Consumers unaware of new EU tyre labelling regulation, says poll

ERJ staff report (LMH)

Birmingham, UK - Almost 90 percent of motorists are unaware of tyre labelling legislation coming into place next year, according to a poll by tyre distributor ATS Euromaster.

The online survey, which had almost 800 responses, found that 86 percent knew nothing about the Europe-wide system, which will be enforced from November 2012. In fact, only 2 percent stated that they were 'fully aware', 2 percent said they were 'quite aware' and 10 percent were 'a little aware'.

ATS Euromaster said in a 13 Dec news release that it believes that selecting the right tyre for a vehicle - and the customer's requirements - will be simplified with the introduction of tyre labelling. Over 90 per cent of respondents agreed, acknowledging that labelling would influence and aid them when purchasing tyres.

“Currently, there is no objective, universal method for categorising tyres and this can make choosing tyres seem like a daunting task,” said Huw Williams, group marketing director for ATS Euromaster.

He added, “These results clearly highlight that very few people are even aware that this new system will soon exist - even though the vast majority believe it will affect their decision-making.”

ATS Euromaster's online survey suggests that consumers are most likely to find out about tyre labelling through the web, which is why the company has dedicated a new section of its website solely to this issue: www.atseuromaster.co.uk/tyre-labelling

Under the new legislation, the vast majority of 'normal use' tyres sold for cars, vans 4x4s, pick-ups and trucks will be labelled depending on three criteria: rolling resistance (better fuel consumption), wet grip and exterior rolling noise.

Of the people who participated in the survey, 55 percent value wet grip as the most important factor, 38 percent value rolling resistance as the most important and just 7 percent selected exterior rolling noise.

The poll also found that around 77 per cent of respondents would be prepared to pay more for a tyre that is highly rated for rolling resistance or wet grip. However, only 45 percent of participants would pay more for a tyre with a favourable exterior rolling noise rating.

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Press release from ATS Euromaster