Tyre Certification Marks Explained
What E-mark, CCC, SNI, BIS, BPS, TIS, KC, BSMI, JATMA, AS/NZS 2230, 3PMSF, OE homologation codes, runflat markings, EU Tyre Label, M+S, EV markings and UTQG all mean on your tyre sidewalls, which countries require them, and why New Zealand requires none of them. Based on 1,000+ documented tyre inspections and 18,000+ original workshop photographs from Te Puke.
What Are Tyre Certification Marks?
Every country that takes tyre safety seriously requires tyres to pass independent testing before they can be sold. When a tyre passes, it receives a physical stamp moulded into the sidewall during manufacturing. These stamps, called certification marks, prove the tyre has been tested for braking, durability, speed tolerance, and construction quality by an accredited authority.
Different countries have different systems. The EU uses the E-mark. China uses CCC. Indonesia uses SNI. India uses BIS. The Philippines uses BPS. Thailand uses TIS. South Korea uses KC. Taiwan uses BSMI. Japan adds a voluntary JATMA eco label. Australia applies AS/NZS 2230 as a mandatory standard for locally-produced passenger tyres. On top of that, manufacturers stamp OE codes (BMW ★, Mercedes MO, Porsche N0-N6), runflat acronyms (RSC, RFT, ZP, DSST) and the EU Tyre Label, all of which commonly get mistaken for certifications but are something different. We cover all of them below.
New Zealand has no mandatory tyre certification. Even though AS/NZS 2230 is technically a "joint" Australia-NZ standard on paper, NZ has no regulation that requires tyres sold here to actually meet it. A tyre can be legally imported, sold, and fitted to your vehicle in NZ without passing any third-party safety test. We have documented tyres from well-known premium brands sold in NZ with no E-mark, no CCC, and no certification marks at all.
This guide shows you exactly what each certification mark looks like on a real tyre, what it means, and how to spot whether your tyres carry them. Every photo below was taken by us during routine tyre inspections at our workshop in Te Puke.
Quick Reference: Certification Systems at a Glance
A fast overview of the major tyre certification systems you may find on tyres sold in New Zealand. Each row links to the full section below.
| System | Country / Region | Mandatory? | Common in NZ? |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-mark (ECE) | Europe + 50+ UNECE states | Yes in EU / Aus | Very common |
| CCC | China | Yes in China | Common (budget tyres) |
| SNI | Indonesia | Yes in Indonesia | Common (Indonesian-made) |
| BIS / ISI | India | Yes in India | Occasional |
| BPS / TIS | Philippines / Thailand | Yes in PH/TH | Occasional |
| 3PMSF | Global (winter tyres) | Voluntary | Rare (winter only) |
| AS/NZS 2230 | Australia / NZ | No (voluntary) | Occasional |
| New Zealand | No system exists | None required | — |
Full details on each system below. See also EU Tyre Label, UTQG (USA), JATMA (Japan), KC (Korea), BSMI (Taiwan), OE codes, Runflat markings.
How Much Should You Trust Each Certification?
Not all certifications mean the same thing. Some test structural integrity only (will the tyre hold together?), some test performance (wet grip, wear, noise), and some tell you almost nothing. Here is how we rank them.
Two completely different types of certification
Before we rank, it helps to understand that "certification" covers two very different things, and most guides conflate them:
- Structural certifications prove the tyre will not physically fail at its rated load and speed. Tests dimensions, load/speed endurance, high-speed running, bead unseating. Examples: E-mark (UNECE R30), CCC, SNI, BIS, TIS, BPS, KC, BSMI, JIS, ADR, FMVSS 109/119/139. These tell you "this tyre will not explode on the motorway." They do not tell you whether it will grip in the wet or last 20,000 km.
- Performance certifications measure how well the tyre actually performs: wet grip, rolling resistance (fuel efficiency), noise, treadwear. These tell you the differences between two tyres that both "won't fall apart". Examples: EU Tyre Label (based on UNECE R117), UTQG grades (US), JATMA eco label (Japan).
A tyre with both types stacked (e.g. E-mark and EU Tyre Label and UTQG) tells you far more than a tyre with just one structural cert. A tyre with zero certs tells you nothing at all.
Trust tier ranking (highest → lowest)
| Tier | Certifications | What it actually proves |
|---|---|---|
| Tier A Top |
EU Tyre Label (R117) UTQG grades (US) |
Performance you can actually compare: wet grip grade (A–E), fuel efficiency grade (A–E), noise in dB, treadwear rating, traction rating. Consumer-facing. Standardised. You can line two tyres up and see which performs better. |
| Tier B Strong |
E-mark (UNECE R30/54/75) FMVSS 139 (US, current) ADR 23/04 (Australia) JIS (Japan) |
Structural safety, strong enforcement. Full load/speed/endurance/high-speed testing. International traceability via approval number. Post-market surveillance (EU RAPEX, US NHTSA recall database, Australian ACCC). If a tyre fails in the field, there is a mechanism to recall it globally. |
| Tier C Domestic |
CCC (China) BIS / ISI (India) SNI (Indonesia) KC (Korea) TIS (Thailand) BSMI (Taiwan) BPS (Philippines) |
Structural safety, domestic-focused enforcement. Test methods are largely harmonised with UNECE R30, so the lab testing rigor is genuinely similar. The gap is in enforcement: surveillance is focused on the domestic market, not on global recalls. Easier to fake or copy markings for export channels that do not verify. A CCC-only tyre is objectively safer than a zero-cert tyre, but does not carry the same international accountability as an E-mark. |
| Tier D Legacy |
FMVSS 109 (US, 1967) FMVSS 119 (US, 1974) AS/NZS 2230 (voluntary) NOM (Mexico, limited) |
Historic standards still technically on the books. FMVSS 109 was superseded by FMVSS 139 in 2007 for modern radial passenger tyres sold in the US. It still exists for bias-ply, T-type spares, and replacement tyres for pre-1975 cars. AS/NZS 2230 is voluntary and essentially only seen on legacy NZ/Aus production that has largely ceased. These standards are genuine but their active relevance is limited. |
| Tier E Nothing |
No certifications | Nothing independently verified. All you have is the manufacturer's own word. In most regulated markets this tyre would be illegal to sell. In NZ it is legal. We photograph tyres in this category on our inspection bench every week. |
Common questions answered by this ranking
"If a tyre only has CCC, is that bad?" — No. A CCC-only tyre has passed the same type of structural testing as an E-marked tyre. It is in Tier C, not Tier E. The reason to prefer E-mark is not that the tests are harder but that the enforcement surrounding the cert is stronger (international traceability, recall mechanisms, post-market surveillance).
"If a tyre has both CCC and E-mark, which test was it actually built to?" — Usually both. Factories producing for multi-market export run one production line and submit samples for multiple certifications. The tyre is built to meet the strictest applicable standard, then certified under all relevant schemes. This is why a well-certified tyre (E-mark + CCC + SNI + DOT + EU Label + UTQG) is generally a good signal: multiple independent authorities have signed off on it.
