New Mandatory Norms for Tyres to Improve Fuel Efficiency and better Braking in Wet Conditions

The new norms propose having standards for rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound emission, which will be mentioned on tyres, in a bid to improve overall safety levels of cars, and will be applicable for new tyres from October 2021.

The Government of India recently issued a notification proposing new mandatory norms for tyres. The new norms will require tyres sold in India to meet a certain benchmark for rolling resistance, wet grip, and rolling sound emission. Similar norms are already in place in markets like Europe since 2016 and aimed to improve the performance and safety aspects of the tyre for customers. Both domestic tyre manufacturers and importers for cars, buses, and heavy vehicles will have to comply with the proposed mandatory norms.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in its draft notification proposes the new tyre norms to be applicable from October this year for all-new tyres. Meanwhile, existing tyre models will need to comply with the norms from October 2022 onwards. The move is likely to be the first step in the direction of bringing a "star rating" system for tyres. More recently, CEAT introduced its own tyre label system in India with the SecuraDrive range, which mentions the aforementioned details.

India is a production hub with several domestic tyre manufacturers supplying their products to other markets globally. So, meeting the safety norms should not be a problem for the players. At present, the tyres sold in India get a mandatory BIS benchmark quality under the Tyre Quality Control Order. However, the same does not communicate information to customers that can help them make an informed choice before purchasing a tyre.

The BIS markings also do not bring accountability to tyre makers, which the new norms aim to change. The new mandatory norms will help bring the tyres sold in India one step closer to the laws enforced in the US, Europe, Japan and other developed markets.