The Tyre Label is a mark for motor vehicle tyres. Manufacturers of tyres for cars, light and heavy trucks must specify fuel consumption, wet grip and noise classification of every tyre sold in EU market starting in November 2012.[1]
For passenger car, light truck and truck tyres the information must be available in technical promotional literature (leaflets, brochures, etc.), including the manufacturer website. For passenger and light truck tyres, the manufacturers or importers have the choice of either putting a sticker on the tyre tread or a label accompanying each delivery of batch of tyres to the dealer and to the end consumer. The tyre label will use a classification from the best (green category "A") to the worst performance (red category "G").
This initiative results from a regulation by the EU Commission released in 2009. It is part of the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, designed to improve the energy performance of products, buildings and services to reduce energy consumption by 20% until 2020. The EU has already created a system for marking of electrical household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines and televisions with the intent to better inform the European population about the level of their consumption.[2]
Rolling resistance is the main key factor in measuring the energy efficiency of a tyre and has direct influence on the fuel consumption of a vehicle. A set of tyres of the green class "A" compared to a "G" class can reduce fuel consumption by 9%[3] of a passenger car; even more for trucks.
'D' Grading is not used in rolling resistance grading for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks while it is used for Heavy Trucks
As at January 2019, the wet grip tests for passenger car tyres (EU category C1) are specified in a 2011 amendment, Regulation No 228/2011 to the original 2009 Regulation No 1222/2009 "on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other essential parameters". The wet grip index (WGI) is calculated from the results of two tests specified in the regulations. The first test measures the maximum achievable average deceleration of a vehicle as it slows from 85 ± 2 km/h (52.8 mph) to 20 ± 2 km/h (12.4 mph). The second test (the "skid trailer" test) is usually performed using a tow vehicle and trailer. The trailer is fitted with the tyres being tested and the average maximum braking force that can be applied through the tyres, under a high proportion (60 - 90%) of the tyres' maximum load, is measured as the combination travels at a constant speed of 65 ± 2 km/h.