On 13 November 2019, the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission reached a political agreement on a European tyre labelling, which is foreseen to bring energy savings corresponding to taking 4 million cars off the EU roads every year.

Tyres labels provide a clear and common classification of the quality regarding the fuel efficiency, external noise and braking in wet surfaces, in addition to the minimum performance requirements as set by the General Safety Regulation 661/2009. In particular the classification, which according to Regulation 1222/2009 ranges from class A (most efficient) to G (least efficient), helps consumers to take environment-friendly purchasing decisions that will encourage the reduction of fuel. 

The new rules proposed by the Commission follow the proposal to update Regulation 1222/2009 presented by the Commission in May 2018 as part of the Clean Mobility Package in order to address the issue of energy consumption in road transport, which between 2014 and 2017 increased by 5,6%, as the rolling resistance of tyres accounted for 20 of 30% of a vehicle’s fuel consumption. Specifically, the new measures introduce more visible, accurate and future proof tyre labels, improving the market surveillance and updating label scales to optimise the information for customers. Furthermore, the new labels design will be aligned to the EU energy label, maintaining however the well-known original size and characteristics in order to avoid consumers’ confusion. 

Following the political agreement, the European Parliament and the Council have to approve formally the updated Regulation which, once published in the Official Journal of the EU, will start to apply on 1 May 2021.

Marco Stillo