EU has tried to simplify the process of buying good tyres. Most people are not so knowledgeable about tyres, while still, all car owners will buy tyres every few years and since it is an important safety feature of the car, everyone should be able to make a conscious decision on which tyre is best to choose. Before, it was very difficult to compare the tyres, and it still is today, to a certain degree. The tyre label, however, at least helps to make the decision easier based on three factors. One should realize that these are not the only important factors when choosing a tyre, but they are quite standard in making a generally good decision, especially for summer tyres. The tyres aren’t tested in winter conditions, the EU tyre label doesn’t give that comparative value selection.
The EU tyre label indicates the rolling resistance of the tyres; this is important, especially from a fuel consumption perspective. A tyre with high rolling resistance will consume more fuel than one with low rolling resistance. So, there is no reason to choose a tyre with high rolling resistance, as you will just end up spending more money on fuel and stopping more frequently at the petrol station. When you consume more fuel, you will also emit more CO2, which is bad for the environment. The wear also increases with the higher rolling resistance, so you will wear out your tyres quicker, resulting in buying new tyres sooner than expected.
If you own an electric car, your driving range will be reduced if the rolling resistance is high, so you will have to factor that into the equation. You are still wasting energy, as you have to charge the batteries more frequently. The higher wear will most likely be a problem due to the weight of the electric cars; you will need to have wear-resistant tyres and tyres with low rolling resistance.
Then you have the tyre rolling noise, which can impact your driving comfort if the tyre noise is very high. This problem can be even more significant for electric cars as the cars are generally very quiet compared to a combustion engine driven car. There is, of course, no reason to select a tyre that has a high tyre noise level. It can even be dangerous if the sound level is too loud. Newer tyres have even combated this problem by introducing silent sidewall technology where a rubber layer will dampen the noise to prevent it from getting into the coupe.
For summer tyres, the noise is less of a problem than it is with winter tyres, where you might have to make a trade-off with a higher noise level to increase the driving safety, so this is something to consider when choosing winter tyres.
You then have the safety aspect in wet conditions, not for ice and snow, which relates more to summer tyres. The wet grip is chosen as wet surfaces are more challenging compared to dry. Wet surfaces have a longer braking distance than dry surfaces. Based on this information, you should make a more conscious decision than a purely random one.
For more information regarding how to use the EU tyre label to find good quality summer tyres, visit: https://www.nokiantyres.com/