New European legislation, which comes into force on Thursday 1st November 2012, makes it mandatory for anyone selling tyres to provide information to motorists about each tyre’s impact on fuel economy, safety and noise.
For the first time motorists will have access to information that can quickly help them select tyres on the basis of how much they can reduce annual fuel bills. The information will usually come in the form of a colour coded label – much like those found on fridges and freezers – which will categorise tyres from A-G on their fuel efficiency and wet braking.
LANXESS supplies high tech synthetic rubbers to the world’s leading tyre manufacturers. They are using these materials to produce a new breed of premium ‘green tyres’ that can achieve the highest grades in both these label categories and help motorists save significant amounts on annual fuel bills. They are already beginning to appear on the market and may command an additional £15 – £40 per tyre, depending on exact specification.
LANXESS UK’s Managing Director, Kim O’Connor, said: “The impact of the new labelling system will depend heavily on the number of motorists that know these labels exist and understand how to use them. The results of our survey demonstrate that the motoring community is not yet ready and needs an easy and accessible way to understand the impact different tyres can have on their wallets and carbon footprint. This is exactly why we have developed a fuel saving calculator app.”
“For many drivers tyres are just a purchase made out of necessity, with little insight into the costs and performance in use,” confirms Vanessa Guyll from The AA. “Tyre labelling will enable them to make much more comprehensive decisions beyond price and size, but so far we’ve seen little interest.”
Managing Director of etyres, Tony Bowman, added: “There are 42 million tyres sold in the UK every year, but until now the majority of our customers have relied on us for advice about the best ones to suit their needs, including their driving style and budget. The simple to understand colour-coded stickers mean motorists don’t have to be a tyre expert to see which tyres give better grip in the wet, offer the most fuel efficiency and make the least noise.“
“Until now, tyre retailers have sold what they make most profit on by claiming that that particular tyre has the best grip, when in reality they have absolutely nothing to support such a claim. The new labelling system will take away the ability of unscrupulous tyre retailers to hoodwink drivers into buying what they make the most profit on.”
Free app for smartphones
To combat the current lack of understanding and to help motorists take advantage of the incoming changes, LANXESS has launched a unique free app (pictured below) for smartphones, tablets and web-enabled PCs. It shows motorists exactly how much money, fuel and carbon different tyres can save them based on the car they drive, their annual mileage and their driving style. It demonstrates that changing tyres could save around £200 per year in petrol costs and 350kg of carbon emissions if your annual mileage is 10,000 miles, your car averages 35 mpg and the price of fuel is approximately £1.30 per litre.
LANXESS has also unveiled a new website – www.green-tyres.org.uk – which provides quick access to independent information on tyre labelling and the benefits of a new breed of ‘green tyres’ that are starting to become available to motorists in the UK.
The free LANXESS app is available from both the Apple Appstore and from: www.app.green-tyres.org.uk.
