Window tint law UK: how dark is legal, and what's the fine?

How dark can window tint be in the UK?

On a car first used from 1 April 1985, the windscreen has to let at least 75% of light through. The front side windows have to let at least 70% through. The front limits are the same for a van.

There's no limit on the rear windscreen or the rear passenger windows.

Most modern cars already have a slight tint in the glass when they're made. That factory tint meets the standards. So any film you add to the front windows is likely to take them under the limit.

If the front windows are too dark, you could get a fine. Or you could get a prohibition notice, which stops you using the car on the road until the extra tint is off and the notice is lifted.

Buying a car with front tints that break the rules? Once you drive it, the offence of using it on the road is yours.

Which windows does the law cover?

The tint rules cover the windscreen and the windows either side of the driver.

If your car was first used between June 1978 and March 1985, the windscreen limit is 70%, the same as the front side windows. For a car first used before June 1978, there's no percentage limit.

What gets measured is the light that comes through the glass with the film on it. Factory glass already lets through less than 100%, so a film sold as "70%" will take a front window under 70%.

Having tints fitted? Before the fitter starts, ask them to confirm in writing that the front windows will still meet 75% and 70% with the film on. A fitter who takes the windows under the limits breaks the law too, but the offence of driving the car is still yours.

Northern Ireland has the same 75% and 70% limits. There, you could get a prohibition notice, a fixed penalty or a court summons.

The fines, roadside notices and MOT rules below are the ones for England, Scotland and Wales.

What happens if the police stop you for tints?

A police officer in uniform can pull you over. The police, or a vehicle examiner from DVSA (the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency), can then measure the glass with a light meter.

If the front windows are too dark, any of these can follow:

• A fine. It's a £50 fixed penalty with no penalty points. If it goes to court instead, the fine can be up to £1,000 for a car, still with no points.
• A chance to fix it. The police may give you a form to fix the car instead of prosecuting you (a vehicle defect rectification form). You take the tint off, have an MOT tester confirm on the form that it's fixed, and send the form back in the time it gives, usually 14 days. Do that and you avoid prosecution.
• A prohibition notice. This bans the car from the road. It can start straight away, or up to ten days later. DVSA's guide for its examiners says to ban the car on the spot if the front glass lets through less than 30% of light. Between 30% and 45%, the ban starts later.

To get a prohibition notice lifted, take the film off and pass a normal MOT. If a DVSA examiner issued the notice, the pass clears it. If the police did, follow their instructions for removing the notice too. Driving while the notice is in force is a separate offence.

Points would only come with a different offence, if the police decided the car was in a dangerous condition. That offence carries 3 points.

In a guide last updated in 2020, Essex Police said it treated front side windows that let through less than 25% of light as a dangerous condition. That meant a £100 fine and 3 points.

The same guide says a trained officer can prosecute without a meter reading, from examining the window and the film, but only for the £50 fine with no points.

Will tinted windows fail the MOT?

They can. The tester checks the windscreen and the front side windows for excessive tint, but only fails the car if the tint significantly affects the driver's view.

Tint the tester finds excessive, but which doesn't affect the view, goes down as a minor defect. A minor defect is a pass, with the problem written on the result.

The MOT manual doesn't set a percentage. So a pass doesn't mean the tints are legal on the road.

For the rest of the test, see what is tested in an MOT.

Our free car check shows a car's MOT history, including any minor defects and what the tester wrote.

Buying a used car with tinted windows?

Look at the front side windows when you view the car. Essex Police says it's very unusual for the glass itself to be dark at the front, so a dark front window is likely to have film on it.

It's an offence to sell a car with front tints that break the rules. But that doesn't cancel the sale, and once you drive the car, the offence of using it on the road is yours.

You get more legal protection buying from a dealer than from a private seller. Either way, you may not get a refund for a fault you were told about, or one that was obvious when you looked at the car.

The drive home counts as using the car on the road, and the rules have no exception for that trip. Essex Police says film is very simple to remove and usually comes off in one piece.

So ask the seller to take the film off before you pay. Or take the cost of removing it off your offer, and get it off before you drive away.

For the rest of the viewing, use our questions to ask when buying a used car.

Do you have to tell your insurer about tinted windows?

Tell them. The Financial Ombudsman Service counts tinted windows as a modification, and says a simple one like that can lead to higher premiums.

That goes for tints that were already on the car when you bought it. Our guide to undeclared modifications and your insurance covers what you have to declare, and what can happen if you don't.

Window tint questions