Does it really have to be the tire with manufacturer approval?
MO, AO, N0, ★ — small letters on the tire sidewall that sometimes mean an extra hundred francs. In our catalog, 1,520 of 25,462 tires have such a marking, which is six percent. Whether you need one of them is one of the most expensive questions when buying tires — and the answer is a clear no for most cars.
What an original equipment approval is
An original equipment approval means that a vehicle manufacturer has worked with a tire manufacturer to develop a special version of a tire and approved it for a specific vehicle. It differs from the standard tire of the same name — in its compound, carcass, and sometimes its tread pattern.
The identifier is shown as a small sequence of letters on the sidewall:
| Identifier | Manufacturer |
|---|---|
| MO, MO1, MOE, MOS | Mercedes-Benz |
| AO, AO1, RO1, RO2 | Audi |
| N0, N1, N2, N3 | Porsche |
| ★ | BMW |
| VOL, VO | Volvo |
| J, JLR, LR | Jaguar, Land Rover |
| T0, T1 | Tesla |
The sequence has a meaning: For Porsche, N0 stands for the first approval of a model, N1 for the next development stage, and so on. A higher number is not "better", but newer for the same vehicle.
The complete overview with 49 manufacturers and 159 identifiers can be found on our page Manufacturer Approvals.
What actually appears in the catalog
Currently, 3,518 out of 26,834 tires have at least one structured manufacturer identifier — around 13.1 percent. The data contains 110 different identifiers. The most common are BMW star (940), MO (550), AO (479), N0 (200), and MO1 (141).
This means that the vast majority of the range comes without a special OE identifier. This is not a quality defect: The crucial factors are the complete tire size, load and speed index, and any specifications in the vehicle owner's manual.
Who needs an approval — and who doesn't
You probably don't need one
If your car is a common passenger vehicle — Golf, Octavia, Astra, Civic, a station wagon, a normal SUV — then your vehicle registration document will list a tire size with a load and speed index, and that is the complete requirement. Any tire that meets these values is permissible.
This also applies to Mercedes, BMW, and Audi in their standard engine variants. If the car came from the factory with MO tires, it does not mean that it can only be driven with MO tires.
You should take a closer look if
- Your vehicle owner's manual explicitly requires the approval. For some sports models and vehicles with special chassis concepts, more than just the size is specified there. This is the only truly binding source.
- You drive a vehicle designed for run-flat tires, whose chassis is tuned to the stiffer sidewall.
- Your car is very heavy, very fast, or both. For a Porsche with N-approval, the tuning has a measurable reason.
- You drive an electric car with high weight and high torque. In such cases, approvals are often more recent and relate to wear and rolling resistance.
The most important sentence
What is stated in your vehicle registration document and in your manual is binding — not what was on the tires that happen to be on the car. If you are unsure, consult the manual or ask your brand dealer. We do not know your car.
What an approval costs
A blanket surcharge cannot be reliably stated. Special versions are sometimes offered in smaller quantities, while dimension, season, brand, and availability influence the price more than the identifier alone. Therefore, compare a variant with and without approval within the same size and model.
In 205/55 R16, the current median of the entire offering is around CHF 83. Whether an approved version is more expensive and whether the surcharge is worthwhile for your vehicle must be assessed on a specific item.
What the approval is not
Three misunderstandings we regularly encounter:
An approval is not a quality rating. An MO tire is not better than the same tire without MO — it is tuned differently for a specific vehicle. In another car, this tuning may even be a worse fit.
An approval is not a legal requirement. What the law requires are size, load and speed index, and a roadworthy vehicle. The approval is a recommendation from the vehicle manufacturer — it becomes binding if the manual requires it or if warranty issues are involved.
An approval does not replace a comparative test. In independent tests by automobile clubs, standard tires regularly perform as well as or better than original equipment variants. What has been optimized for one vehicle is not automatically what brakes shortest on a wet country road.
What if I'm unsure?
Three practical steps, in this order:
- Vehicle owner's manual, Wheels and Tires chapter. It states whether an approval is required. This is the binding source and takes five minutes.
- Look at the existing tires. If all four have the same identifier, the car probably came that way from the factory. This is an indication, not a requirement.
- Ask us. We can tell you what is available in our range for your size with and without approval and what the price difference is. We cannot tell you what your vehicle needs — that is in the manual, and it is binding there.
The three takeaways
- Around 87 percent of our current range does not have a structured manufacturer approval. This is normal for most vehicles.
- An approval is a tuning, not a quality rating. Different, not better.
- The manual is binding. If it doesn't say anything, save the surcharge.
Further reading: All manufacturer approvals in detail · Load and speed index · Tires with manufacturer approval in our range
Sources and Status
Catalog data: own active tire stock, read on August 19, 2026 via the Shopify Admin API. Total population: 26,834 tires in 309 sizes. Prices are per tire including VAT.
Vehicle-specific requirements: Vehicle registration document, vehicle owner's manual, and vehicle manufacturer approvals.
The catalog is constantly changing. Stock levels and prices on the respective product page are therefore decisive for ordering.
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