Yes, you can be fined and face other consequences for having excessively tinted windows on your vehicle in England and Wales. Here is the legal and practical position.
Legal position:
The relevant law is the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, specifically Regulation 32. This sets minimum light transmittance levels for certain windows on motor vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1985.
The windscreen must allow at least 75 per cent of light through. The front side windows (those either side of the driver) must allow at least 70 per cent of light through. There are no specific restrictions on the rear side windows or the rear windscreen, so these can be as dark as you like.
Enforcement and penalties:
If your vehicle is stopped and the windows are found to be too dark, the police can take a number of steps.
1. They can issue a fixed penalty notice, which currently carries a fine of £100.
2. They can issue a prohibition notice requiring you to remove the tint before using the vehicle on the road again. Driving in breach of a prohibition notice is a more serious offence.
3. In more serious cases or repeat offences, you could be reported for summons to the magistrates' court, where the maximum fine is £2,500 for goods vehicles and £1,000 for other vehicles (though fines at the upper end are rare for tint alone).
4. Your vehicle can also fail its MOT if the front windows or windscreen do not meet the required light transmittance levels.
The police typically use a light meter to test the windows at the roadside, so there is usually objective evidence of the level of tint.
Practical points:
Factory-fitted tinted windows on modern vehicles will almost always comply with the legal limits, so this issue mainly arises with aftermarket tint films. If you have had tint film applied to the windscreen or front side windows, you should check whether it brings the light transmittance below the legal minimum. Bear in mind that the glass itself already blocks some light, so even a mild-looking film on top can push the total below the limit.
If you are given a prohibition notice, you should treat it seriously. Continuing to drive with non-compliant windows after a prohibition has been issued is a separate offence and may lead to a higher penalty.
If you want to tint the rear windows for privacy or appearance, there is no legal obstacle to doing so, and many vehicles come with dark rear glass as standard.
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