Europe is the first part of the world that started to use unique, unified markings of grip on ice for tires last year. In addition, the tires additionally have a snow grip symbol and a QR code that leads to an extensive European database.
For those who are not informed, and start shopping for tires for their Saab (and live within the EU), they should know that this change came into effect on May 1 last year. The goal is for the new labels to help drivers compare different tires and to guide them to choose safer and more environmentally friendly tires.
For those who now buy npve winter tires and live in the EU, they should know that the markings have already been changed throughout the EU on all tires that are currently offered for sale. The new markings are mandatory on tires produced after April 2021, so the new markings have gradually started to appear on the tires that are now on sale.
However, you should know that you can still find older tires on sale, made before the adoption of this regulation, because there are still many earlier manufactured tires in warehouses across Europe. On these older manufactured tires, you will see old stickers, according to earlier standards.
As a reminder, universal tires, summer tires and winter tires without spikes sold in the EU received the first EU marks in 2012. Until now, markings were mandatory on tires for passenger cars, SUVs and vans, and the required information included rolling resistance, wet grip and external rolling noise.
The markings are now changed so that the information must also cover grip on snow and ice, with the previous scale renewed and a QR code added. This requirement does not apply to winter tires with spikes.
TRUCK AND BUS TIRES GET NEW LABELS TOO
The new marking system can direct decision-making at the business level as well, because the requirements are now extended to tires for trucks and buses. With them, the tire markings were only used in marketing materials. However, these tires will not have the ice grip symbol.
COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE FOR ALL TYPES OF TIRES SOLD IN THE EU
When the EU wanted to add a rolling resistance label to tires in the early 2000s, the tire industry demanded that a wet grip label be added to it to avoid emphasizing energy efficiency at the expense of safety.
Environmental associations wanted a noise-related characteristic to be present on the label, so the original label included information on rolling resistance, wet grip and external rolling noise.
Reasons for renewing tire labels include making tire selection easier for customers and improving overall driving safety. Reducing emissions as the original goal of tire labels continues to apply.