"Is TIS stricter than BSMI? Is BIS stricter than SNI?" — Within Tier C, the differences in test rigor are small because all of them are harmonised with the same underlying UNECE methodology. The differences in practical enforcement vary year to year and cannot be ranked reliably. None of them are Tier B equivalent because their surveillance is domestic-focused.
"Where does the EU Tyre Label actually sit?" — Tier A, above all others. It is the only certification on this list that gives you a consumer-facing grade (A through E) for performance attributes. Combined with UTQG (also Tier A), these are the two certifications that let you genuinely compare tyres side by side. Unfortunately neither is on NZ's accepted standards list, so there is no legal requirement to display them here.
E-mark (ECE Certification)
The E-mark is the most widely recognised tyre certification in the world. It indicates a tyre has been tested and approved under UNECE Regulation No. 30 (passenger tyres) or No. 54 (commercial tyres). The mark appears as a circled "E" or "e" followed by a number identifying which country's authority approved it.
E-mark Country Codes
We have photographed 6 different E-mark country codes at our workshop. Highlighted rows indicate codes we have documented with original close-up photographs.
| Code | Country | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | Germany | KBA (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) |
| E2 | France | UTAC/OTC |
| E3 | Italy | MIT |
| E4 | Netherlands | RDW |
| E5 | Sweden | Transportstyrelsen |
| E6 | Belgium | SPF Mobilite |
| E7 | Hungary | KTI |
| E8 | Czech Republic | MDT |
| E9 | Spain | IDIADA |
| E10 | Serbia | AMSS |
| E11 | United Kingdom | VCA |
| E12 | Austria | BMK |
| E13 | Luxembourg | SNCH |
| E14 | Switzerland | ASTRA |
| E17 | Finland | Traficom |
| E18 | Denmark | Fstyr |
| E20 | Poland | TDT |
| E21 | Portugal | IMTT |
| E24 | Ireland | NSAI |
| E25 | Croatia | DZM |
| E37 | Turkey | TSE |
| E43 | Japan | JASIC |
| E45 | Australia | DoT |
E2 - France
E2 (France, UTAC/OTC authority) appears on French-manufactured tyres. Michelin, the world's second-largest tyre manufacturer, uses E2 certification through their home country. Interestingly, every E2 tyre in our database is a Michelin, no other brand has turned up with French approval yet.
E3 - Italy (+ E4 Dual Certification)
E3 (Italy, MIT authority) is less common but appears on Italian brands. Below, two Pirelli examples both carry dual E3 + E4 certification (Italy and Netherlands), meaning the tyre was type-approved by two separate national authorities, unusual but allowed under the 1958 Geneva Agreement.
E4 - Netherlands
E4 (Netherlands, RDW authority) is the most common E-mark code we encounter, we have 286 E4-tagged tyres across 56 brands in our database. Used by the Bridgestone Group, Continental, Dunlop, Maxxis, Triangle, Hankook, Kumho, and many others. Notably, the country the e-mark was approved by (Netherlands) doesn't need to match the country of manufacture, we have E4 on German, Japanese, French, Czech, Portuguese and Thai-made tyres.
Historical E4. Pre-R117 Era (1997)
Before UNECE R117 was introduced in 2005 (and made mandatory in 2012), e-marked tyres only needed the R30 type approval. The photo below is one of the oldest tyres in our database, a 1997-dated Bridgestone carrying a lone e4 stamp with no companion R117 mark, because R117 didn't exist yet. Useful reference for understanding how e-mark stamping evolved.
E9 - Spain
E9 (Spain, IDIADA authority) appears on some budget and mid-tier Chinese brands.
E11 - United Kingdom
E11 (UK, Vehicle Certification Agency) shows up on a big chunk of the tyres sold in NZ and Australia. VCA is one of the busier tyre certification authorities globally. E11 appears on Japanese-made Dunlops, Thai-made Falkens, US Coopers, and a handful of British-branded tyres.
E13 - Luxembourg (Goodyear's Signature Stamp)
E13 (Luxembourg, SNCH authority) is one of the rarer E-mark numbers you'll encounter, but there's a very specific pattern behind it: every single E13 tyre in our database is a Goodyear. That's not a coincidence. Goodyear Dunlop Tires Operations S.A. has been headquartered in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg since the 1950s, which is why Goodyear files its European type-approvals through Luxembourg's SNCH authority rather than the more common E4 (Netherlands) or E11 (UK) routes. We've documented E13 on Goodyears made in four different countries: China, Germany, the USA and Canada, which perfectly illustrates that the E-mark country tells you where the approval was filed, not where the tyre was built.
E-mark Performance Codes: S2WR1, S2WR2
Next to many E-marks you will see a code like S2WR1 or S2WR2. This is a UNECE Regulation 117 type-approval suffix, defined in R117 paragraph 5.3.2, that tells you what performance tests the tyre has passed. The suffix combines up to three separate indicators:
Use our Tyre Grades Guide to understand the separate UTQG treadwear, traction, and temperature rating system used in the US market.
CCC - China Compulsory Certification
CCC (China Compulsory Certification) is mandatory for all tyres sold within mainland China. It is administered by CNCA (Certification and Accreditation Administration of China) and indicates the tyre has passed Chinese national standards GB 9743 (passenger) or GB 516 (commercial).
Many tyres sold in NZ carry CCC marks since most budget tyres are manufactured in China. However, the CCC mark isn't required or verified for NZ import. We have documented CCC marks on Chinese brands, our own Anchee range, and even premium brands like Michelin that manufacture in China for the domestic market.
CCCS (Pre-2018 Mould). The Older Stamp Variant
CCCS = "CCC + S", the original mark used from 2002 until March 2018, where the trailing "S" indicated Safety testing. Tyres moulded in pre-2018 tooling still show the CCCS lettering. All of our Triangle and Michelin CCC photos show this format:
CCC (Post-2018 Mould). The Current Stamp Variant
After March 2018, CNCA's Announcement No. 10 abolished all sub-category letters. New moulds drop the "S" entirely and carry the plain CCC mark. The certification behind both variants is identical:
CCC vs CCCS Detail
You may see either "CCC" or "CCCS" on tyre sidewalls. These aren't different certifications. From 2002 to March 2018, the CCC system used sub-category letters to identify the type of testing: S for Safety, EMC for electromagnetic compatibility, F for fire protection, and others. Tyres received the CCC+S (CCCS) mark because they required safety testing only.
On 20 March 2018, CNCA (China's Certification and Accreditation Administration) abolished all sub-category letters through Announcement No. 10. All products now carry the plain CCC mark without supplementary letters. However, tyre sidewall markings are moulded into steel moulds that can remain in service for years or decades. Manufacturers were explicitly permitted to phase out old CCCS moulds through natural replacement cycles with no hard deadline.
