On 22nd December 2009, a new EC Regulation on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other essential parameters was published. This new regulation, (EC) No. 1222/2009, requires all new tyres to carry a label showing the tyre's fuel efficiency (i.e. rolling resistance), wet grip and noise performance using a ranking system which ranges from "A" (best performance) to "G" (worst performance).
The purpose of this new Regulation is to ensure that information on the performance of all tyres is made available to potential purchasers so that they can make an informed choice when purchasing new tyres. It is hoped that this will encourage people to purchase tyres with superior environmental and safety performance and also encourage tyre manufacturers to produce tyres whose performance exceeds the requirements specified in EC Regulation No. 661/2009.
The new Regulation specifies that the rolling resistance, wet grip performance and rolling noise of the tyre must be measured in accordance with UN ECE Regulation No. 117, and contains tables to convert the results from these tests into the relevant performance classes (i.e. "A" to "G"). The format for the label, which is similar to that used for the energy efficiency labels displayed on household appliances, is specified in the Regulation and requires the tyre's fuel efficiency (i.e. rolling resistance) and wet grip performance to be shown on "A" to "G" scales and the measured rolling noise value to be included. In addition to the tyre label requirements, the Regulation requires tyre manufacturers to include information on rolling resistance, wet grip performance and rolling noise in their promotional material and on their web sites. Furthermore, where new vehicles are offered for sale with a choice of different tyres, information on the rolling resistance, wet grip performance and rolling noise of each of the available tyres must be made available to the vehicle purchaser by the vehicle supplier/distributor.
The Regulation does exempt certain types of tyre (e.g. re-treaded tyres, off-road professional tyres, etc.) and the requirements on wet grip performance are only applicable to C1 tyres (i.e. tyres designed primarily for vehicles of Categories M1, N1, O1 and O2).
The requirements of this new Regulation come into force on 1st November 2012, but only apply to tyres that were manufactured from 1st July 2012.