Tinted Windows & the Law

Tinting is Cool - Right?

Most modern cars have a small level of tinting to their window glass - it looks good and helps keep the sun out when it's hot. It's perfectly legal.

However, many people like to go further than this and 'black out' their windows - making them look like limousine windows. Indeed, the blackest level of tint commonly available is known in the trade as 'limo tint'.

As well as looking good (if you like that kind of thing), dark-tinted windows improve privacy and help keep the sun out - but they are only legal on windows behind the front doors of a car.

The law states that front door side windows must let at least 70% of light through.

Front Windscreens must let 75% of light through (70% on cars first used before 1st April 1985).

The reason for this is simple - dark tints restrict visibility in poor light conditions, meaning that you might not see pedestrians and cyclists (for example) as well as you would with a clear window. This is a serious safety risk - hence the law.

This law is enforced by the Police and by VOSA, who have measuring equipment to check how much light can pass through a tinted window.

What's The Penalty?

If your front side windows or windscreen are found to be too heavily tinted, you are committing an offence and one of several things will happen, depending on how dark your tint is:

• You will be required to remove the tint within a certain number of days (known as a delayed prohibition)
• You will be unable to move your vehicle any further until it is removed (known as an immediate prohibition)
• If you fail to remove the tint when required to do so, you may be prosecuted and fined up to £2,000

Remember, this only applies to front side windows (i.e. driver's door and front passenger door) and windscreens. You can do what you like to rear windows (including the back windscreen).

What Should I Do Next?

If you have bought a second hand car and you think the windows may be too heavily tinted, we would suggest one of the following:

• Have it removed (can often be done with a hairdryer, else ask a garage)
• Take it to a tinting company or MOT centre and ask their opinion
• Contact your nearest VOSA test centre, explain that you have just bought the car and ask if they will test it for you.
  
  (Be warned that in a worse-case scenario, VOSA might issue a prohibition and prevent you leaving the test centre before you remove the tint - hopefully they would be reasonable, however, since you brought the car to them voluntarily).

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