Before making any purchase, you generally want to compare different products that interest you and weigh up their pros and cons. In the case of tyres, you can do this using the performance criteria on the EU tyre label: rolling resistance, wet grip and external road noise. Find out how to read the label and which factors to take into account before making a decision. It is easy!

By Published On: 1 June 2021Categories: Choosing and comparing tyres832 words4.3 min read
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Copyright ©: rezulteo

Rolling resistance and fuel efficiency

On the tyre label, rolling resistance is used to indicate fuel efficiency. The higher the rolling resistance, the more energy a tyre will need to consume to roll. If you want to save fuel, you should buy tyres with a low rolling resistance.

On the EU tyre label, rolling resistance is rated on a scale from A to G, A being the lowest and G the highest. There is a significant difference in terms of fuel consumption between A-rated tyres and G-rated tyres. On average, with an A-rated tyre, your car will do an extra 4.7 mpg, leading to an annual saving of 80 litres of fuel, or around £175 if you drive 10,000 miles per year.

CO2 emissions will also be much lower with A-rated tyres. For the same annual mileage, a vehicle with A-rated tyres emits 12g less C02 per kg than one on G-rated tyres, i.e. 0.18 tonnes less CO2 each year.

Of course, these figures are averages and the results can vary depending on your vehicle type, driving style and the weather conditions you encounter.

Wet grip performance

Essential for your safety, wet grip performance is rated from A to F, where A is the highest performing and F the lowest performing.

Once again, the gap between the best and worst ratings is significant: stopping distances when braking on wet roads at a speed of 50 mph will be 18 metres shorter with an A-rated tyre than with an F-rated tyre. 18 metres is the equivalent of 4 car lengths.

External road noise

The tyre label measures the external road noise of tyres with a view to reducing environmental noise pollution. This is not the noise you hear inside your vehicle but the noise heard by people outside.  

On the label you will see the tyre’s noise measurement in decibels (dB) and classified into 3 noise levels: A, B or C. The tyres that perform best and make the least noise are those with an A-rating on the tyre label.

If we consider two tyres of the same size travelling at the same speed, an A-rated tyre will be 2 times less noisy than a B-rated tyre and 4 times less noisy than a C-rated tyre.

New EU tyre label
© rezulteo

Why do winter tyres have lower ratings than summer tyres?

Looking at tyre labels, you may have noticed that winter tyres have lower ratings than summer tyres. This is due to the evaluation system which focuses more on the important performance criteria for summer tyres than for winter tyres.

Winter tyres are designed to provide maximum safety at low temperatures (below 7°C) and on slippery, snow-covered or icy roads. Criteria such as wet grip are therefore not main criteria for winter tyres.

Also, winter tyres have a deeper tread to provide grip and traction on snow and ice, this makes them noisier than summer tyres.

Note: Tyres with the snowflake symbol (3PMSF) and the ice symbol (IceGrip) on the label are approved for driving on snow, ice and/or ice in winter.

3 other key criteria not to be overlooked when buying tyres

Tyre labelling has its limits. It only includes three performance criteria whereas most tests published by test organisations use around fifteen(!).

To assess the performance of a tyre, whether in terms of safety, savings or comfort, several other factors need to be considered.

The three main factors are:

1.Tyre life

A tyre with a slow, even rate of wear can last up to a year longer. When buying your tyres, take their lifespan into account: it will have a significant impact on the real cost of your tyres.

There are no specific criteria to determine the tyre life. It depends on several factors and is therefore difficult to measure.

  • type of conduct
  • road surface
  • quality and maintenance of tyres
  • composition of tyres (rubber, carcass etc.)
  • weather conditions

Have a look on the tyre details to find an evaluation of the tyre life based on official test reviews.

2. Braking on dry roads

In terms of safety, the tyre label only measures wet grip but there are also other factors to consider. According to the Traffic Accident Research Institute (VUFO) at the University of Dresden (Germany), 70% of accidents occur on dry roads. So, before choosing your tyres, don’t forget to check the dry braking performance for different models.

3. Cornering grip

The same research by the University of Dresden, found that one in four accidents occurs when cornering. Therefore cornering grip is another important aspect of performance to be examined before buying tyres.

At rezulteo, in order to provide the most comprehensive information possible on tyre performance, we compile tyre test results from independent organisations and use this information to provide a rating based on 5 stars. It is the rezulteo Score.

Easy to understand at a glance, the rezulteo rating includes nine performance criteria for summer tyres and 13 for winter tyres, including aquaplaning resistancedry and wet handlinghigh speed stability, and the ability to absorb road irregularities.

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