Consumer awareness of EU tyre labelling is low, Which? tells TTE

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Cologne, Germany - Almost 90 percent of consumers in the UK are unaware of the new tyre labelling regulation in the EU, due to come into force in November 2012, according to UK independent research organisation, Which?

And only half of those aware of the legislation were able to correctly identify the three standards tyres were be judged by, senior motoring researcher David Evans told delegates at the Tire Technology Expo conference, 15 Feb, in Cologne, Germany.

One in five of those who were aware of the legislation said that they had found out through their local independent retailer. And, when told about the label, 71 percent said that it was likely to influence their buying decision, Evans said.

In November 2012, tyres are to be labelled according to fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise index. However, Evans said that the survey showed that consumers wanted more information on durability on a tyre label, with 54 percent saying this was of interest to them. Only 8 percent of respondents said external rolling noise was a concern.