The Tyres Regulations underpin the system for the management of tyres and waste tyres in Ireland. These regulations govern the importation, registration, sale and safe recycling of all tyres placed on the market in Ireland.
The five main organisations involved in the tyres system are:
In terms of importing and selling tyres in Ireland, there are two types of operators: producers and retailers. The Tyres Regulations place legal obligations on both types of operator. Their legal obligations are summarised below.
For more detailed information, download a copy of the tyres regulations.
A tyre producer is any person or organisation that places tyres on the market in Ireland, for the first time, on a professional basis. This includes manufacturers of tyres or anyone who imports tyres by whatever means.
According to the Tyres Regulations, you are a tyre producer if you are doing any one (or more) of the following (including when using online distance selling):
Important note: You are a tyre producer if you import vehicles, whether new or second-hand, with tyres on them.
All tyre producers are legally required to do the following:
The legal obligations that apply to tyre producers are enforced by the EPA.
If you fail to register as a producer, then you are prohibited from placing tyres on the market in Ireland.
Important note: If you are importing vehicles with batteries, then you are a tyre producer and a battery producer. You will have to meet the obligations that apply to a tyre producer and a battery producer.
Find out how to comply with the legal obligations of a battery producer.
According to the Tyres Regulations, a tyre retailer is anyone who, for the purpose of trade, or in the course of business as a wholesaler or supplier, sells or otherwise supplies tyres to other persons in the Irish market, including the end user of the tyre.
All tyre retailers are legally required to do the following:
The legal obligations that apply to tyre retailers are enforced by the local authorities. Contact your local authority or Circol ELT if you have any questions about your legal obligations as a tyre retailer.
Retailers can take back old tyres when selling new ones to a customer. You must charge the EMC to the customer for each new tyre purchased. Circol ELT will collect all waste tyres from its members for free. The EMC pays for the collection and recycling of the waste tyres.
If you are sourcing your tyres from a supplier who is a tyre producer, then you should confirm that this supplier/producer is registered as a tyre producer. Check their invoice for the supplier’s producer registration number. You should not buy tyres from a supplier/producer that is not registered. You should not fit tyres if the EMC has not been paid.
Important note: You can be both a tyre producer and a tyre retailer at the same time. For example, if you are importing tyres directly from abroad and also selling them to users as a retailer, then you are a tyre producer and a tyre retailer. You will have to meet the legal obligations that apply to a tyre producer and a tyre retailer as outlined above. This includes when you are buying the tyres online from abroad.
There is a new way for tyre producers to pay the environmental management cost (EMC) for tyres when they are importing vehicles into the state.
This new system requires vehicle importers to report the number of tyres and to pay the environmental management cost (EMC) for those tyres when they are paying the vehicle registration tax (VRT) for an imported vehicle at a national car testing (NCT) centre.
Once paid at the NCT centre, importers will not have to report the tyres to PRL or pay the EMC at a later stage. It is a very easy and convenient way to report and pay the EMC for the tyres on the imported vehicle. This new system has proven very successful since its introduction in September 2022.
If you know (or suspect) that a tyre producer is not registered, you can tell the EPA. We will investigate your complaint.
Go to the EPA’s complaints page to submit your complaint. Your complaint will be confidential.
Learn more about tyres and tyres compliance on the Circol ELT website.
Learn about the key national stakeholders in the tyres system, including those involved in compliance with legislation for WEEE, batteries and end-of-life vehicles.
