The EU tyre label explained

Every new car, van and truck tyre sold in the European Union carries a label under Regulation (EU) 2020/740. Since May 2021 the label has five fields, and every tyre must also be registered in the EU product database EPREL before it goes on sale. TyreRank uses all of those registrations; 246,962 of them are car tyres currently on the market (data as of 23 October 2026).

The five fields

• Fuel efficiency (A–E): rolling resistance, the energy lost as the tyre flexes. A is best. See fuel efficiency classes.
• Wet grip (A–E): braking on a wet road compared with a reference tyre. A is best. See wet grip classes.
• External rolling noise: a value in decibels plus a class A, B or C. See tyre noise.
• Severe snow (3PMSF): a mountain with a snowflake, shown only if the tyre passed the EU snow test.
• Ice grip: shown only on tyres that passed the ice test, mostly Nordic winter tyres. See snow and ice symbols.

The label also has a QR code that links to the tyre’s EPREL record, where you can check that the values match.

How the classes are spread

Among car tyres on sale, the classes are far from even. In wet grip, 11% are class A, 35% class B and 41% class C. In fuel efficiency only 2% reach A, while 50% are C and 36% are D. Tyres rated A in both wet grip and fuel efficiency are rare: 1,826 registrations, or 1% of car tyres.

Who sets the values

The supplier tests the tyre under EU test methods and declares the classes. National market surveillance authorities check samples, but most tyres are never tested independently. A label is a declaration, not a review.

What the label does not tell you

The label says nothing about dry braking, handling, aquaplaning, wear or how a tyre ages. It also compares tyres only within their own class (car, van or truck). Use it to narrow a choice in your size, then read independent tests if you want the full picture.

How to use it

Start from your size, for example 205/55 R16, and compare tyres of the same season. On every size page we rank each pattern by wet grip, then fuel efficiency, then noise.