E-mark (European approval)

How to read it

The Australian Tyre Industry Council says an E marking means a national authority has approved the tyre under a UN regulation: Regulation 30 for passenger car tyres, or Regulation 54 for light and heavy commercial vehicle tyres. The number in the circle is the country that granted the approval: E1 is Germany, E4 the Netherlands, E11 the United Kingdom and E43 Japan, and the council notes the countries are not only European. British regulations describe the rest of the mark: the number beside the circle is the approval number the authority gave that type of tyre. A tyre approved under several regulations or directives can carry several E-marks. Continental says a separate E-mark now shows type approval under UN Regulation No. 117, which sets limits for rolling resistance, sound and wet grip, and that it replaced the smaller e4-S numbers step by step.

Also searched as: E4 on tire, ECE mark, e-mark tire.

Lower-case e and the S suffix

A lower-case e, the council says, shows approval under a European directive rather than a UN regulation. An S after the approval number shows that the tyre meets the rolling noise limits (UK Designation of Approval Marks Regulations, as amended in 2010); the council’s example, E4 with an SW suffix, is a Dutch approval that meets both the sound and wet grip requirements.

Where it is required

In the UK, the Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994 require new car tyres to carry an approval mark; Pirelli’s guide cites them for the E-mark. The MOT inspection manual accepts tyres marked NHS or Not for Highway Use only if they also have an E marking and a number in a circle. The council says Australia accepts E-marked car, light truck and truck tyres with no further markings.

E-mark or DOT code?

The DOT code is the US mark, a certification the manufacturer places on the tire. The E-mark is a type approval from a national authority, which the tire’s circled number names.