Find an EPREL tire label and check its product identity
How to open a tire's EPREL record from its label QR code, and how to check that the record matches the physical tire and the manufacturer's listing before you compare grades.
Contents
The short answer
To find a tire's EPREL record, scan the QR code printed on its EU tire label. EPREL is the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, the European Commission's database of energy-labelled products. The QR code opens that tire type's entry, which carries more detail than the printed label. Before relying on the label grades, check that the record describes the tire you are looking at. Compare the supplier, the tire type identifier, the size designation, the service description (load index plus speed symbol) and the tire class with the tire's sidewall and with the manufacturer's listing for that exact variant. If any identity field disagrees, treat the label grades as unconfirmed for that tire until you resolve it.
One condition changes this. EPREL covers in-scope tire types placed on the European Union market. Suppliers must register these tire types before selling them there, and that registration is what generates the label and its QR code. A tire made and sold only for the US market may carry no EU label and have no EPREL record. In that case, the US sidewall markings, such as the UTQG treadwear, traction and temperature grades, are the relevant consumer information instead.
What the label and record are, and what they are not
The EU tire label shows grades for fuel efficiency (rolling resistance), wet grip and external rolling noise. Some tires also show snow or ice grip symbols. Michelin explains that manufacturers report these grades from tests run under methods defined at European level. The label is therefore a supplier declaration made under a common method. It is not an independent head-to-head road test. That is why identity matters: the grades apply to one registered tire type, and a different size or load or speed variant of the same model can carry different grades.
According to Michelin, the standard identity information on the label includes:
- Supplier: the brand or company placing the tire on the market.
- Tire type identifier: the supplier's code for that specific tire type. It is often more precise than the marketing model name.
- Size designation: the dimensional code, for example 205/55 R16.
- Tire class: C1 for passenger-car tires, C2 for light-commercial tires, C3 for heavy-vehicle tires.
The European Commission also identifies tire size and service description as identification parameters. The service description combines the load index and the speed symbol, for example 91V. A model name alone does not identify a tire. One tread pattern is usually sold in many sizes and load or speed ratings, and each of these can be a separate registered tire type.
How to locate the label and the correct record
- In a store or on a delivered tire, look for the label as a sticker on the tread, or as a printed label supplied with the tire or shown at the point of sale. The QR code sits on the label itself.
- Online, EU-market sellers usually show the label image near the product listing. A label image on a retail page is a copy. Scanning or following its QR code is what takes you to the registered record.
- If you have no QR code, ask the seller for the label or for the official record link. You can also browse the public EPREL product search by supplier and model name. Then narrow the results by size and service description, because a model search can return many records.
- When the record opens, keep the full page address and the record's registration number. You may also be able to download the label and the product information sheet from the record.
Look-alikes that cause wrong matches
- Same model, different variant: two records share a model name but differ in size, load index or speed symbol. Only the record whose size and service description match the tire applies.
- Record number versus tire type identifier: the registration number belongs to the database entry. The tire type identifier is the supplier's product code. Keep them separate, and do not compare one against the other.
- UTQG grades versus EU label grades: US sidewall grades and EU label classes come from different systems. Neither can be converted into the other.
- Other EU energy labels: appliances use a different label layout. A tire label shows the tire-specific pictograms and the tire identity fields listed above.
- Reinforced or extra-load versions: these can share a size with a standard-load version but have a different load index. That makes them a different tire type for this check.
Step-by-step identity check
- 1. Scan the label QR code, or open a record link the seller has supplied. Save the full address and the registration number.
- 2. From the record, write down the supplier, tire type identifier, size designation, service description wherever it is displayed, and tire class. Download the label or information sheet if the record offers it.
- 3. Read the tire's sidewall: brand, model name, size (for example 205/55 R16) and service description (for example 91V). Also note any extra-load or reinforced marking.
- 4. Find the manufacturer's listing for the exact variant, meaning the same size and the same service description. Note its product or article code if one is shown.
- 5. Compare each field across the three sources. Mark it match, mismatch or not shown.
- 6. Resolve every identity mismatch before you look at the fuel-efficiency, wet-grip or noise grades.
| Field | EPREL record | Physical tire | Manufacturer listing | Result |
| Supplier / brand | match / mismatch / not shown | |||
| Tire type identifier | match / mismatch / not shown | |||
| Size designation | match / mismatch / not shown | |||
| Service description (load index + speed symbol) | match / mismatch / not shown | |||
| Tire class (C1 / C2 / C3) | match / mismatch / not shown | |||
| Record registration number | n/a | n/a | keep for reference |
Some fields will not appear in every source. For example, a sidewall may not show the supplier's tire type identifier. When that happens, mark the field "not shown" rather than "match." Then rely on the fields that the sources do share.
Illustrative example: an unresolved match
This example is hypothetical. A record called DEMO-1 and a manufacturer listing use the same model name and the same size. However, the record shows a service description of 91V and the listing shows 94V. Because the service description differs, the identity comparison stays unresolved, even though the model names match. The next steps are to find the record whose service description matches the tire's sidewall, or to ask the seller which variant they are supplying. Record DEMO-1's registration number and its tire type identifier in separate columns so that neither is mistaken for the other.
What this check does not decide
A confirmed match tells you that the label grades belong to the tire in front of you. It does not tell you whether that tire is available to buy where you are, or whether it is approved for your vehicle. Fitment depends on the vehicle maker's specified sizes, load and speed requirements. Check it separately against the vehicle's documentation or the tire placard, or ask a qualified tire professional.
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