Will European ECE Tyre Regulations Apply in the UK After Brexit?

Brexit is now on the horizon, and with this monumental change comes an avalanche of smaller ones. Food, drink, trade, fishing, and travel are all being changed by the political realities of Brexit, so it makes sense that vehicle safety is being reconsidered, too. Until now, UK and EU legislation surrounding tyre safety and conditions have been very much in line. That could be changing, however.

Current Tyre Safety Regulations

Tyre regulations in Europe are set by the Economic Commission for Europe - or ECE for short. The ECE helps to standardise regulations across its member countries. Not only does this help manufacturers, as they can provide one product that is suitable across various countries, it helps with inter-country traffic. 

Every day, high volumes of private and commercial traffic cross through various national borders. The ECE ensures that such vehicles do not have to adapt to different regulations on a frequent basis.

Numerous cars cross borders everyday, so European tyre regulations maintain a standard of quality across member countries.

For years, both car and truck tyres have been covered by ECE regulations in a number of areas. The ECE regulations list numerous factors, including a tyre’s physical dimensions, sidewall symbols and tyre markings, durability, speed index and load index. More recently, tyre noise has become a major concern, as seen in the use of EU tyre labelling regulations.

In the United Kingdom, the current Road Vehicles Regulations (1986) were implemented after the UK became a part of the European Union and state that tyres, whether they are new, partially used, or retreaded, must have “at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band in the centre ¾ of the tread”. To put it simply, to be considered safe all tyres on a vehicle must have a tread depth of 1.6mm over no less than 75% of their surface.

They must also be free from any defects which might impair their grip on the road. These ‘defects’ include, but are not limited to:

• Lumps or bulges
• Cuts or tears bigger than 25mm (or 10% of the tyre width)
• Gashes or gouges which expose the ply or cord
• Exposed ply or cord

There are also requirements for the pressure of the tyres on a vehicle. However, tyre pressure is variable for different models and as such has not been explicitly stated. Instead, you should consult your owners’ manual to find the manufacturer recommended pressure levels.

Decoding the ECE

The European ECE symbol can be identified through the use of the letter “E” and a numeric code, typically inside a circle or rectangle. The “E”, of course, stands for the ECE while the number indicates the country where the tyre was registered. Each nation has its own number, listed below, with E11 being used to signify products registered in the UK.

After this initial code, there is a series of two digits. This signifies which series of regulations have been used to certify the tyre, as products have different standards based on their purpose. For commercial tyres, “02” is used for ECE regulation 30, while “00” indicates regulation 54, which is for delivery trucks. For typical car owners, then, tyres need to follow ECE 30.

Furthermore, some tyres may also be designed with an ECE symbol with an “-s” suffix. This indicates the tyres were subjected to additional testing and have been found to meet the tyre rolling noise limits. In this case, the “s” stands for “sound”.

From left: traditional symbol marking, alternative symbol, a symbol with noise marking

                                                                                     

If you’re looking for the ECE does for country of registration, they are as follows:

Finally, as an additional reminder, you should bear in mind that not all tyres are subject to ECE certification. Tyres intended for use outside of Europe need to only meet the regulations of their respective country of use. For this reason, it is best to stick to tyres intended for sale in Europe, as this will ensure they meet ECE and UK tyre regulations.

Post-Brexit tyre safety

At the moment, the UK government has not announced whether it will be changing any of the current safety requirements set out in 1986. At the time of writing, the regulatory requirements for 1.6mm of tread and a lack of defects in any tyres in use remain in place and are not slated to change, whether the tyres are new, retreaded, or partially used.

There has been some controversy surrounding the use of retreaded and partially used tyres, however, since a Tyre Safe survey found that an average of 29% of used or retreaded tyres sold in the UK were illegal by current regulatory standards.

Nonetheless, the only changes which have been confirmed at the moment concern HGV and bus tyres. As of July 2020 new regulation has come into place which means that it is illegal to place tyres over 10 years old into the front axles of HGVs, buses, and coaches. They are also prohibited from use on any minibus axles, whether or not they are technically in line with the legal requirements on their condition.

An ever-changing landscape

At the moment, tyre safety regulations are not shifting dramatically, but as the terms of Brexit are fully solidified changes may yet follow. At the moment, the UK remains in-line with EU regulations, but if a ‘no-deal’ Brexit comes to pass changing tariffs and trade regulations may see a greater reliance on budget tyres from Asia, and a shift in legislation as a result.