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Energy Efficient Products

Ice grip performance: can C2 or C3 tyres labels bear the pictogram?

No. Standard ISO/DIS 19447 'Passenger car tyres — Method for measuring ice grip performance — Loaded new tyres' only covers the testing method for C1 tyres. Until this standard will be updated, to cover C2 or C3 tyres, no C2 or C3 tyre can be tested and, consequently, no C2 nor C3 tyre can bear the ice pictogram.

Consequently, only C1 tyres with ice braking performance level above the threshold as from ISO 19447 can display the 'ice pictogram' on the label.

The subject matter of the Tyre Labelling Regulation (EU) 2020/740 in its Article 1, justified by Recital (9), is to provide harmonized information on tyre parameters to allow the end user to make an informed choice. It is also essential to prevent that testing results obtained by market surveillance authorities are different from the testing results declared by the suppliers.

This is possible only with the use of a reliable, accurate and reproducible method, and at the condition that no alternate method providing different information is used.

Disclaimer: Please note that the European Commission cannot provide a legally binding interpretation of the EU legislation, as this is the sole competence of the European Court of Justice. Any remarks from the European Commission services are without prejudice to the position the Commission might take should related cases arise in a procedure before the Court of Justice.