Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 22 April 2021 – The EU has adopted a new tyre labelling system that will be introduced in Europe from 1 May 2021: Regulation (EU) 2020/740. This gives consumers new information on tyre labels, and requires tyre manufacturers to submit tyre information to a database before tyres can be sold on the European market. Hankook will equip all tyres launched in Europe with the new EU tyre label from the deadline onwards.
In future, the regulation will apply not only to passenger car tyres (C1) but also to C2 (light trucks) and C3 tyres (trucks and buses). The new label is visually different from the current one, and also contains additional information about the tyre and restructures the label classes for rolling resistance and wet braking values: Classes A to C continue to exist. Class D, which was previously unfilled, will now be filled with the values of the previous class E for passenger cars and light trucks (C1 and C2). The previous classes F and G in turn are being merged into E. For C2 tyres, new rolling resistance limits for class D also apply.
For external rolling noise, an A to C rating will replace the existing sound waves. New additions are graphics depicting snow grip (3PMSF) and ice grip. The latter, however, currently only concerns passenger car winter tyres containing a soft compound (Nordic Soft Compound). Spike tyres are not marked with the ice grip symbol. Similarly, C2 and C3 tyres have so far been excluded from this labelling requirement, as for these tyre classes there are no reliable, accurate and reproducible test methods or international standards yet. For the snowflake logo, tyres (C1, C2 and C3) must meet the corresponding 3PMSF limits during snow tests.
Additional information on the new EU tyre label will continue to consist of: the name of the tyre manufacturer, a tyre type identifier (ID), tyre size, and load and speed index. Also included is a QR code that leads to the EU product database where all tyre data for the label is stored. Consumers can use this to access a product information sheet. The same feature must be issued to consumers when buying tyres featuring the EU label.
From 1 May 2021, tyres can carry both the old and the new label – depending on the date a tyre is placed on the European market: Tyres produced between 25 June 2020 and 1 May 2021 and in the market before 1 May must carry the old label, but it will remain valid after the deadline, however, these tyres must already comply with the standards of the new regulation and the tyre data must be transmitted to the EU product database by the tyre manufacturer. Tyres produced in the same period and put to market after 1 May must bear the new label.
There is no difference in construction and performance between a tyre with the new EU label, and the same tyre with the old label.
