From household dishwashers to the tyres on your car. The power of the label
When was the last time you bought new tyres for your car? Did you make your decision based on the price alone, or did you delve deeper into tyre performance? This blog explores the often-overlooked world of tyre labels and how they can guide consumers into making informed choices.
Browsing to Buying
I recently had to replace an old dishwasher, that after numerous repairs, eventually decided it had washed its last dish! I quickly started the process of replacing the dishwasher, after all, no-one wants to be without such a vital piece of kitchen equipment! I started by looking at local suppliers’ websites to compare price, warranty, and other features that are important to me. I was also able to review the energy label, which ultimately helped me to decide which machine to buy. This experience highlighted a stark contrast with the process of buying tyres for my car.
According to consumer energy label research undertaken by SEAI in 2022, 64% of people browsed online before buying an appliance. Researching tyres is often more challenging, because tyres generally aren’t on display online for customers to browse and compare performance and price. Many tyre retailers don’t have an online presence which further restricts the ability to compare tyres. So what do consumers do when they need new tyres? They generally go to their local tyre service shop. Similar to the dishwasher,, a tyre also has an energy label visually grading the various performance characteristics. The label allows consumers to independently assess and compare products before making a purchase.
The tyre buying ‘blind spot’
The so called tyre buying ‘blind spot’ caused by limited access to information can lead to less informed purchases. A tyre purchase can take place as part of a vehicle service or in many cases can be made in a hurry in the event of a more urgent replacement (e.g. following a puncture) or a NCT test failure. Tyres accounted for the highest NCT failure rate in 2024 with 231,212 vehicles or 8% of all tests failing on visual tyre checks. This can often contribute to a ‘distressed’ or rushed purchase. There are many factors to consider before purchasing a tyre, but for Irish motorists price is the most important. According to the Road Safety Authority Vehicle Standards National Barometer Survey 2018,the overriding criteria applied to a tyre purchase is the price at 66%. This was followed by wet grip braking performance 59%, tyre brand was 47%, while fuel efficiency was 33%.
The power of the label
The tyre label takes some of the hassle out of having to do your own extensive research and gives you, the consumer, an easy way to compare the performance of car tyres. The tyre label identifies and grades tyres according to fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise. In some cases it also identifies tyres designed to operate in snow and icy conditions denoted by a three-peak mountain snowflake symbol and an ice stalagmite
Cost efficiency
The tyre label rates tyres on a scale from ‘A’ (best) to ‘E’ (worst) on both fuel efficiency and wet grip. The difference between a tyre rated A and one rated E can translate to 0.5 litres per 100km travelled in petrol and diesel vehicles. To look at this in the context of annual mileage, which is typically around 15,000Km per year in Ireland, driving a car with A rated tyres could save you 75 litres of fuel, which is a little over one full tank of fuel.
The fuel efficiency scale is even more important when we talk about Electric Vehicles (EVs). EVs are designed to ensure battery range is maximised with aerodynamics, weight, and regenerative braking, with tyres playing an important role. Most new EVs are sold with either A or B rated tyres. The difference in purchasing a C-rated tyre instead of an A- rated could see a reduction in range of up to 8%. Imagine losing 8% of your EV's range just because of your tyre choice! Again, the best way to avoid this scenario is to do your research and ensure the tyre you intend to buy meets these criteria by checking the label.
Road Safety
The issue of road safety is paramount to all road users and tyre labelling plays a huge role. As Ireland is blessed with plenty of rain all year round, we need to ensure the tyres on our car will perform under these conditions. The Wet Grip rating grades tyres’ braking distance on wet roads at a speed of 80 km/h. The scale follows the same format using the ‘A’ (best) to ‘E’ (worst) rating for tyres. If you decided to replace an A-rated tyre with a D- rated tyre for example, this would increase your wet braking distance by 9 metres travelling at 80 km/h. If you think that this is a worrying statistic, the difference between A and E in terms of stopping distance can be over 18 metres or four car lengths.
Other important parameters
The remaining parameters displayed on the tyre label include road noise, snow, and ice, where applicable. The road noise is measured in a scale of A (best) to C (worst) and is measured in decibels. A tyre rated as B, generates twice as much exterior noise as one with an A value. In real world driving, you can compromise the interior cabin noise levels by selecting lower-rated tyres here.
Asking questions is key
Asking your local tyre dealer questions is key. Ask them to talk you through the tyre label and ask for the best rated tyre within your budget. Dealers are obligated by law to have the tyre label on display so it can help inform you, the customer. They are legally obligated to show it to you before making the sale.
Find out more about the tyre label hereAbout the Market Surveillance Authority
As the Market Surveillance Authority (MSA) in Ireland, SEAI's role is to verify whether products sold in the EU follow the requirements laid out in EU regulations. These regulations include requirements around energy labelling, eco-design and tyre labelling.
SEAI’s role as MSA includes the following:
- promoting compliance – raising awareness and educating economic operators on their obligations under the regulations
- monitoring compliance – undertaking both planned and responsive inspections and investigations
- verifying compliance – documentation and laboratory checks
- addressing non-compliance – through voluntary action, through civil enforcement, including withdrawal and recall of products from the market, and through prosecution in the event of serious offences being committed.
