EU Tire Label FAQ

By introducing the revised Tyre Label Regulation as well as a registration database (EPREL) and the option of two new performance indicators (snow and ice grip) the European Commission is aiming to better inform and further empower consumers when buying tyres and deliver wider market uptake of tyres with the best safety and environmental performance

Truck (C3) tyres, yes, bicycle tyres, no.

For Truck (C3) like for all other classes (C1 and C2), both tyre manufacturer and dealers will need to provide customers with official label data and product information sheet before sales.

There will be an official database (EPREL) where all tyres need to be registered and the general public, customers and surveillance authorities can confirm label statements.

The regulation allows the tyre manufacturers to declare label classes based on tyre testing and/or calculation/extrapolation tools and referencing, properly documented.

There are plans to extend the scope to retreaded tyres in 2023.

Yes. All member states will need to make a tyre market surveillance plan part of their annual market surveillance programs starting in 2021. There will be a budget from the European Commission for this. There are several measures included in this new regulation as well as a new market surveillance framework that will strengthen enforcement actions.

Yes. We can easily identify winter tyres and all-season tyres with confirmed winter performance with a 3PMSF (three-peak mountain snowflake) symbol on the label. We can identify a PLT (C1) Nordic winter tyre with confirmed ice performance with an ice symbol (for Nordic soft compound tyres only) directly on the label. No test regulations have been defined for C2 and C3 tyres.

We have a QR code that allows end users to easily confirm the statements on the label through a link to the official EPREL database with the product registration data. 

The new label values will be available to the public on May 1, 2021. The data and product registrations on EPREL will be available to our customers/tyre dealers at the beginning of 2021 to ensure a smooth transition and preparation of all our customer and sales systems. The EPREL registration database is expected to be available by end of October 2020.

Visualization of tyre registration data on EPREL for the general public and tyre dealers will be available by the end of 2020.

The new EU tyre label regulation will increase transparency and open up some opportunities for the premium manufacturers who have been complying since the introduction of such labels (in November 2012 in Europe). Additional market surveillance will be essential. This will, however, bring new responsibilities for tyre dealers and OEMs which will likely require some updates of their tyre-related operations. 

This is one of the underlying ideas. This should be one outcome of the increase in transparency and surveillance.

Label performance is declared by manufacturers based on their technical appraisal. Market surveillance authorities of the EU member states will conduct spot checks (document inspection and physical product testing for verification) for tyres placed on the market.

The label values for the general public and tyre dealers can be found on the sticker/printout/digital information provided by the tyre manufacturers.

In addition, the QR code on the label provides you with a direct link to the EPREL database.

Alternatively, if you have the article number you can search in the Conti EU label viewer or EPREL direct (Note: the search functionality in the EPREL database is not yet fully defined or available).

For customers with access to PRICAT, links to the Conti EU label viewer, EPREL and the different classes will be available there too.

Objectively the best values are the A grades. However, the European label does not provide a complete picture of all criteria that define the overall performance of a tyre. So when selecting the tyre that best fits the consumer's expectations, you should also rely on the knowledge and advice of a tyre specialist or the results of tests run by independent test magazines.

The new label assesses five performance criteria: wet, snow and ice braking, rolling resistance and exterior noise. Most tests in the press will normally evaluate more than ten criteria, so they should provide a far more complete source of information than the new label.

Not at this point. This might be the case in future revisions of EU type-approval regulations.

Because no ISO test or limits (thresholds) have been defined.

A link to the official EPREL entry/registration of that specific tyre/product.

That is Continental’s internal article number and this means all tyres of this type have the same construction and performance.

The assumption is that the ABC categories will be easier to read for consumers and to integrate in digital databases and displays.

Compliance with an ISO ice braking test limit, compared to a standard reference tyre. The ISO METHOD has not yet been finalized.

No.

No. You can use any QR-code reader available on the market. The content of the QR code is simply the direct URL link to your tyre information in the EPREL database.

Yes. See previous answers.

Tyres with the new label are no better than those with the old label.

No. The tyres are exactly the same. Tyres in classes E,F and G will be reclassified (1 class better) although they are the exact same tyres as before (identical construction).

No. It’s the exact same tyre.

We can identify a PLT (C1) Nordic winter tyre with confirmed ice performance with an ice marking (for Nordic soft compound tyres only) directly on the label. No test or ISO regulation have been defined for C2 and C3.

For the snow logo, the tyres need to comply with the 3PMS limits in testing on snow – valid for C1, C2 and C3 with different conditions and references.

There is no regulation that forbids it, but you will not experience the full advantages of driving on summer tyres in summer, like better wet and dry handling and braking performance, and the softer compound of winter tyres means that they wear faster in summer temperatures. 

If they have the current (old) label, they can be sold after May 1, 2021 (assuming the DOT is older). With the new label, classes F and G merge to form class E.

The EU has introduced Energy Efficiency Labels for many products (freezers, vacuum cleaners, light bulbs etc.). And while the tyre label contains several important performance criteria besides energy/ fuel efficiency, it still falls within the Energy Efficiency Labelling category. With the new header of the label, the Commission is aiming to create a common layout for all energy-labelled products, even though there are many differences in the details of the various labels.

