South Korea to mandate noise rating labels for replacement tires on in-use vehicles

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment (MCEE) of South Korea has announced that it will expand the scope of the Tire Noise Declaration and Rating Labeling System to include replacement tires installed on in-use vehicles, as defined below. This measure aims to mitigate citizens’ inconvenience caused by road traffic noise. The expanded requirement will take effect on January 1, 2026. Prior to this amendment, the noise rating labeling system primarily applied to newly manufactured or imported vehicles; under the revised framework, manufacturers and importers of replacement tires for in-use passenger vehicles will also be required to declare compliance with prescribed noise thresholds and to display the tire’s noise performance rating. The implementation timeline is set on a phased manner according to vehicle category. With respect to replacement tires for in-use vehicles currently in operation, the requirements will be applied starting with passenger vehicles.

Phased implementation schedule

The implementation schedule of the Tire Noise Declaration and Rating Labeling System is shown in the table below.

Notes: For the purpose of this system:

• “Manufactured vehicles” refer to vehicles that are newly manufactured or newly imported.
• “In-use vehicles” refer to vehicles purchased by consumers and currently in operation.

With the introduction of the system, consumers will be able to check tire noise performance in advance when purchasing replacement tires for passenger vehicles and select tires with lower noise levels according to their rating. Tire noise performance is classified into two grades: AA and A. The AA grade is granted to products that generate noise levels at least 3 decibels lower than the permissible noise standard.

In preparation for the expanded requirements, MCEE has proactively encouraged the relevant industries to begin declaring noise levels and applying rating labels. However, industry stakeholders have raised concerns that requiring immediate compliance for tires already manufactured and circulating in the market would impose significant time and financial burdens, particularly due to the need to conduct full inventory checks and complete noise declarations within a short timeframe. In response, MCEE has decided to grant a one-year grace period for passenger car replacement tires that were manufactured or imported before 2026 and are already on the market.

The original text of this article (in Korean) is available at the following URL:

• Original press release by the MCEE:
  https://www.mcee.go.kr/home/web/board/read.do?pagerOffset=20&maxPageItems=10&maxIndexPages=10&searchKey=&searchValue=&menuId=10525&orgCd=&boardId=1831500&boardMasterId=1&boardCategoryId=&decorator=