Drivers visiting their local tyre dealer should be presented with detail about the performance of their new tyres, under the new EU tyre labelling regulation.
Tyre labelling has been introduced to enable motorists to make an informed decision about their tyre choice.
Using the familiar EU energy efficiency label commonly associated with household electrical appliances, such as fridges and washing machines, the new tyre label will cover fuel efficiency, wet grip and rolling noise.
Eric Le Corre, managing director of Michelin, explained: “A tyre’s performance is a contributing factor to road safety and the environmental impact of road transport.
"However, not all tyres offer the same performance.
"Just to put the differences into context, a braking distance can be 30% shorter between the best and worst class of tyres – this is the equivalent of 18 metres (at 50mph) or the length of four cars.
"Furthermore, and perhaps of most interest to motorists, there can be a loss of fuel economy of as much as 7.5% between the best and worst rated tyres.
"This equates to more than £210 in fuel saving over the lifetime of the tyre and at a time when prices at the pumps are at an all-time high, this represents a significant saving in running costs.
“However, we do believe that the labelling could go further in terms of including guidance on the tyre’s durability to give an indication of how long it should last.
“This is because there appears to be a discerning trend in cars failing their MOT due to tyres being worn below the legal tread and of course, tread depth below the legal limit of 1.6mm can have a serious impact on the vehicle’s safety.
“When only a small fraction of the tyre’s overall surface area makes contact with the road, it’s vital that the tyre is at its optimum.”
Bob Birmingham - 31/10/2012 11:57
Another pointless eco exercise, in some things I do care about economy - but when it comes down to the 225mm wide strips of rubber holding my car and family safely to the road its irrelevant in the decision.