Current Legislation for Window Tints

Since the beginning of 2004, there are now limits as to what you may do with respect to applying window tints to your car.

For further information visit the VOSA website.

Window Tinting - Amendments to Legislation

During the early part of 2004, Section 32 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations will be amended to include "Window Tint Films", where such materials attached to the glass are capable of reducing the Visible Light Transmission of forward windows to below prescribed levels. These changes will be back-dated to become applicable from 1st January 2004.

This will effectively ban virtually all tinted films fitted to windows forward of the B-Post on any vehicle that is to be driven on UK roads.

The reason for these changes is the recent proliferation of vehicles that are excessively tinted. Some vehicles may be so heavily tinted that they present a real danger when used on public roads. The action being taken by the Government follows a fatality that occurred recently where a heavily tinted car was involved in a collision with a motorcycle and the window tints were held to blame due to the vision of the driver being impaired.

There is however, a recognised difference between "light window tints" which may be considered safe for road use and "excessively dark window tints" which are not.

There has also been a great deal of debate in recent years about the legitimacy of window tints that do not obscure the vision of the driver. A clear case has been argued that road-safe window tints do not actually conflict with existing regulations. The Department for Transport have argued however that Section 32 was always intended to cover materials attached to the glass, despite the fact that no mention of this is made in the Regulation itself.

Unfortunately however, even tint films that may be considered to be safe for road use will now be viewed as in conflict with the Regulations, enabling the Police and Vehicle Inspectorate to take action against vehicle owners.

This has significant implications for the owners of vehicles that have window tints already fitted and also those that are responsible for installing or selling window tints.