EU eyes emissions cuts from tyre labelling scheme

The European Parliament has formally approved a new EU-wide tyre labelling scheme that it hopes will lead to lower emissions.

The commission calculates that tyres, mainly owing to rolling resistance, account for 5-10pc of a vehicle's fuel consumption.

The new tyre labels will operate an A-E scale for fuel efficiency, resembling similar EU labelling schemes for household goods.

The commission estimates that the policy could deliver a transport sector emissions cut of up to 10mn t/yr of CO2 equivalent by 2030 in encouraging consumers to use the most fuel efficient tyres.

The new tyre labelling rules will apply from 1 May 2021 following today's vote in the plenary of the parliament, and expected formal approval by the EU's council of ministers.

Road transport currently accounts for 22pc of the EU's emissions.

By Dafydd ab Iago