Yes. However, while C3 tyres were not exempt before, they have acquired some new obligations.

Not in this revision (2021) but likely in the foreseeable future

No. Studded tyres are out of scope of the EU label regulation and from the Conti Group portfolio only C1 soft compound tyres will bear the ice symbol. C2 and C3 are also out of scope of the ISO test.

If they comply with the 3PMS performance limits all-season tyres can bear the symbol. Otherwise, in markets where this is a requirement for winter use, they cannot be considered all-season tyres. A tyre with only M+S capability will not have the snowflake symbol on the label.

All tyres that comply with the 3PMS (type approval) performance limits can display the snowflake logo.

No. Only tyres that comply with the 3PMS (type approval) performance limits can display the snowflake logo.

• We are not allowed to label tyres in line with the new regulation until May 1, 2021. The current EU label is the only valid and legal label until April 30, 2021. Nevertheless we will start registering our products in the EPREL database that will provide us with the new label information as soon as possible.
• We will prepare an Excel file with a list of today’s products with the current EU label information and the future EU label content – without the EPREL database link until end of 2020 – the additional links will be added by the beginning of 2021 once the database is fully functional. Tyres in classes F and G on the old label will both be reclassified as class E.

Tyres currently in class E will in future appear in class D (currently empty for C1 tyres).

The full list of tyres officially registered to be sold in Europe under this regulation by all tyre manufacturers together with their label information.

At product level -> The same information as on the EU label and product information sheet (in multiple language versions).

There are two databases, a public one open to everyone and a restricted-access one where additional information is stored for surveillance entities and tyre manufacturers only.

• The database is not yet available to the public.
• The tyre is not registered (production DOT before May 2021) as this was not mandatory to comply with the new regulation (current R117 then applies).
• The tyre type is out of scope – studded, vintage, spare, POR, …
• DOT before May 2021 – If the tyres are from Continental Group, we will ensure that these are compliant with the new regulation and if additional information is required you can always contact our customer service (answer B2C).
• The tyres are no longer in production and there is no need for EPREL registration, or they are not intended for European sales (B2B).
• DOT after May 2021 – if the tyres are from Continental Group (all brands), please contact Continental customer service. (LINK EMAIL)
• If they are not Continental tyres, it could be an unregistered product and thus illegal. Please ask your tyre dealer or supplier for the mandatory label information (including QR code) and product information sheet that should give you the link to the EPREL information.

The registration of tyres runs through an official platform called EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling).

No. In the old label regulation there was a clear requirement to have the label information displayed on the invoice but this requirement is gone. However, the information still needs to be made available in some form. Tyre distributors need to make this information available pre-sale on digital platforms, at the POS and close to the tyre when it is displayed at the point of sale.

In the old label regulation there was a clear requirement to have the label information displayed on the invoice but this requirement is gone. However, the information still needs to be made available in some form. Tyre distributors need to make this information available pre-sale on digital platforms, at the POS and close to the tyre when it is displayed at the point of sale. 

The filter/search functions on the EPREL have not yet been finalized – this will happen by the end of 2020.

No. All tyres delivered before May 1, 2021 with the former label still remain compliant and do not have to be re-labelled. This also applies to tyres that are already on the market (e.g. at our RDCs) but are delivered to you after May 1, 2021.

Until May 1, 2021 only the current label is relevant and mandatory for European sales. If the consumer interface of EPREL were to become available before that date, theoretically both labels could be shown alongside one another.

There are no specific requirements for car dealers; the same applies to them as to tyre distributors and dealers. Before the sale of a tyre (or vehicle with tyre) they need to provide the end customer with the EU label information regarding the products concerned. Effectively that means they need to provide the official label in digital or printed form, as well as the product information sheet.

There are no specific requirements for OEMs; the same applies to them as to tyre distributors and dealers. Before the sale of a tyre (or vehicle with tyre) they need to provide the end customer with the EU label information regarding the products concerned. Effectively that means they need to provide the official label in digital or printed form, as well as the product information sheet.

No. In 2012 when the label was first implemented, it was an industry decision to have the tyre label sticker as a standard but it is not a mandatory requirement. Continental has decided that for C1 and C2 tyres this is the best fit for our logistics and sales obligations and those of our customers. For truck (C3) we have chosen a digital solution that is also fully compliant. Tyre manufacturers and distributors must ensure that the label information is available to their customers either on a printed form (on request) or in digital form. Distributors must display a printed tyre label for their customers at the point of sale or, where tyres are not on display, customers must be provided with a printed copy (on request) or a digital copy before the sale.

Continental will ensure that all products in our portfolio fulfil all regulatory obligations for tyre manufacturers. In addition, for a self-defined transition period (beginning of 2021 until end of 2021) we will provide both EU labels (current and new) to prevent any misunderstandings at customers.

Will be available within EPREL and via our own solutions and websites from Continental.

We will include all required data into our existing systems and interfaces and also provide the label information via other data exchange formats (.csv etc.).

Yes, if the production DOT is older than May 1, 2021 (i.e. the tyres were produced before May 2021).