Consumers unaware of new tyre labelling system, online poll reveals

Almost 90 per cent of motorists in an ATS Euromaster poll admitted they were unaware of tyre labelling legislation coming into place next year.

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

ATS Euromaster 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.

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

“We believe that the introduction of tyre labelling is a positive step for the industry – it will support the honest advice we already give our customers both online and in centres, which will in turn help them to make even better informed choices.

“However, 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.”

 

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 per cent value wet grip as the most important factor, 38 per cent value rolling resistance as the most important and just 7 per cent selected exterior rolling noise.

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