Is Three Criteria Enough For New Tyre Labels?
Only a month to go until the new EU tyre labels are mandatory, and not only are there still questions as to whether the labels will be effective, over 70% of motorists still haven’t heard of the labels at all.
When magazines test car tyres they usually test 15 different criteria, and when premium tyre manufacturers test their own tyres, they test over 50 performance parameters during the development process. Comparing this to the three criteria that are covered by the new labels it is easy to wonder if they really give drivers useful information.
The labels tell you about the rolling resistance, the wet braking distance and the external noise. As a staggering 99% of UK motorists underestimate the importance of tyres on fuel efficiency, flagging it up on the labels may be a useful way to highlight the potential fuel savings for drivers. According to one survey 85% of drivers aren’t currently aware of fuel efficient tyres. Many drivers would be surprised to learn that switching to greener tyres could save them as much as £200.