Area of application:

• Car tyres
• Truck tyres
• Van tyres

The label is not valid for:

• Motorcycle tyres
• Retreaded tyres
• Racing tyres (tyres without street legalisation)
• T-spare tyres
• Oldtimer tyres used exclusively for vehicles registered before 1st October 1990
• Off-road tyres for commercial use
• Tyres with a permissible speed of less than 50 mph
• Tyres for rims with nominal diameter less than 254 mm (10 ”) or more than 635 mm (25 ”)
• Tyres with additional devices to improve traction e.g. studded tyres

Evaluation criteria of the EU tyre label

The tyre label consists of three fields:

Fuel efficiency
The symbol with the petrol pump stands for the rolling resistance of the tyre. The lower the rolling resistance, the less energy (CO2) is consumed and the lower the fuel consumption. The division is made from class A (green and thus the highest fuel efficiency) to class G (red and thus the lowest fuel efficiency), whereby D is not occupied. The fuel saving is about 0.1 litres per 60 miles with improvement by one class. Therefore, between Class A and Class G, if equipped with the corresponding class A tyre, a consumption reduction of up to 7.5% 1 is possible. This can even be higher for commercial vehicles.

Wet grip
The symbol with the rain cloud stands for wet grip, which is crucial for driving safety. Tyres with excellent wet grip shorten the braking distance dramatically. The power is divided into classes A (highest power, shortest braking distance) to G (lowest safety, longest braking distance), whereby D and G are not assigned. Here, the braking distance is used in the wet at a speed of 50 mph as a basis. Between each class are 3-6 m difference in braking distance. In the case of full braking and full equipment with Class A tyres, the braking distance can be reduced by 30%, unlike Class F tyres. At the underlying speed, the braking distance for a “normal” car can, therefore, be 18 m shorter.

External rolling noise
The symbol with the loudspeaker indicates the external rolling noise in decibels (dB). The measured value indicates the volume of the pass-by noise. The more “sound waves” are displayed, the louder is the outside noise of the tyre.

Three black bars mean that the external rolling noise of the tyre corresponds to the EU limit values valid until 2016, marking the worst performance.

Two black bars indicate that the external rolling noise of the tyre will be equal to, or lower by up to 3 dB, the EU limit values effectively from 2016.

A black bar indicates that the external rolling noise of the tire falls below the EU limit values applicable from 2016 by more than 3 dB.

EU tyre label – clearly explained

However, the actual fuel savings and road safety depend to a great extent on your own driving style:

An environmentally friendly driving behaviour can significantly reduce fuel consumption. Proper tyre pressure helps to improve wet grip and energy efficiency. Therefore, it should be checked regularly. Appropriate safety distance and thus sufficient braking distance is critical.

The EU tyre label, as well as the tyre tests of the automotive and consumer trade journals, enable the consumer to obtain comprehensive information before buying a tyre.

We at Phillips Tyres in Oxford hope you have found this information useful.