The Laws around Tinting

There are certain rules and regulations that need to be abided by, when tinting the windows of a car. Before purchasing tint it is important to be fully aware of what is acceptable, to ensure that your car is still legal to drive upon completion.

The Tinting Laws

The laws around the use of window tint on your car are fairly straight- forward and drill down to two main points for cars used on or after 1st April 1985:

• The front windscreen must let at least 75% of light through
• The front side windows must let at least 70% of light through.

There are currently no laws with regards to tinting the rear windscreen or rear passenger windows of a car, giving you complete flexibility with the tint that you choose.

What happens if my tint is too dark?

If you are found to have illegally tinted windows you could instantly receive a ‘prohibition’ notice stopping you from using your car until you have the tint removed or more than that, you could be at risk in receiving a penalty notice or court summons.

It could also be the case that if you are involved in an accident, and it is proven that it occurred as a result of poor visibility, you could be liable to take full blame for the incident.

It also worth noting that having illegally tinted windows could also make your car insurance policy invalid, leaving you not only driving illegally but unprotected should something happen.

As in anything, it is always best to do your research and so if you are unsure as to what tint you should be buying, why not either download the VOSA guide to tinted windows or contact us to find out more.