This is why both CCC and CCCS coexist on tyres sold today: a tyre showing CCCS was produced from a pre-2018 mould, and a tyre showing CCC was produced from a post-2018 mould. The certification behind both is identical. The visual difference reflects nothing more than the age of the mould that shaped the sidewall.
| Mark | Period | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| CCC+S (CCCS) | 2002 to present (old moulds) | Safety certification for automotive parts and tyres |
| CCC+EMC | 2002 to 2018 | Electromagnetic compatibility (electronics only) |
| CCC+S&E | 2002 to 2018 | Safety and EMC (appliances, IT equipment) |
| CCC+F | 2002 to 2018 | Fire protection equipment |
| CCC (plain) | March 2018 onwards | Unified mark for all product categories |
SNI - Standar Nasional Indonesia
SNI (Standar Nasional Indonesia) is mandatory for all tyres sold in Indonesia. It is administered by BSN (Badan Standardisasi Nasional) under standard SNI 0098 (passenger) or SNI 0099 (commercial). Indonesia is a major tyre manufacturing hub, and SNI marks appear on a wide variety of brands.
We have documented three distinct SNI format variants across different manufacturers, ranging from the full diamond-arrow symbol with certificate number and year, to a short number-only format, to just the text "SNI" with no number at all.
Full Format: Diamond-Arrow with Number and Year
One example per SNI certificate year we've documented, 9 years from 2012 through 2024. We're still hunting for 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 (nothing in our current inventory carries those exact years, if you come across one let us know). The years appear in chronological order below: premium brands in the early years, the Indonesian-domestic manufacturers in the middle, and the newest 2024 paperwork on Chinese-made Hilo.
Short Format: Diamond Symbol + Short Number
Some tyres carry the standard SNI diamond-arrow symbol followed by just a short reference number (typically 3 digits, but occasionally 2 or as high as mid-200s) rather than the full NNNNNN/YYYY certificate format. These short codes appear to be factory-internal mould references tied to the manufacturer's SPPT SNI certificate, they're not a different certification, just a shorter moulded reference. We've documented 13 different short-format numbers so far: 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 010, 020, 023, 067, 083, 114, 252 and 265, plus 012 and 013 seen on Pirelli P Zero E and Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT DSST but not captured with clean closeups. Photos are ordered lowest to highest number below.
Electronic Mark: Plain "SNI" Text, No Symbol, No Number
Some tyres carry just the text "SNI" moulded into the sidewall with no diamond-arrow symbol and no certificate number. This is the official Electronic Mark (Tanda Elektronik), a current BSN-approved alternative to the traditional stylized SNI mark, not an older or simplified format. BSN introduced the Electronic Mark as part of modernising the SNI system for digital traceability. The underlying SPPT-SNI certificate is identical regardless of which visual format appears on the tyre.
BIS/ISI - Bureau of Indian Standards
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification, also referred to as ISI marking, is mandatory for all tyres sold in India since 13 May 2011 under the Pneumatic Tyres and Tubes Quality Control Order (QCO) of 2009. The relevant Indian Standards are IS 15633 (passenger car tyres), IS 15636 (commercial vehicle tyres), and IS 15627 (two- and three-wheeler tyres). The mark appears as the ISI logo, whose exact proportions are mandated by BIS, with a licence number in the format CM/L-XXXXXXX (7, 8, or 10 digits as BIS transitions to a unified format). The CM/L number is issued per manufacturing facility, not per product or per size, which is why all Triangle TSH11 sizes from the same factory show the same CM/L number.
"ISI" stands for Indian Standards Institution, the original name of the national standards body (renamed to BIS on 1 April 1987). The mark retains the historical "ISI" name. Foreign manufacturers can obtain ISI certification through the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS), operated by BIS since 2000, which is how non-Indian factories like Triangle in China and Maxxis in Thailand legally carry the ISI mark.
BPS and TIS - Philippines and Thailand
Two less common certification systems we have documented on tyres sold in NZ. Both were found on the same Maxxis Bravo HPM3 manufactured in Thailand, alongside E4 and SNI marks, giving this single tyre four national certifications.
BPS - Bureau of Philippine Standards
BPS certification is mandatory for tyres sold in the Philippines. It appears as a globe symbol with "CERTIFIED Product Quality" and "BPS" text, along with a certificate number. The Philippines runs two parallel schemes: PS Licence (issued to the manufacturer's factory, 3-year validity, moulded into the tyre) and ICC (Import Commodity Clearance, per-shipment, usually a sticker). A number moulded into the sidewall is almost always a PS Licence.
TIS - Thai Industrial Standards Institute
TIS (TISI) certification is mandatory for tyres sold in Thailand. Thailand operates a 4-standard tyre framework, all adopted in 2017 (B.E. 2560) and enforced from 2019:
| TIS Standard | Scope | UN Equivalent | Mandatory From |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIS 2718-2560 | Pneumatic tyres for motor vehicles and their trailers | UN R30 (passenger car safety) | 21 January 2019 |
| TIS 2719-2560 | Commercial vehicle tyres | UN R54 | 21 January 2019 |
| TIS 2720-2560 | Motorcycle/moped tyres | UN R75 | 21 January 2019 |
| TIS 2721-2560 | Rolling sound, wet grip, rolling resistance | UN R117 (performance label) | 24 September 2019 |
The year "2560" in TIS numbering uses the Thai Buddhist calendar, add 543 to convert to CE (2560 BE = 2017 CE). A passenger car tyre sold in Thailand must comply with both TIS 2718 (safety) and TIS 2721 (performance), exactly as in the EU where tyres need both R30 and R117.
Thailand built its own ATTRIC testing facility (Automotive and Tyre Testing, Research and Innovation Center) in Chachoengsao province for domestic R117 testing. Its wet-grip test track was certified by Applus+IDIADA of Spain, the same Spanish authority that issues E9 marks.
KC - Korea Certification Mark
KC (Korea Certification) is South Korea's mandatory safety and environmental certification. For tyres, KC is administered by the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The moulded KC stamp is typically a stylised "K" enclosed in a circle, often accompanied by the text "KC". Tyres sold on the Korean domestic market carry it alongside any export-market certifications they may also have.
Korea is a major tyre-manufacturing country. Hankook, Kumho, Nexen, Laufenn all originate there, but KC marks are relatively rare on internationally-traded stock because Korean brands typically export under E-mark or DOT rather than stamping KC on export-spec tyres.
BSMI - Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (Taiwan)
BSMI is Taiwan's mandatory certification body. For passenger tyres, BSMI requires compliance with CNS standards and involves factory audit + product testing via designated laboratories. Taiwan is a major tyre-manufacturing hub (Maxxis, Federal, Nankang, Kenda all originate there), but BSMI stamps are relatively rare on export-market tyres because most are sold into regions that primarily require E-mark or DOT.
