Briefing

An EU label to promote safe, fuel efficient and quiet tyres

March 25, 2009

Briefing on the EU proposal to mandate tyre labels.

The proposal to label motor vehicle tyres according to their wet grip, fuel efficiency and noise performance should be wholeheartedly welcomed. The labelling scheme will grant consumers access to independently verified information on tyre performance for the first time.

  • The most fuel efficient (low rolling resistance) tyres currently on the market can reduce fuel consumption and therefore CO2 emissions by 10% compared to today’s worst performers.
  • Quieter tyres can cut road traffic noise by half. Tyre/road contact is the dominant source of road traffic noise, so quieter tyres are especially important to the vast majority of Europeans who live urban areas and near highways.
  • Fuel efficient and quiet tyres are proven to be as safe or even safer compared to regular tyres through standard EU wet grip test methods.

This short briefing aims to outline the key changes needed to ensure the effectiveness of this Directive.

Related Articles

View All
Publication

Interactive dashboard: which countries have the greenest tax systems?

T&E Good Tax Guide

Yearly publication analysing and comparing the car taxation systems across 31 countries in Europe.

Press Release

Germany pushes companies towards polluting SUVs instead of electric - new study finds

The tax incentives in Germany to steer companies towards electric cars are amongst the weakest in Europe and three times lower than in France. Poland,...

Briefing

The T&E Good Tax Guide for cars

Are European countries steering drivers to go electric or stick to polluting SUVs?

The T&E Good Tax Guide is a yearly publication (3rd edition) that analyses and compares the car taxation systems across 31 countries in Europe.