TLR - Regulation (EU) 2020/740

What TLR is and why it matters

The Tyre Labelling Regulation (TLR) — formally Regulation (EU) 2020/740 on the labelling of tyres with respect to fuel efficiency and other parameters — is the EU’s framework for giving buyers comparable, standardised information about tyres at the point of purchase. If you manufacture, import or sell tyres for cars, vans, buses or trucks in the European market, it almost certainly applies to you. TLR requires that tyres carry a harmonised EU label showing the tyre’s fuel-efficiency class, wet-grip class and external rolling-noise class, together with snow grip and ice grip icons where the tyre qualifies. The aim is to let purchasers compare tyres on safety, fuel economy and noise rather than on price and brand alone, and to push the market towards safer, quieter and more efficient products.

TLR matters because it converts what was previously a directive-style labelling scheme into a directly applicable regulation with sharper, more enforceable obligations. The headline change is the link to the EU’s EPREL product database: tyres must be registered before they are placed on the market, and the label is reproduced digitally and reachable by a QR code. For a tyre brand or reseller, that means the obligation is no longer just “print a sticker” — it is register the product, generate a correct label, display it at every point of sale and reproduce it in promotional material.

📄 Official text: Regulation (EU) 2020/740 on the labelling of tyres — on EUR-Lex →

Who TLR applies to

TLR applies across the supply chain rather than to a single actor. The duties scale with your role, but every link is covered:

Suppliers (manufacturers and importers) — anyone who manufactures a tyre, or who imports it into the EU and places it on the market under their own name or trademark. They carry the heaviest obligations: testing, classification, registering the product in EPREL, and producing the label and accompanying product information.
Importers — businesses bringing tyres from outside the EU into the Union market. They must verify that the supplier has met its obligations and ensure a compliant label and registration exist before the tyre is sold.
Distributors — wholesalers and retailers further down the chain who must make the label visible to the buyer, display it correctly at the point of sale, and ensure it accompanies tyres sold online or by distance selling.
Vehicle suppliers and dealers — when buyers choose tyres before a new vehicle is delivered, the dealer must provide the label and the relevant tyre-parameter information for the tyres offered.

The Regulation covers C1, C2 and C3 tyres — broadly tyres for passenger cars and light vehicles, and tyres for heavy commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks. Certain categories are outside scope, including retreaded tyres, professional off-road tyres, racing tyres, studded tyres, temporary-use spare (T-type) tyres and tyres designed only for vehicles first registered before 1 October 1990.

Key dates and timeline

2020 — Regulation (EU) 2020/740 was adopted and entered into force, starting the transition from the previous tyre-labelling scheme.
1 May 2021 — TLR applies from this date. From this point the Regulation’s obligations are enforceable, including the new label design, the snow and ice grip icons, the QR code and the EPREL registration requirement.
On that same date, TLR repealed Regulation (EC) No 1222/2009, the earlier tyre-labelling regulation, replacing the previous framework. Because TLR is a regulation, it is directly applicable in all Member States without national transposition.

Core requirements

The tyre label and its classes

At the heart of TLR is the standardised EU tyre label. It presents three graded classes plus pictograms. Fuel efficiency is shown on an A-to-E scale and reflects the tyre’s rolling resistance, which influences fuel or energy consumption. Wet grip is also shown A-to-E and reflects braking performance on wet roads — a direct safety parameter. External rolling noise is shown as a class together with the measured value in decibels. In addition, a snow grip icon (the 3PMSF “three-peak mountain snowflake” marking) appears for tyres meeting the severe snow-performance requirement, and an ice grip icon appears for C1 tyres meeting the ice-performance requirement. The label layout, scales and icons are defined by the Regulation so that every tyre is presented in the same comparable format.

Registration in the EPREL database

Before a tyre is placed on the EU market, the supplier must register it and its label information in the EU’s European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) database. The registration carries the technical and labelling parameters for each tyre type, and it underpins the QR code on the label, which links to the product’s public entry. This makes the registration step a precondition for lawful sale, not an optional extra: a tyre without a correct EPREL registration cannot be lawfully placed on the market, and authorities can check the public and compliance parts of the database directly.

Display at the point of sale

TLR requires the label to be visible to the buyer before purchase. Where tyres are displayed, each tyre must show the label, for example as a sticker or printed label. Where tyres on offer are not visible to the buyer — common in workshops and many retail settings — the distributor must provide the label information before sale, such as on a printed copy near the price. The same obligation extends to distance selling and internet sales: the label and the product-parameter information must be shown in the visual near the price so that an online buyer sees the classes before they commit.

Technical promotional material and advertising

Where a supplier or distributor produces technical promotional material — brochures, catalogues, websites and similar material that describes a specific tyre’s parameters — that material must reproduce the relevant label classes for fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise, and the snow and ice icons where they apply. The point is consistency: a buyer should not encounter a tyre advertised on its performance without also seeing how it is classified on the label, so that marketing claims and the official classification stay aligned.

Product information and conformity

Suppliers must ensure the values printed on the label match the tyre’s actual measured performance, determined using the test methods set out in the Regulation, and must keep the supporting technical documentation available for the authorities. The label and the EPREL entry must be accurate and consistent. Suppliers may not provide labels, marks, symbols or inscriptions that mislead buyers about the labelled parameters or that could be confused with the official EU tyre label.

Obligations by role

Suppliers (manufacturers/importers) — test and classify tyres, register them in EPREL, produce a correct label and product information, keep technical documentation, and ensure promotional material reproduces the label classes.
Importers — verify the supplier’s registration and label, ensure a compliant label exists, and refuse tyres that are not registered or labelled.
Distributors — display the label at the point of sale, provide label information where tyres are not visible, and show the label in distance and online sales near the price.
Vehicle dealers — provide the label and tyre-parameter information for tyres offered on a new vehicle before the buyer chooses.

Enforcement

Each Member State designates market surveillance authorities to enforce TLR. In Denmark, the Danish Safety Technology Authority (Sikkerhedsstyrelsen) is the competent authority for tyre labelling and energy-labelling obligations. Authorities can check the EPREL database, require missing labels or registrations to be corrected, and act against misleading labels.

Because TLR is built on EPREL and on the wider EU energy-labelling framework, a compliance gap is visible across markets rather than confined to one country. Consequences for non-compliance are set at national level and can include orders to correct labelling, prohibitions on placing tyres on the market, and penalties. The qualitative reality for a brand is that an unregistered or mislabelled tyre line can be flagged once and create exposure across every market where it is sold.

Getting compliant

Confirm which of your tyres fall within scope (C1, C2, C3) and which are excluded.
Test and classify each tyre type for fuel efficiency, wet grip and external rolling noise, and determine snow (3PMSF) and ice grip where relevant.
Register each tyre and its label data in the EPREL database before placing it on the market.
Produce the standardised EU label, including the QR code, in the correct format.
Ensure the label is shown at every point of sale, including online listings near the price.
Reproduce the label classes and icons in technical promotional material and advertising.
Keep technical documentation available and ensure the label, EPREL entry and actual performance stay consistent.

How Conphora helps

Conphora monitors TLR and maps your tyres against its requirements, flagging gaps in classification, EPREL registration, label content and point-of-sale display before they become enforcement problems. The platform helps you generate and keep the right documentation, and alerts you when obligations change so your compliance stays current.

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Sources and further reading

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice.

Last updated: 12 June 2026