BSMI on Taiwan-Made Stock: Nankang NK Utility SP 7
The two BSMI examples above were on Thai-made Maxxis. The one below is the opposite case, BSMI on a tyre actually built in Taiwan, which is where you'd most expect to see the domestic Taiwanese stamp. Nankang is one of the three large Taiwanese tyremakers (alongside Maxxis and Federal) and this SUV UHP size ships to NZ via their Taipei-based export operation.
JATMA Eco Label - Japan Voluntary Low-Rolling-Resistance Mark
The JATMA eco label is a voluntary Japanese certification administered by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA). It appears as two stamped pictograms: a fuel pump icon (低燃費タイヤ = "low-fuel-consumption tyre") and a globe-with-grid icon (wet grip / eco performance). Together they certify that the tyre meets specific rolling resistance and wet grip thresholds defined by JATMA's labelling system.
This is not an ECE regulation and not the same as the EU Tyre Label, it's a Japanese industry scheme, only appears on Japanese-domestic-market tyres (often Dunlop Enasave, Bridgestone Ecopia, Yokohama BluEarth, Toyo NanoEnergy), and is voluntary rather than mandatory. Useful to know when a grey-import tyre turns up with unfamiliar pictograms.
Manufacturer Eco Branding. Green Symbols, Leaves, Energy Marks
Separate from both the regulated JATMA eco label (Japan) and the EU Tyre Label A to E fuel-efficiency grade, many tyremakers mould their own eco branding directly into the sidewall. These are marketing symbols, not certifications, there's no third-party test behind them, and each brand designs its own. They typically indicate the tyre is part of the manufacturer's "eco" or "low rolling resistance" product line.
| Brand eco line | Typical sidewall mark | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgestone Ecopia | "ECOPIA" wordmark, leaf icon | Bridgestone's low-rolling-resistance passenger line |
| Dunlop Enasave | "ENASAVE" wordmark, leaf icon | Dunlop's "Energy Save" eco range (usually paired with JATMA) |
| Yokohama BluEarth | "BluEarth" wordmark, globe icon | Yokohama's eco-performance line, from 2010 onwards |
| Toyo NanoEnergy | "NanoEnergy" wordmark | Toyo's low-rolling-resistance range (usually paired with JATMA) |
| Goodyear EfficientGrip / E-Grip | "EfficientGrip" wordmark, leaf | Goodyear's eco touring range |
| Hankook Kinergy | "Kinergy" wordmark (kinetic + energy), leaf | Hankook's eco-touring range |
| Michelin Energy Saver / e.Primacy | "Energy Saver" / leaf icon | Michelin's low-rolling-resistance range |
| Continental EcoContact | "EcoContact" wordmark | Continental's eco range |
| Pirelli Green Performance | Pirelli "GP" leaf logo | Pirelli's eco-performance line |
| Maxxis Eco / Green Tread | Green leaf/stylised "ECO" | Maxxis's eco designation |
These manufacturer-branded eco symbols do not replace the EU Tyre Label or JATMA. A tyre with an "ECOPIA" stamp might or might not actually carry JATMA or score an A-grade on the EU label, check the label/pictograms separately. The brand eco symbol tells you the manufacturer's intent, not the measured result.
AS/NZS 2230 and NZS 5453 - Australian / New Zealand Tyre Standards
AS/NZS 2230 is the current joint Australia / New Zealand industry standard for road-vehicle pneumatic tyres, maintained by Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand. While not a mandatory compliance regime (NZ has no government-issued tyre certification as noted in the NZ Gap section), tyres moulded with "Complies with AS/NZS 2230" indicate the manufacturer has voluntarily confirmed conformance with the Aussie/NZ technical requirements.
NZS 5453 is the older New Zealand-only standard that predates the AS/NZS 2230 joint standard. It appears on historic NZ-plant production (typically older Dunlop commercial and small-passenger tyres). Both standards reference the same underlying technical requirements, but seeing "NZS 5453" on a sidewall indicates older NZ manufacture rather than contemporary production.
These stamps are most commonly seen on locally manufactured or Australia-specific stock. They matter for commercial fleet buyers, cross-Tasman transport operators, and anyone wanting explicit Australia/NZ compliance on the sidewall. They're the closest thing NZ has to a "home" tyre certification.
3PMSF - Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake
The 3PMSF symbol is a performance certification under UNECE R117 Annex 7. Unlike the M+S (Mud and Snow) marking which requires no performance test and is applied by the manufacturer at will, the 3PMSF requires actual snow braking and traction testing under controlled conditions.
The symbol shows a snowflake inside a three-peaked mountain outline. It is stamped into the sidewall alongside the E-mark. While not common in NZ due to our mild climate, it appears on imported winter tyres and some all-terrain tyres.
OE Homologation Codes - Vehicle-Maker-Specific Approvals
Not every sidewall mark is a regulatory certification. Many tyres also carry OE (Original Equipment) homologation codes, factory-specific approval marks from the vehicle manufacturer, confirming that the tyre has been specifically engineered and tested for a particular car model. These are contractual marks between the tyremaker and the carmaker, not government regulations.
OE codes are the single most commonly confused marks on a tyre sidewall, buyers see "MO" or a star symbol and assume it's a safety certification. It isn't: an OE mark tells you which vehicle the tyre was designed for, not whether the tyre is legal to sell.
| OE Code | Vehicle Maker | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ★ (star) | BMW | BMW Original Equipment approval |
| MO | Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes Original |
| MO1, MO-S, MOE | Mercedes-Benz | Mercedes Original specific generations (MO1 = S-class, MOE = Extended Mobility / runflat) |
| AO, RO1, RO2 | Audi | Audi Original / Audi-specific OE generations |
| N0, N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6 | Porsche | Porsche Original, generation-specific |
| T0, T1, T2 | Tesla | Tesla Original, generation-specific |
| VO | Volkswagen | VW Original |
| J, JLR | Jaguar / Land Rover | Jaguar-Land Rover approval |
| K1, K2 | Ferrari | Ferrari Original |
| ✳ (asterisk), ✳✳ | BMW M-Sport | M-performance division approval |
| AM, AMR | Aston Martin | Aston Martin Racing |
NOM - Norma Oficial Mexicana (Mexico)
NOM (Norma Oficial Mexicana, "Official Mexican Standard") is Mexico's mandatory regulatory certification for tyres sold in the Mexican domestic market. It's administered under the country's NOM framework for vehicle components and confirms the tyre has been tested to the relevant Mexican safety standards.
The "NOM" letters are frequently mistaken for an OE-maker code because the letters look similar to BMW/Mercedes/Audi short codes like MO, AO, N0. They're not. NOM is a regulatory stamp in the same family as CCC (China), BIS (India), SNI (Indonesia) and BPS (Philippines), it confirms market access, not a carmaker fitment approval.
We've documented NOM on two tyres so far, which represents a rare find in the NZ aftermarket. One is a Mexican-made Continental (the hero example, shown first), the other is a Portuguese-made Continental cross-certified for Mexican sale. Same brand, same cert, two very different supply chains.
