EU Commission proposes simpler energy and tyre labelling rules

Brussels, 24 June 2026

European consumers, suppliers and retailers of home appliances, electronic devices and tyres are set to benefit from simplified rules on labelling proposed by the European Commission today.

The simplified energy and tyre labelling rules will make the requirements for suppliers and retailers easier while still ensuring that consumers receive the information they need when buying a product. This will encourage manufacturers and suppliers to develop and market better and more efficient appliances and tyres, helping consumers – both businesses and households – to buy more energy efficient products and eventually reduce their energy bills and running costs. Some newer labels, including those for smartphones, will also provide information on durability and repairability, helping people choose products that last longer.

The energy sector stands at a pivotal moment: moving from a fossil energy crisis to a new era of electrification. Meeting this challenge requires a major expansion of clean electricity generation- but also using that electricity wisely. This is why energy efficiency remains indispensable. The EU energy label has already demonstrated its value, helping consumers make informed choices while driving down energy consumption across Europe.

The energy labelling framework has already proven effective in reducing energy use and supporting informed consumer choices. It should therefore be maintained and further strengthened, which is the aim of today’s proposal. The EU is streamlining the rules to make them easier to apply, cut costs and facilitate enforcement, thereby reducing the administrative burden. Legislation on energy-related products can make an important contribution to a safe, energy-efficient, electrified and homegrown energy system.

The proposed measures

The proposal does not change the main purpose of the framework, ie giving consumers clear, comparable information so they can make informed choices. The proposed changes would allow more flexibility in how labels are displayed, depending on the product, while making sure consumers still see the information upon purchase. For instance, electronic shelf displays might be an acceptable alternative to paper for types of products sold in physical shops, but this is not allowed under the current framework. For products traded between businesses alone and not sold in physical shops, like refrigerated supermarket cabinets or vending machines, a printed label will not be seen before purchase and a QR code in related documentation or on the product might be more relevant. Likewise, heating, cooling or kitchen appliances are often sold by an installer or kitchen fitter without the consumer actually seeing the appliance on display in a physical shop. In these cases, the most important moment is when the customer receives the offer from the installer. The label should therefore be shown at that stage, as part of the contractual offer. Other solutions again might be relevant for products sold in large quantities, which may not be displayed individually on shop shelves but kept in their boxes on pallets.

Other proposed measures on energy labelling include making it easier for supplies and shopkeepers to update labels when energy ratings are rescaled. For both energy labelling and tyres, measures include clarifying the responsibilities of representatives of non-EU manufacturers. For what concerns tyres only, measures proposed removing the requirement for vehicle dealers to display tyre labels when selling a new car where customers are rarely offered a choice. Finally, the changes would help simplify the legal process for updating tyre labels, better support procurement and facilitate market surveillance using the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL), for example by ensuring that certain product details which are now missing – but which experience has shown is essential for procurers, customers or market surveillance authorities – would be available digitally.

Such measures are expected to save businesses and market surveillance authorities up to €125 million annually over the next 10 years. They will contribute to reaching the €18.4 billion of administrative costs savings, bringing us closer to the EU’s wider goal of cutting annual administrative costs by €37.5 billion by 2029. In the specific case of energy and tyre labelling, this will include cost savings for market surveillance authorities.

Background

The energy product simplification initiative is the 12th in a series of EU initiatives to reduce red tape and strengthen competitiveness. The Commission has set a course to simplify EU rules to make the EU economy more competitive and more prosperous, with a clear target to deliver an unprecedented simplification effort by achieving at least 25% reduction in administrative burdens, and at least 35% for SMEs, by 2030. In the specific case of energy and tyre labelling, market surveillance authorities will enjoy cost savings.

The proposal is based on extensive consultations, including an implementation dialogue, a call for evidence, and a reality check report. It is also supported by two implementation reports which take a close look at the consumer understanding of the energy label and tyre label since 2021. These reports drew on recent studies carried out in early 2025 on the use of tyre labels, updated energy labels, and the EPREL product database. The results confirmed the benefits of eco-design and labelling policies for consumers, competitiveness, and innovation. At the same time, they highlighted continuing problems with non-compliance and weak market surveillance, especially in online sales.

For more information

Quote(s)

Energy labels empower consumers to make informed choices that save them money, and in today’s context, that matters more than ever. Our proposal is ambitious and makes the rules fit for the digital age, clearer for consumers, easier for businesses, stronger on standards.

^{Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition}

European consumers deserve clear, accessible information on the energy performance of the home appliances and electronic devices they want to purchase. EU energy labels are already estimated to save consumers around €100 billion every year. With this proposal, we want to build on that success, unlocking even greater savings for households while making it simpler and less burdensome for businesses to provide and display this information. This is a proposal that benefits consumers and companies alike.

