just enter your reg here www.motokiki.com

 

Tyre Safety 

 

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