Example 1. Mexican-Made Continental ContiTrac TR
This Continental ContiTrac TR 275/70R18 is the centrepiece of our NOM documentation, built at a Continental Mexico plant. Below: sidewall overview, then the country-of-manufacture stamp, then the NOM cert itself. The same tyre also carries E4 (Netherlands) and SNI short-format 020 (Indonesia) for multi-market distribution, shown in the supporting grid underneath.
Supporting certs on the same Mexican-made tyre
Example 2. Portuguese-Made Continental ContiPremiumContact 2
Our second NOM example, made in a completely different part of the world. European Continental production cross-certified for Latin American sale, the reverse supply-chain strategy compared to Example 1.
Runflat & Sidewall Technology Markings
Various non-certification letters and acronyms appear on modern tyres to indicate specific technology features. The most common is runflat technology, reinforced sidewalls that let you drive at reduced speed after a puncture. Each tyremaker has their own runflat marketing name, but they all mean roughly the same thing: the tyre can be driven at up to 80 km/h for up to 80 km after losing pressure.
| Marking | Used by | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| RSC | Any tyremaker building BMW-spec runflat | "RunFlat System Component". BMW's generic runflat designation. Appears on Michelin, Pirelli, Dunlop, Bridgestone etc. when the tyre is built to BMW's runflat spec. |
| RFT | Bridgestone | "RunFlat Tyre". Bridgestone's own brand-specific term |
| ZP | Michelin | "Zero Pressure". Michelin's self-supporting runflat |
| DSST | Dunlop | "Dunlop Self-Supporting Technology" |
| EMT | Goodyear | "Extended Mobility Tyre" |
| ROF | Goodyear / Dunlop | "Run On Flat" |
| SSR | Continental | "Self-Supporting Runflat" |
| MOE / MOExtended | Mercedes-Benz spec | "Mercedes Original Extended", runflat variant under MB OE approval |
| "RUN FLAT" (plain text) | Various | Plain-text designator moulded directly into the sidewall, e.g. Pirelli |
| FRT | Various | "Free-Rolling Tyre", non-driven axle designation (not a runflat) |
Rim Protector Markings. Not Runflat
Separate from runflat technology, many modern tyres (especially those in low-profile UHP sizes) carry a rim protector, a raised rubber rib moulded around the bead area to absorb kerb scrapes and protect the alloy wheel flange. The rim protector is a construction feature with no load or speed implications, it doesn't improve tyre performance, it just saves your wheels.
Common abbreviations: MFS (Maximum Flange Shield), FP (Fringe / Flange Protector), RP (Rim Protector), "Rim Protector" spelled out, FR (Felgenrippe. German for "rim rib"), RFP (Rim Flange Protector). These are not runflat markings, and having one doesn't mean the tyre is self-supporting after a puncture.
EU Tyre Label - European Performance Labelling
The EU Tyre Label is a separate regulation from UNECE e-mark, it's the performance label (fuel efficiency, wet grip, exterior noise) that appears on the tyre's packaging or as a sticker, not as a moulded stamp. EU Regulation 1222/2009 (now replaced by Regulation 2020/740 from May 2021) requires this label on every tyre sold in EU member states.
Under the 2020/740 update, the label was redesigned to match EU's energy-label A to E grading, with new pictograms for severe snow (3PMSF) and ice performance (added 2021), plus a QR code linking to the EPREL European product database for digital verification.
Unlike the E-mark, the EU label ratings are self-declared by the manufacturer. The regulator relies on market surveillance rather than third-party verification. The label isn't a certification, it's a consumer-information disclosure.
Same Pattern, Different Sizes, Different Grades
An important nuance: EU Tyre Label grades are assigned per size, not per pattern. The same tyre pattern can have different fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise grades depending on which size you're looking at. Rolling-resistance coefficients and noise values vary with tyre width, profile, diameter and construction specifics, so each size is tested independently and gets its own EPREL record.
We have multiple sizes of the Hifly HF201 with EU labels, comparing them demonstrates how grades can shift across sizes of a single pattern:
Same story on the Hifly HF805 Challenger DSRT UHP line, two sizes, two separate EPREL records:
We also have the Hilo Green Plus pattern across three different sizes, each with its own EU label:
EU Label QR Code. EPREL Database Link
Since the 2021 update to the EU Tyre Label (Regulation 2020/740), every new label must carry a QR code that links directly to the tyre's listing in the EPREL (European Product Registry for Energy Labelling) database. Scanning the code brings up the tyre's full registered performance data, fuel-efficiency grade, wet-grip grade, noise class, snow and ice pictograms, hosted by the European Commission.
These QR codes are frequently mistaken for SNI Electronic Marks, but they are a completely separate regulation. EU Label QR codes link to the EPREL EU database (eprel.ec.europa.eu); SNI Electronic Marks link to the Indonesian BSN registry. Scanning the code is the easiest way to tell them apart.
EU Label Pictograms Moulded Directly Into the Sidewall
A less-common variant: some tyres have the EU Tyre Label pictograms themselves moulded directly into the rubber sidewall rather than only printed on the paper label. You'll see three stylised pictograms grouped together: a braking/fuel icon, a wet-road icon, and a noise wave icon. This visually reinforces the paper label's performance story and makes the EU compliance claim permanent, the label sticker can be lost, but the moulded pictograms stay for the life of the tyre.
All-Weather / Four-Season Markings
Some tyres carry text like "4-SEASONS", "AW" (All Weather), "ALL SEASON" or "4S" moulded into the sidewall. Unlike the 3PMSF snowflake, these are marketing terms with no regulated performance test. They indicate the manufacturer has designed the tyre for year-round use, but they do not certify snow-traction performance the way 3PMSF does.
If a tyre truly meets severe snow service requirements, it will also carry the 3PMSF symbol alongside any all-weather marketing text. Check for the 3PMSF specifically if winter performance matters.
M+S - Mud and Snow Marking
"M+S" (or "M&S", "M-S") is the oldest and most common winter-rated sidewall marking, found on roughly a third of the tyres we inspect. It indicates the tyre is designed for "mud and snow" service. Unlike the 3PMSF snowflake, the M+S marking has no regulated performance test: any manufacturer can apply it to any tyre they consider suitable for moderate winter or wet/muddy conditions.
The US Rubber Manufacturers Association defines an M+S tyre geometrically: void-to-rubber ratio ≥ 25%, specific tread block and groove dimensions. Compliance is self-declared, no third-party test, no batch sampling, no certificate.
M+S vs 3PMSF is the most common consumer confusion on this page. A tyre marked M+S is not a severe-snow-service winter tyre. A tyre marked with the three-peaked mountain snowflake is. Many tyres carry both stamps, but the 3PMSF is the one that actually means something.
