Tyre load index and speed rating

In short: The load index gives the mass each tyre can carry: 91 is 615 kg (1,356 lb), 94 is 670 kg (1,477 lb) (UN Regulation No. 30, Annex IV). The speed rating gives its maximum speed: H is 130 mph (210 km/h), V 149 mph (240 km/h), W 168 mph (270 km/h), Y 186 mph (300 km/h) (paragraph 2.29.1). Your vehicle handbook gives the load index and speed rating your car's maker specifies.

Type the service description of two tyres, or their full size: the checker gives the load of each tyre and of both tyres on an axle, the maximum speed and the reference pressure, then the difference between the two. Further down: the full load index and speed rating charts, with their sources.

How to read a service description

On the sidewall, the size is followed by the service description: the load index, then the speed rating. In 225/45 R17 94W XL, 94 is the load index, 670 kg or 1,477 lb per tyre; W is the speed rating, 168 mph (270 km/h) at most; and XL marks a reinforced tyre.

• Load index: a number associated with the mass the tyre can carry (UN Regulation No. 30, paragraph 2.28); the mass of each index is in Annex IV.
• Speed rating: the maximum speed the tyre can sustain (paragraph 2.29).
• XL, EXTRA LOAD, REINFORCED: a carcass more resistant than that of the corresponding standard tyre (paragraphs 2.3.4 and 3.1.8). HL marks a high load capacity tyre (UN Regulation No. 117, Annex 10, paragraph 1.9.4).
• ZR instead of R: allowed on a W or Y tyre designed for more than 240 km/h and up to 300 km/h; compulsory above 300 km/h, with the service description in brackets, for example (95Y) (paragraphs 3.1.3.4 and 3.1.4.1).
• Two indices, such as 109/107R: a commercial vehicle tyre, with one index for single and one for dual fitment (UN Regulation No. 54, paragraph 2.27). The checker reads passenger car tyres only.

Tyre load index chart

The mass per tyre at the reference pressure (see below), in kilograms and in pounds (one pound is 0.45359237 kg, Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1); the “2 tyres” column gives both tyres on an axle, twice that mass. Indices 60 to 120: UN Regulation No. 30, Annex IV. Indices 121 to 130: the same scale, Annex IV of UN Regulation No. 54 (commercial vehicle tyres), which gives indices 60 to 120 the same masses as No. 30. The MOT inspection manual sets its own table out by axle, at twice these masses (appendix B).

Indices 0 to 59

Tyre speed rating chart

The order is not alphabetical: H, 130 mph (210 km/h), sits between U and V. The Regulation's chart stops at Y; above 300 km/h, a service description in brackets refers to the speed permitted by the tyre maker (paragraph 4.1.15). Miles per hour are calculated from km/h: one mile is 1,609.344 m (Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1).

Reference pressure: standard, XL and HL

The load of an index is read at a given pressure. In the load tables of Continental's Technical Data book (tables 1 and 2), a standard load tyre reaches the mass of its index at 2.5 bar and a reinforced or XL tyre at 2.9 bar: a 91 standard tyre carries 615 kg at 2.5 bar, a 94 XL tyre 670 kg at 2.9 bar. For its measurements, UN Regulation No. 117 uses the same pressures for passenger car tyres (class C1): 250 kPa (2.5 bar) for standard tyres and 290 kPa (2.9 bar) for reinforced or extra load tyres (Annex 3, paragraph 2.5.3), and 290 kPa for HL tyres, as their nominal pressure (Annex 10, paragraph 1.9.4).

It is not the inflation pressure: that is your vehicle maker's, on the tyre placard or in the handbook, often with separate values for XL tyres. Our guide on XL tyres compares standard and extra load tyres, pressure by pressure.

Above a certain speed, the load goes down

On a fast enough car, a tyre no longer carries the full mass of its index: above 210 km/h (130 mph) for a V tyre, 240 km/h (149 mph) for a W tyre and 270 km/h (168 mph) for a Y tyre. UN Regulation No. 30 gives, in paragraph 2.31, the share it keeps according to the car's maximum speed.

Between two speeds in the chart, the Regulation allows linear interpolation, and the checker does it; up to 210 km/h, the full load applies (paragraph 2.31.1); above 300 km/h, it is the load set by the tyre maker (paragraph 2.31.6). A 91V tyre on a car capable of 230 km/h (143 mph) keeps 94% of 615 kg: 578.1 kg (1,274 lb).

The load on an axle

For a new car model, UN Regulation No. 142 requires the load limit of each tyre, the one from paragraph 2.31 of No. 30, to be at least half the technically permissible maximum mass on the most heavily loaded axle (paragraphs 5.2.2.1.1 and 5.2.2.2.1). That mass is on the manufacturer's plate and at item 16.2 of the European conformity document (CoC), the car's maximum speed at item 29; the checker takes them as options.

Worked example: an axle of 1,150 kg, a car capable of 230 km/h (143 mph), 91V tyres. Each tyre's load limit at that speed is 578.1 kg (1,274 lb), against half the axle mass, 575 kg (1,268 lb); both tyres together are rated for 1,156.2 kg (2,549 lb). Our guide on wheel load ratings does the same sum for the wheel.

Great Britain: what the MOT checks

• Load and speed ratings: the MOT checks them on vehicle classes 5 and 7 only, not on cars (MOT inspection manual, 5.2.3). On those classes, the tyre load rating must suit the axle weight on the manufacturer's plate; a load capacity or speed rating not in accordance with the minimum requirements is a major defect, and a load capacity insufficient for the axle weight presented is a dangerous defect.
• Same axle: tyres of different sizes, or of different structures, on the same axle are major defects, on cars too.
• Insurance: a change that is not part of the manufacturer's standard specification, such as different wheels, is a modification that can affect your cover; check your policy and ask your insurer what needs to be declared (Financial Ombudsman Service).