^{Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing}

Our proposals to simplify rules on energy products deliver common sense solutions without undermining policy objectives. They reduce costs and burden for businesses in the energy sector, while ensuring customers have the information they need. In short, we are cutting red tape without cutting corners. The packages put forward today send a strong message: we remain firmly committed to slashing red tape and removing barriers that have held companies back for too long, sector by sector. We now call on the co-legislators to do their part, so that benefits swiftly reach the day-to-day operations of businesses across Europe.

^{Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity; Implementation and Simplification}

Source – EU Commission

Questions and answers on the simplification of energy and tyre labelling

Brussels, 24 June 2026

How will European consumers benefit from simplified rules on energy and tyre labelling?

The EU energy and tyre labelling rules are a mature and long-standing policy framework that has its origins in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis. It has been comprehensively revised at regular intervals, last time in 2017. The implementation experience since then, in particular with the introduction of the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) in 2019, has revealed new opportunities to make the rules easier for businesses to follow and easier for authorities to enforce. This proposal therefore has two main aims: on the one hand, to make the rules simpler for suppliers and sellers; and on the other hand, to ensure that more consumers see the label where and when it is useful for their purchasing decisions. This can be achieved by improving compliance through clearer legal requirements and better use of digital tools, in line with the Commission Work Programme for 2026.

The main benefit for consumers will remain intact: energy labels and other key product information will still have to be shown at the point of sale, both in shops and online. In future, however, the way labels are provided could be better adapted to different types of products and sales methods. The rules will hence be simplified without lowering the standards or reducing the benefits for consumers. For example, for refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function (for instance, vending machines or supermarket cabinets), the ongoing evaluation of the current rules suggests that a printed label may be of limited relevance given how such products are typically sold from businesses to businesses and not involving physical retail shops.

The simplified rules would take these different sales situations into account and make clearer who is responsible at each stage between the manufacturer and the final customer. This would help ensure that consumers always see the energy label information when they need it most to make an informed choice. Consumers across the EU would also benefit from measures designed to make market checks and enforcement more effective: the better the rules are applied, the more consumers will actually see the label before making purchasing decisions. The evidence available shows that the EU energy label has a positive effect both on the average efficiency of the products purchased, and also, over time, on the efficiency of the products developed and offered in the market by suppliers.

What is the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) and how can it help European consumers in their choices? What will change with the simplification?

The European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL) currently contains over two million product models that are on sale in the EU, ranging from white goods (washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, freezers, tumble dryers…) to electronics and tyres. For all of these, EPREL facilitates comparisons between different product models, enabling consumers, procurers and businesses to make informed choices. EPREL hosts additional parameters and information not featuring on the label, such as information on the supplier guarantee, for repair or supplier contacts. Customers can access EPREL by scanning the QR code on an energy label or by going directly on the website. Visitors can also report an issue with label compliance directly in the database, for the authority or the supplier to act. EPREL also provides explanations on what the icons on the different labels stand for.

The implementation reports (on tyres and on energy labelling) and studies show that consumers, business and procurers are not yet fully aware of EPREL: the database is far less known than decades-old energy label itself to electronics and tyres. For all of these, EPREL facilitates comparisons between different product models, enabling consumers, procurers and businesses to make informed choices. EPREL hosts additional parameters and information not featuring on the label, such as information on the supplier guarantee, for repair or supplier contacts. Customers can access EPREL by scanning the QR code on an energy label or by going directly on the website. Visitors can also report an issue with label compliance directly in the database, for the authority or the supplier to act. EPREL also provides explanations on what the icons on the different labels stand for.

With the proposed simplification, EPREL will be more frequently used, because the QR code would be more prominent and communicated in supply chains. In addition, the Commission might develop further EPREL features to show or find warnings for products which Market Surveillance Authority (MSAs) have found non-compliant.

How will these simplified rules help companies?

The proposal is expected to reduce administrative costs by up to €125 million over 10 years, mainly for suppliers of energy-related products, but also for dealers. Companies would benefit in several ways: suppliers could cut costs linked to delivering printed labels, depending on the rules for each product group, and both suppliers and dealers would save time and effort whenever labels are rescaled and updated.

National market surveillance authorities are also expected to save around €3.7 million each year, as better compliance data in EPREL would make checks quicker and more efficient. Further savings could come from avoiding the need for companies to enter the same information twice. If data already submitted to EPREL does not have to be entered again into the future digital product passport registry, this could generate a one-off saving of up to €66 million.

In addition, removing the requirement for vehicle dealers to display tyre labels is expected to save €40 million per year, mainly by reducing unnecessary administrative work. Tyre efficiency is reflected in the information on emission or vehicle autonomy provided with a new car.

Source – EU Commission