EV / Electric Vehicle Markings
A newer category of sidewall marking is the EV-specific designation, typically a sidewall stamp like "EV", "EV READY", a plug icon, or an OE-specific EV code (Tesla T0, T1, T2; BMW EVx; Mercedes EQ). EV tyres are built with heavier-load construction (battery weight), lower rolling resistance, and quieter tread patterns to compensate for the absence of engine masking noise.
The EV marking is not a regulated certification, it's a manufacturer declaration that the tyre has been engineered specifically for electric vehicle duty. Common markings:
- EV / EV READY, generic manufacturer EV-ready designation
- HL (High Load), heavier load capacity than standard for the same size, common on EV fitments
- T0, T1, T2. Tesla Original Equipment generation codes
- 🔌 / plug icon, pictogram-style EV designator
Other Global Certification Systems
Tyre certification is a global patchwork. Below are additional national and regional systems that exist but we haven't yet documented photos of in our workshop. Sidewall stamps matching any of these are real certifications, not marketing.
| Mark | Country / Region | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| JIS | 🇯🇵 Japan | Japanese Industrial Standards, mandatory for Japanese domestic tyre sale. Covers passenger car (JIS D 4202), truck/bus and motorcycle standards. Often appears alongside the voluntary JATMA eco label. |
| GCC / GSO / SASO | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia + Gulf states | Gulf Conformity Mark under GSO / SASO standards. Mandatory for tyres sold in the six GCC countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman). Administered by the GCC Standardization Organization. |
| INMETRO | 🇧🇷 Brazil | Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia. Mandatory certification for tyres imported into or sold in Brazil under Portaria 544/2012. Appears as a stylised "INMETRO" wordmark. |
| GOST-R | 🇷🇺 Russia (pre-2016) | Old Russian Federation certification system. Largely superseded by EAC but some older tyres still carry the GOST-R stamp. |
| EAC | 🇷🇺🇧🇾🇰🇿 Eurasian Customs Union | Eurasian Conformity mark, replaced GOST-R. Covers Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan under TR CU 018/2011. Appears as a stylised "EAC" stamp. |
| ISIRI | 🇮🇷 Iran | Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran. ISIRI-8919 is the tyre standard. Mandatory for Iranian market access. |
| NOM | 🇲🇽 Mexico | Norma Oficial Mexicana. Mandatory regulatory compliance mark for tyres sold in Mexico. We now have a dedicated NOM Mexico section with two documented examples, including a Mexican-made Continental ContiTrac TR. |
| SII | 🇮🇱 Israel | Standards Institution of Israel. Mandatory for Israeli market. |
| SABS | 🇿🇦 South Africa | South African Bureau of Standards. SANS (South African National Standards) compliance mark. |
| DOT (the letters themselves) | 🇺🇸 USA | The letters "DOT" moulded into the sidewall are actually the US Department of Transportation FMVSS 109/119 safety approval stamp, separate from the DOT date code that follows. We cover the DOT date code in our DOT Code Decoder. |
UTQG - Uniform Tire Quality Grading
UTQG isn't a certification system, it's a consumer-information rating scheme imposed by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on tyres sold in the USA. It appears as three self-declared performance ratings moulded into the sidewall:
- Treadwear (e.g. "TREADWEAR 400"), relative wear score vs a standard reference tyre (100 = baseline, higher = longer-lasting). Typical range: 100-800+.
- Traction (AA / A / B / C), wet braking grade. AA = best, C = worst. Most passenger tyres sit at A; AA is reserved for premium UHP/sport tyres.
- Temperature (A / B / C), heat resistance grade at high speed. A = best, C = worst. Most quality tyres are A; B appears on some budget options.
UTQG sits alongside the E-mark, DOT and EU Tyre Label as information shown to the buyer, it's not a market-access certification.
Treadwear: How to Choose the Right Number for Your Use Case
Treadwear is the most-looked-at UTQG number because it directly maps to expected tread life. The scale runs roughly from 100 on sticky UHP summer tyres up through 800+ on long-life touring tyres, with most mainstream road tyres sitting in the 300 to 600 range. But a higher number isn't automatically better, it reflects a very specific trade-off between compound softness and tread longevity:
- Low treadwear (100 to 300). Soft compound, warm and grippy, responds quickly and offers the best cornering and dry grip. Pays for this with faster wear. Typical for performance summer and UHP-sport tyres (like the Michelin Pilot Sport, Bridgestone Potenza, Yokohama Advan examples below). Buy these if you want the best feel and grip, and you're willing to replace them sooner.
- Mid treadwear (300 to 500). All-purpose compound, a compromise between grip and life. Typical for everyday passenger and touring tyres. Best for most drivers who want reasonable life without sacrificing too much on wet/dry grip.
- High treadwear (500 to 800+). Harder, long-life compound. Focuses on mileage over maximum grip. Typical for "Grand Touring" or fleet/rental-car tyres (the Cooper CS5 780 example below is a classic case). Buy these if low replacement cost and long tread life matter more than peak handling.
Compound matters more than the number alone. A "soft" UHP compound with treadwear 200 won't necessarily wear twice as fast as a 400-rated everyday tyre on the same car, but it will respond very differently in the dry/wet, warm faster, and feel grippier. A harder 600+ compound is quieter and rolls further per tank of fuel but tends to feel duller in fast cornering. If you trade one for the other, expect both the wear rate and the driving feel to change.
UTQG Grade Examples. Full Range Across Our Database
Below are representative photos showing different UTQG grade combinations, drawn from our inspection database:
AA Traction. The Top Wet-Braking Grade
AA traction is rare, and almost always tied to a low treadwear score. It's the highest wet-braking grade UTQG offers, and manufacturers almost never pursue it unless the tyre is a premium UHP or summer-sport design. The consistent pattern you see across our database: AA traction comes in exchange for a low treadwear score (typically 100 to 250), because achieving AA-grade wet braking requires a softer, stickier compound that wears faster. Every premium and budget AA-traction tyre below sits at 220-240 treadwear.
Tyres With No Certifications Found
A meaningful percentage of tyres we inspect carry no regulatory certification marks at all, no E-mark, no CCC, no SNI, no BIS, no BPS, no TIS, no KC, no BSMI, no JATMA, not even AS/NZS 2230. The tyre is just a plain sidewall with brand, model, size, DOT date code and load/speed rating, nothing more. In the current NZ regulatory environment these tyres can still be legally imported, sold and fitted to a vehicle.
Below are a selection of no-cert tyres pulled from our most recent 200 inspections. For each one we've shown the DOT-side sidewall (the side where E-marks and most regulatory stamps would normally appear). Scroll each photo, there's nothing there.
There's also a production tier built specifically for no-verification markets
Not every tyre we see without certifications is premium-brand overstock. Some are from factories that made a deliberate commercial decision to skip export certifications entirely. The economic logic is simple: testing a tyre to E-mark or FMVSS costs real money. Test samples, lab fees, approval authority fees, annual compliance audits, ongoing documentation. For a factory whose target customers are in markets that don't verify certification at the border, that money is not spent. They comply with their domestic mandatory certification (CCC for China, VR for Vietnam, TIS for Thailand, SNI for Indonesia) because they have to for home-market sale, and skip everything else.