United States: the placard and the sidewall

• The tire placard on the driver's side B-pillar gives the original tyre size and the vehicle maker's recommended cold inflation pressure; the load index and speed rating may follow the size, at the vehicle maker's option (49 CFR 571.110, S4.3(i)).
• The sidewall carries the tyre's maximum load rating (49 CFR 571.139, S5.5(d)).
• For a new passenger car, the vehicle maximum load on a tyre must not exceed the maximum load rating marked on its sidewall (571.110, S4.2.1.1); on a multipurpose passenger vehicle or a truck fitted with passenger car tyres, each tyre's load rating is first divided by 1.10 (S4.2.2.2).

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an H and a V speed rating?

The maximum speed: 130 mph (210 km/h) for H, 149 mph (240 km/h) for V (UN Regulation No. 30, paragraph 2.29.1); the load index does not depend on the letter. H sits below V in the chart. Your vehicle handbook gives the rating your car's maker specifies.

What does load index 91 mean?

615 kg (1,356 lb) per tyre (UN Regulation No. 30, Annex IV), or 1,230 kg for both tyres on an axle. That mass is read at the reference pressure: 250 kPa for a standard tyre, 290 kPa for an XL tyre.

Load index 116: how much weight?

1,250 kg (2,756 lb) per tyre, 2,500 kg for both tyres on an axle (UN Regulation No. 30, Annex IV), at the tyre's reference pressure: 250 kPa for a standard tyre, 290 kPa for an XL tyre.

Can I fit a tyre with a higher load index?

Your vehicle handbook gives the load index your car's maker specifies. A higher index carries more load at its reference pressure; an XL tyre reaches its load at 290 kPa, and its inflation pressure is the one your vehicle maker gives for it. The MOT checks load ratings on vehicle classes 5 and 7 only, not on cars, and your insurer may need to know about a change from the manufacturer's specification.

W or Y: what is the difference?

168 mph (270 km/h) for W, 186 mph (300 km/h) for Y. On a car capable of more than 240 km/h, a W tyre no longer carries its full load: 95% at 250 km/h, 85% at 270 km/h; a Y tyre keeps its full load up to 270 km/h (UN Regulation No. 30, paragraph 2.31).

What do ZR and a service description in brackets such as (95Y) mean?

ZR may replace the R of a W or Y tyre designed for more than 240 km/h and up to 300 km/h. Above 300 km/h, ZR is compulsory and the service description goes in brackets. (95Y) marks a tyre for more than 300 km/h; its maximum speed is the one its maker permits, and so is its load above 300 km/h (UN Regulation No. 30, paragraphs 3.1.3.4, 3.1.4.1, 4.1.15 and 2.31.6).

Does the MOT check the load index and speed rating?

On vehicle classes 5 and 7 only, not on cars (MOT inspection manual, 5.2.3). On a car, tyres of different sizes or of different structures on the same axle are still major defects.

Which load index does my SUV need?

The one your vehicle maker specifies, in the handbook or at item 35 of the European conformity document (CoC), and sometimes on the tyre placard. The checker sets each tyre's load limit against half the maximum axle mass (manufacturer's plate, or item 16.2), the rule UN Regulation No. 142 sets for a new car model; it does not choose the index.

Further reading

• Tyre size calculator: change tyre size, diameter and speedometer included.
• Wheel offset calculator: how far the wheel moves out towards the arch.
• Find my wheel: the questionnaire for our models.
• How to read a tyre size (and the load and speed index)
• XL tires: extra load vs standard load, and the pressure
• Wheel load rating: how much weight must a wheel carry?
• All tools

Sources

• UN Regulation No. 30, passenger car tyres, Official Journal of the EU L 201, 30 July 2008, paragraphs 2.3.4, 2.28, 2.29.1, 2.31, 3.1.3.4, 3.1.4.1, 3.1.8, 4.1.15 and Annex IV, EUR-Lex.
• UN Regulation No. 54, tyres for commercial vehicles, Official Journal of the EU L 183, 11 July 2008, paragraph 2.27 and Annex IV, EUR-Lex.
• UN Regulation No. 117, tyre rolling sound, wet grip and rolling resistance [2025/1453], Annex 3, paragraph 2.5.3, and Annex 10, paragraph 1.9.4, EUR-Lex.
• UN Regulation No. 142, installation of tyres [2021/1366], paragraphs 5.2.2.1.1 and 5.2.2.2.1, EUR-Lex.
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683, Annex VIII, conformity document (CoC) for passenger cars (M1), items 16.2, 29 and 35, EUR-Lex.
• Continental, Technical Data Car, 4x4, Van 2015-2016, tables 1 and 2: load capacities and tyre pressures, pages 104 to 106.
• DVSA, MOT inspection manual for cars, section 5: axles, wheels, tyres and suspension, 5.2.3, load rating and speed rating, GOV.UK.
• DVSA, MOT inspection manual for cars, appendix B: tyre load index tables, GOV.UK.
• Financial Ombudsman Service, car modifications and insurance.
• 49 CFR 571.110, tire selection and rims (FMVSS No. 110), S4.2.1.1, S4.2.2.2 and S4.3(i), eCFR.
• 49 CFR 571.139, new pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles (FMVSS No. 139), S5.5(d), eCFR.
• Weights and Measures Act 1985, Schedule 1: definitions of the pound and the mile, legislation.gov.uk.

Pages consulted on 3 November 2026. Rules change: your national authority has the final say.

Calculations and text: the Onyx Forged design office. Updated on 3 November 2026.

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