In the United Kingdom, illegal tinting of windows is a criminal offence. The police or DVSA can measure the darkness of your window with a photometer, and police officers are increasingly equipped with these devices. The windscreens, as well as the two door panes on either side of the driver, must be in the permissible colour. So if you have a vehicle with strong tinted windows at the front, there is a risk that it will be pursued by the police or DVSA. Police or Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) vehicle inspectors use photometers to measure window tint. Important: The actual legal requirements for tinted car windows vary depending on when the vehicle was first used (e.g. before or after April 1985). DVSA – The Driver and the Vehicle Standards Agency is the leading authority in the UK that uses a special light meter called a photometer that measures the darkness of hues. Rear windows and rear window All windows behind the driver`s door have no color restrictions. If you are involved in a night accident, illegal window tinting can even be used as evidence of reckless driving. For all these reasons, we strongly advise you never to break the law and always make sure that your car windows are legally tinted.
The reason police enforce the UK`s window tint law is road safety. Therefore, heavy or dark tinted car windows can affect the driver`s vision. Yes, you can, but there are different rules for tinting the front and rear windows of the car and depending on when a vehicle was first used. Law enforcement agencies such as the police or DVSA use a tool called a photometer to measure the VLT of your window tint, and the most likely penalty is an EFPN (Enforceable Fixed Penalty Notice), which is usually 3 points on your driving licence and a £60 fine. The main reason for the windshield hue law is to ensure that the driver`s vision is not affected by the darkness of the hues. Simply put, dyeing laws serve “road safety.” In some traffic accidents, tinted vehicles should be one of the factors. If you drive a vehicle that was first used before 1985, the windshield can be tinted with 70% light transmission. These cases are becoming rare, as most classic car owners do not ring the windows of their vehicle. Note: Evaluating a car for legal tinted windows is not a standard procedure performed by TUV testers during the MOT test. The basic law for the application of tint in the UK depends on when the car was first used.
If the car was first used on April 1, 1985, the percentage of dark tint for the windshield should be at least 75% of the light, and the front side windows must pass through at least 70% of the light. However, if the car was first used before 1 April 1985, the windscreen and front side windows must allow at least 70% light to pass through. Late prohibition notices or correction notices are most often received from drivers whose car colours are prohibited. These are usually spent on dyeing, which is not legal but allows more than 30% of the light to pass through. These notices will allow you to drive (usually up to 10 days), but you will need to remove all illegal hues and provide proof to a police station. The rules for tinted windscreens and front side windows depend on the date the vehicle was first used. There are no rules for tinting the rear window or rear passenger windows. Low window tints can limit your ability to see the most vulnerable road users. This often includes cyclists and pedestrians in areas with low (or no light) lighting. In the UK, it is also illegal to sell a vehicle with a non-compliant window tint, and the police or commercial standards can legally prosecute you for this. First of all, it should be noted that not only the owner of the car could get into trouble if he breaks the rules.
This is illegal: please download VOSA`s tinted window guide for more information. If your windscreen or front side windows are too tinted, you may get: Our information on UK dyeing laws was last updated and revised in 2022. The accuracy of our items is constantly checked by our UK traffic law experts, but if any of the information we provide is not up to date or accurate, please contact us so we can correct it. Thank you! When the police or the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suspect a car has illegally tinted the windows, they use special equipment to measure the light passing through the window. If your windows break the rules, you can: As mentioned earlier in this article, the tint of the windows is not measured during a technical inspection and could therefore pass a technical inspection test even if it travels illegally. The reason for tinting the windows is to ensure that the driver`s vision is not affected by too dark shades. In some serious accidents, tinted windows are thought to contribute to this. We`ve created a little infographic with UK window tint laws: like rear side windows, UK laws don`t limit rear windscreen darkness.
Each level of glass tint is allowed by law. Illegal tinting of car windows on windscreens and front side windows considered extreme (less than 30% light transmission) may result in a “prohibition notice” asking you to stop using the vehicle until it complies with UK window tint laws. It is a serious crime to ignore this notice and you are likely to be prosecuted if you drive a vehicle unfit for traffic. The UK has very clearly defined laws to tint windows. The windshield and front side windows can have up to 75% and 70% light transmission, respectively, and all the windows at the driver`s rear can have any dark shade. UK window tint laws apply to your side windows and windscreen. The law deals with limited visibility, especially when driving at night or in the dark, where tint in your windows may affect your ability to drive safely, or other road users or pedestrians may confirm eye contact with you because the hue is too dark for them to see and therefore create unnecessarily dangerous conditions. that could lead to an accident or collision. Uninstrumented controls An agent without Tintman can make a subjective assessment by sitting in the driver`s seat with the doors closed. If the blinds are very dark and limit visibility, they will be considered dangerous and the agent will issue an immediate ban (such as <30% VLT above). If the level of visibility is not manifestly dangerous, the driver will be warned that legal requirements may have been violated, so the owner will need to make further inquiries. 65% to 46% VLT: Tips only – The driver is notified that legal requirements have been violated.
Drivers need clear visibility while driving, especially in bad weather. The intense darkness of hues could impair the driver`s vision, which can lead to serious accidents. You can also get a DPN (Delayed Prohibition Notice) or a Rectification Notice (RN) if your hue is particularly dark and usually lets 30% of the light through, but remains illegal. In such circumstances, you may have up to 10 days to remove the illegal tint and present evidence to the police at a later date of the prosecution (up to 10 days). Therefore, adding an extra tint (e.g. with foil or spray) may mean that your car`s windows do not meet the legal requirements for window tint in the UK. Follow us on Facebook to be notified when your lens tint laws change. If you don`t use extreme darkness, you will likely receive an EFPN (Endorseable Fixed Penalty Notice) which will result in your driver`s licence being confirmed with 3 points and a £60 fine. In addition, the whole of the United Kingdom has the same legislation.
England, Scotland and British Wales, but also Northern Ireland, all have the same laws on window tinting. Note: The short video explains how to remove the tinted aluminum cover from the front windows of a vehicle without damaging the window. The UK has very basic and simple rules for tinting the car or any other vehicle. If you are concerned about the law on tint and want to be sure that the color level of your car is below the limits, please read below. A small percentage of the 24 million vehicles randomly checked each year do not comply with window tint regulations. If every workshop in the UK were to buy the right equipment and incorporate the tests into every roadworthiness test, the test fee for all vehicles tested would have to increase to cover the extra time and costs of equipping the workshop. You should also consider telling your auto insurance company about the tint of your windows, even if you`re within the legal limits. Your future claims may be cancelled because insurance companies may consider it to be an automatic change. 1) www.gov.uk/tinted-vehicle-window-rules2) www.tinting-laws.com/united-kingdom/ If you tone your car windows, you should really let your insurance company know, as this is considered a vehicle modification and could affect future claims you may make. Accidents that occur in conditions of poor visibility or low light where window tint is involved can result in the blame of window tint for the accident due to careless driving, be sure to tint your windows in accordance with the law and consider all the effects of this before any changes are made.
Simply put, violations of window tint rules can also contribute to some of the most serious traffic accidents. What if your windshield (or front side windows) has illegally tinted windows? In short, they would break the law for the legal tinting of windows if they were too tinted. If it turns out that the windows have illegal blinds, you can enforce the rules of tinting car windows by the police and drivers and vehicle standards (DVSA). In some cases, you may be arrested by the police because you have tinted windows.