The global data shows this tier is growing fast. Vietnam has become one of the world's largest tyre exporters by volume. Cambodia's tyre exports grew 130% in a single year (2023 to 2024), going from a rounding error to a serious exporter in 24 months. Burkina Faso's tyre exports grew 565% over the same period, Togo's 800%. These growth numbers are not being driven by premium-brand boutique factories opening in West Africa. They reflect real supply chains feeding real markets that don't check paperwork at the border.
New Zealand sits squarely in that target zone. Our regulations list six acceptable foreign certifications (UN R30, R54, R75, FMVSS 109, FMVSS 119, JIS, ADR) but don't require any of them to actually be present on the tyre at import. A factory in Cambodia, or a B-line production run from a Thai plant, or a private-label order from a lower-tier Chinese factory, can legally land its product on NZ tyre shop shelves without producing a single piece of test documentation. We aren't guessing that this happens, we have photographed it on our inspection bench (see the gallery above).
The industry's usual reassurance is "all major brands pursue major certifications, so if it's a brand you recognise it's probably fine." Two things complicate that reassurance: first, we have documented premium-brand tyres (Goodyear, Pirelli, Bridgestone, in the gallery above) with no certification markings on specific production runs, so brand familiarity alone isn't a safe proxy. Second, most budget-tier tyres sold in NZ carry brands the average consumer has never heard of before walking into a tyre shop, and those unbranded and semi-branded lines are exactly where Tier 2 and Tier 3 production shows up.
The NZ Gap: No Certification Required
New Zealand technically has two tyre regulations. In practice, neither of them actually verifies the safety of the tyres you can buy here. This section explains both, why each one is functionally meaningless for the vast majority of tyres sold in NZ, and what that means for you.
The two NZ regulations — and why they don't actually verify tyre safety
Regulation A — AS/NZS 2230 (the joint Aus/NZ tyre standard). This is a voluntary standard. A manufacturer can choose to mould "Complies with AS/NZS 2230" into the sidewall if they want to. We almost only see this stamp on tyres physically manufactured in New Zealand or Australia, and New Zealand no longer has any operational tyre manufacturing. The last major NZ tyre plant (Dunlop Upper Hutt) ceased production years ago. Every "Made in New Zealand" tyre we've documented in our database is legacy stock, classic commercial sizes, on tyres old enough that they wouldn't pass a modern WOF on tread depth. For a tyre imported into New Zealand in 2026 — which is essentially every tyre you can buy — AS/NZS 2230 is functionally a dead standard.
Regulation B — Land Transport Rule 32013 "Tyres and Wheels 2001". Administered by Waka Kotahi / NZTA. The rule says tyres sold in NZ must be "compliant with" one of six accepted foreign standards. On paper this sounds reassuring. Once you look at what each of those standards actually tests, and what NZ does (and doesn't do) to check, it falls apart.
The six accepted standards:
- UN/ECE R30 (passenger car tyres) — dimensions, load/speed endurance, high-speed test up to the rated speed of the tyre. One tyre sample tested per model (type approval).
- UN/ECE R54 (commercial vehicle tyres) — load/speed endurance; high-speed test only applies to speed symbols Q and above.
- UN/ECE R75 (motorcycle tyres) — similar structural tests adapted for motorcycle construction.
- FMVSS 109 (US passenger car tyres, the one NZ still lists) — this standard was written in 1967 and was the original rule for all passenger car tyres in the US. Following the Ford/Firestone Explorer crisis that killed over 100 people, the US tightened its rules. For modern radial passenger tyres sold in the US since 2007, FMVSS 139 is now required — a much tougher standard with 34 hours of endurance testing plus 90 minutes at 20% underinflation. FMVSS 109 still exists but its scope has shrunk to bias-ply tyres, T-type spare wheels, and replacement tyres for 1949–1975 classic cars. NZ's Rule 32013 has never been updated to reference FMVSS 139, which means two things: (1) a manufacturer not selling to the US market can still claim compliance with just the easier 1967 rules and have that accepted by NZTA, and (2) NZTA has no way to tell which version of FMVSS a tyre was actually tested against because the sidewall DOT code doesn't specify. The rule effectively treats a 1967 test and a 2007 test as equivalent.
- FMVSS 119 (US commercial tyres) — similar vintage, similar story, though still current for some commercial applications.
- JIS (Japan) and ADR (Australian Design Rule) — both are essentially aligned with UNECE R30.
How this FMVSS 109 loophole plays out in practice
A factory in Cambodia, Vietnam or a lower-tier Chinese plant that wants the cheapest possible "structural certification" on paper has a straightforward path: run their tyres through the easier 1967 FMVSS 109 test protocol (no 34-hour endurance run, no low-pressure test, older bead-unseating rules) and claim compliance. They can do this in three different ways and all three work for NZ import:
- Test in-house, claim compliance on a spec sheet, ship to NZ. FMVSS is self-certification, so no government stamp is required. The factory runs their own tests (or claims they did), the importer ticks the "FMVSS 109 compliant" box on their paperwork, NZTA accepts the paperwork at face value, and the tyre lands in a NZ shop. No DOT code on the sidewall is even required.
- Mould a DOT code on the sidewall without a real manufacturer code. The DOT format is public knowledge (manufacturer code + size code + week/year). A factory can mould a plausible-looking but unregistered DOT code into the tyre. NZTA has no database to cross-check the manufacturer code against NHTSA's register. The tyre appears to be US-certified at a glance and is accepted.
- Skip FMVSS entirely, target NZ's rule gap directly. The rule accepts "compliance with" any of the six listed standards but does not require markings to prove it. An importer can simply declare the tyre meets an accepted standard. There is no legal requirement to produce the underlying test reports at the point of import, and no document audit mechanism. This is the most common pathway we see in practice for the zero-certification tyres photographed in the gallery below.
Any of the three paths results in the same consumer-facing outcome: a tyre that has passed only the weakest applicable structural test (or none at all), with no wet-grip verification, no fuel-efficiency rating, no noise data, sold in NZ at the same shelf, at the same price-per-size bracket, as tyres that have passed the full EU R30 + R117 testing battery.
What none of these six standards test: wet grip performance, fuel efficiency, rolling noise, ageing resistance, or snow/ice grip. Those are covered by UN/ECE R117 — the standard behind the EU Tyre Label — and by 3PMSF for winter grip. R117 is not on the NZ accepted-standards list. The EU made R117 mandatory in 2012. NZ has had 14 years to add it and hasn't.
