The Regulation will require tyre manufacturers to declare fuel efficiency and the wet grip and external rolling noise performance of C1, C2 and C3 tyres (i.e. tires mainly fitted on passenger cars, light and heavy duty vehicles). 

Lack of reliable and comparable information on the performance of tyres currently makes it difficult for consumers to take these elements into account in their purchasing decision, in particular when the time comes to replace a used set of tyres. From 1 November 2012, these tyre performances will be displayed at the point of sale and on technical promotional literature such as catalogues, leaflets or web marketing. 

The aim is to promote the market transformation towards more fuel-efficient, safer and low noise tyres, beyond the standards already achieved. It will also pave the way for competition to run on tyre performances in addition to prices, which will in turn stimulate investments in Research and Development. 

(Source from European Commission)

• Fuel efficiency is measured by the Rolling Resistance (RR) of tyres.  
• Rolling resistance is the resistance that occurs when a round object such as a ball or tyre rolls on a flat surface in a steady velocity straight-line motion It is caused mainly by the deformation of the object, the deformation of the surface, or both. 

Additional contributing factors include wheel radius, forward speed,surface adhesion, and relative micro-sliding between the surfaces of contact. It depends very much on the material of the wheel or tyre and the sort of ground.

7 classes from G (least efficient) to A (most efficient) 

Effect may vary among vehicles and driving conditions, but the difference between a G and an A class for a complete set of tyres could reduce fuel consumption by up to 7.5 % and even more in case of trucks.

Wet grip indicates the braking performance of tyres on wet road surfaces and is related to the safety performance of vehicles. Tyres with low rolling resistance have high fuel efficiency, but can have safety problems. This is because tyres with low rolling resistance have low adherence to roads when the roads are wet. Accordingly, the European Council requires tyre companies to provide information about their tyres’ adherence (or grip) when applying the brake on wet roads.

7 classes from G (longest braking distances) to A (shortest braking distances)

Effect may vary among vehicles and driving conditions, but in the case of full braking, the difference between a G and an A class for a set of four identical tyres could be up to 30% shorter braking distance (e.g. for a typical passenger car driving at 80 km/h speed this could be up to 18m shorter braking distance). 

The exterior noise levels are measured in decibel (dB) and are indicated in three categories (refer to the black bars on the left). More black bars mean that the tyres create more road noise.

In addition to the noise value in Decibel dB(A) a pictogram displays whether the tyre external rolling noise performance is above the future European mandatory limit value (3 black bars= noisier tire), between the future limit value and 3dB below(2 black bars=average tire) or more than 3 dB below the future limit value(1 black bar = low noise tyre).