Fleet managers are being advised by Kwik-Fit Fleet not to skimp on safety or cost when a new tyre labelling initiative is launched.

All new tyres on sale in Europe from November 1, 2012, will be classified and labelled for fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise performance.

The European Union regulation is designed to make fleet operators, company car and van drivers and private drivers aware of the individual performance characteristics of every single new tyre on sale.

Like the European energy label, the tyre label will use classes ranging from best-performance (green ‘A’ class) to worst (red ‘G’ class).

Besides indicating how much a tyre affects a car’s fuel efficiency, the label will also give information about its performance in wet conditions and its external rolling noise in decibels.

Mike Wise, head of Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: “While the fitting of a cheaper lower class of tyre may result in up-front cost savings, it will not meet the safety characteristics or fuel-efficiency of ‘A’ class tyres.

“Therefore, while we appreciate that fleet budgets must be kept under a tight rein, safety should be the top priority.”

Re-treaded tyres, off-road professional tyres and racing tyres will be exempt from the tyre labelling regime.