What "compliance" actually means at the NZ border: nothing is tested at the NZ border. NZTA doesn't operate a tyre testing facility. Compliance is demonstrated by the manufacturer's markings moulded into the sidewall, accepted at face value. No batch testing, no random sampling, no audit. There is also no legal mechanism requiring an importer to produce the underlying certification test reports at the point of import, and no rule requiring a tyre to actually carry any of these markings at all — the rule is written as a "if a tyre has one of these markings it is accepted", not "only tyres with these markings can be sold".
The combined result: a tyre can be manufactured at any factory anywhere in the world, carry zero certification markings, never have been tested against any wet grip, fuel efficiency, or noise standard, and still be legally imported, sold and fitted to a New Zealand vehicle. We have photographed this exact situation on our inspection bench multiple times.
A note on UNECE: New Zealand holds UNECE country code E48 and has been a Contracting Party to the 1958 Geneva Agreement since 20 April 2002. This means NZ is technically part of the international E-mark framework and could, if it wanted to, issue its own E48 type approvals or require foreign E-marks at import. It does neither.
There's also the 1.5mm minimum tread depth (measured across the central three-quarters of tread width), which is checked at WOF. This is the lowest minimum tread depth in the developed world — the EU and US both use 1.6mm. So not only is there no safety certification requirement, our end-of-life tread standard is also less strict than every peer market.
What NZ actually requires vs the rest of the world
| Country / Region | Certification required? | System |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | ✓ Yes | UNECE E-mark + EU tyre label (fuel, wet grip, noise) |
| Australia | ✓ Yes | ADR 23/04 (UNECE aligned) |
| Japan | ✓ Yes | JIS standards + JATMA grading |
| South Korea | ✓ Yes | KS certification + energy label |
| China | ✓ Yes | CCC mandatory certification |
| Indonesia | ✓ Yes | SNI mandatory certification |
| India | ✓ Yes | BIS/ISI mandatory certification |
| Philippines | ✓ Yes | BPS mandatory certification |
| Thailand | ✓ Yes | TIS mandatory certification |
| Brazil | ✓ Yes | INMETRO certification + labelling |
| USA | ✓ Yes | FMVSS + UTQG grading (treadwear, traction, temperature) |
| New Zealand | ✗ No | No independent verification, no labelling, no grading |
What this means in practice
Three things can legally happen in New Zealand that can't legally happen in Australia, the EU, Japan, China, or any comparable market:
- Zero-certification tyres can be imported and sold. A tyre can be manufactured at any factory, with no E-mark, no CCC, no SNI, no BIS, no regulatory stamps of any kind, and enter the NZ market without a second look. We have photographed exactly this — tyres from premium brand names carrying no certification markings at all. And sets of four identical tyres where three carried marks and one didn't. Quality control on who actually got certified is inconsistent even among top-tier brands.
- Tyres recalled or banned in other countries can continue to be sold in NZ. When an international recall is issued (ADAC worst-performer lists, EU RAPEX safety alerts, US NHTSA recalls, Chinese AQSIQ revocations), there is no NZ mechanism that automatically removes those tyres from sale here. We have documented tyre models in our database that are subject to foreign recalls yet are still being legally sold at NZ retailers today.
- Identical pricing does not mean identical safety. In the EU, two tyres at the same price must both carry the same baseline safety certification. In NZ, two tyres at the same price can be — and often are — separated by an entire tier of manufacturing quality, one tested against international standards and one never tested by anyone. Without any consumer-facing label, there's no way for the average buyer to tell them apart at the shelf.
Why this matters
New Zealand has some of the most challenging driving conditions in the developed world. Coastal salt exposure, volcanic mineral roads, high UV intensity, steep grades, narrow winding highways with no hard shoulders, and WOF inspection intervals that are long by international standards. Our tyres work harder than most — yet face the least scrutiny before sale.
We've filed a petition with the New Zealand Parliament
Calling for mandatory tyre performance labelling in New Zealand — the same kind of fuel efficiency, wet grip, and noise rating that's been mandatory in the EU since 2012 and in Australia de facto since 2013. We'd welcome your signature.
Multi-Certification: One Tyre, Multiple Markets
Some tyres are manufactured for global distribution and carry certification marks from multiple countries simultaneously. The same physical tyre can hold approval from the Netherlands (E4), China (CCC), Indonesia (SNI), India (BIS), Thailand (TIS), and the Philippines (BPS) all at once. Manufacturers pursue stacked certifications because each export market enforces its own mandatory standard.
Michelin Primacy SUV Plus: Five Certifications on One Sidewall
Michelin Primacy SUV Plus 265/50R20, manufactured in Thailand. We documented a complete set of four matching tyres, all carrying five distinct regulatory certification marks: E2 (France), CCC (China), SNI 003261/2012 (Indonesia), TIS (Thailand), and BPS (Philippines). The sidewall also carries the XL (Extra Load) construction designation and a load & pressure spec line, neither of which is a regulatory certification, but they're useful supporting context for a tyre carrying this many approvals.
Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV: Six Marks, Different Combination
Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV 265/50R20, manufactured in China. Also carries six moulded marks, though a different combination to the Michelin: E13 (Luxembourg), CCC (China), SNI (Indonesia), BPS (Philippines), M+S, and a rim protector rib. Luxembourg is Goodyear's European HQ which explains the rare E13 stamp, BPS is rare on any premium US-brand tyre, and the rim-protector mark is a construction feature rather than a cert. Together they show a modern OE-spec SUV tyre often carries more markings than buyers realise.
Same Pattern, Different Sizes, Different Certifications
Certification is applied per SKU, not per pattern. The manufacturer decides which national approvals to pursue for each individual size, so two sizes of the same tyre pattern can end up with completely different regulatory paperwork. This Comforser CF1000 pair is a textbook example: two sizes, both built about a year apart, same tread design, but an entirely different certification mix on each.
Comforser CF1000: 265/70R16 vs 265/50R20
Same tread pattern, different certifications. The 265/70R16 size carries SNI (Indonesia) and CCC (China) but has no EU tyre label and no UTQG grades. The 265/50R20 size is the opposite, EU label (D/C/72dB) and UTQG (420 A) are both moulded on, but SNI is completely absent. Both still carry E4 (Netherlands) for baseline UNECE approval. The takeaway: seeing one size of a pattern with a given cert tells you nothing about whether a different size has the same cert.
Three Certifications in a Single Frame
Sometimes the certifications are stamped close enough together that a single photograph captures multiple national approvals at once, once on a Korean mid-tier tyre, once on a budget Chinese tyre.
Same Country, Two Stamps: Capital and Lowercase E-Markings Together
Most modern E-marked tyres carry the same country code twice, once with a circled uppercase letter (R30 type approval) and once with a squared lowercase letter (R117 performance approval). Both come from the same authority. Several photos throughout this guide actually already show both stamps side-by-side, reused below as the primary visual evidence of the pattern.
How to Check Your Own Tyres
Certification marks are moulded into the tyre sidewall during manufacturing. They can't be added or removed after production.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Guides and Tools
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