Your view: New EU tyre labels are brought in

By Ben Mundy
Newsbeat reporter A new EU tyre label has been brought in to help lower driving costs

All new tyres will be sold with a label designed to help guide drivers on how safe and fuel efficient they are from today (1 November).

The new EU standard grading will also show how noisy the tyres are.

It is a similar system to the one used on new fridges, with colour coded stickers rating the elements from A (best) to G (worst).

The AA says many drivers will ignore the safety part though and just buy the cheapest available.

Newsbeat has spent the day in Basingstoke to find out whether people agree or not.

Michael Gorman is 20 and works as a tyre manager

"Tyres are the most important thing on a car because it connects you and the chassis to the road," says Michael Gorman.

The 20-year-old claims more than half of the vehicles they carry out MoTs on at his garage fail because of worn tyres.

"People just wear their tyres down trying to get the most out of them because they're paying money for other things on their car," he said.

"I think the new system will work because it may show that the most expensive brands are not the best available.

"But it only focuses on three factors and there are more than 50 other elements that exist on tyre testing."

Ben Lancashire is 22 and buys his tyres second-hand

"I buy my tyres from a scrapyard for about £10 and then change them myself," says Ben Lancashire.

The 22-year-old drives regularly and bought his last set of tyres two months ago.

"This system won't make a bit of difference because if you're going to get a new tyre it's normally out of necessity because your car has just failed its MoT.

"You're always going to get the cheaper one.

"I wouldn't spend more money because the sticker says a particular tyre is more efficient."

Acacia Payne is 17 and has been driving for two months

Acacia recently bought two new tyres because her old one's had gone bald.

"I paid about £45 each for them, it was really expensive."

She goes to college and reckons the new labelling system will be ignored by her friends: "We just want the quickest to get and the cheapest.

"There's no way I would pay more for a tyre if it was labelled as more efficient I would just go for the lowest priced."

Prinesh Patel is 18 and has driven 20,000 miles since January

Prinesh Patel admits to spending a lot of time in his car.

"I just drive around, cruising, with mates," he said.

"I've bought six new tyres for this car since buying it in January.

"I always look for the quality brands. I think the fuel efficiency part to the labelling system would affect me but not the rest of it.

"Most people will just go for the cheap option, won't they?"