Opinion: New blow for tire labelling

ERJ staff report (PR)

People buying tires rated as fuel-efficient under the EU tire labelling scheme are unlikely to see few if any savings if they drive mainly in urban areas, a study by Emission Analytics (EA) has found.

This shows that tire manufacturers and suppliers need to adopt more sophisticated models to help consumers better understand the relationship between rolling resistance and fuel economy, said the UK research firm, which concluded that the current tire labelling system is “not working”.

This follows a study, last October, by the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) and Lanxess found that less than 10 percent of UK drivers paid any attention to the information on the label when buying tires.

Labelling was intended to promote the use of safer and more fuel-efficient tires. However, without a major rethink about how the scheme is applied and promoted, it could end up as yet another ‘fail’ for our well-intentioned policy-makers in Brussels.

Please email your views on this topic to the editor: Patrick Raleigh

Report: Tire labelling can mislead drivers over fuel-savings