Window Tinting

Queensland Transport regulations allow the use of tinting film on side and rear windows of motor vehicles provided at least 35 percent of light still makes its way through the tinted glass.

For windows that already have a tint in the glass, the combination of the tint in the glass and the tinting film must still allow at least 35 percent light transmittance.

Tinted windows that allow less than 35 percent light transmittance are illegal.

Windscreens can be manufactured from tinted glass however they cannot be tinted using film. The exception is a band across the top of the windscreen no lower than a line drawn horizontally across the windscreen at the uppermost points of the vehicles original wiper blade travel, or no more than 10 percent of the windscreens area, whichever is the lesser.

Tint films must not have a reflectance of more than 10 percent.

For the purposes of vehicle roadworthiness, tint films must comply with the requirements outlined above and be free of bubbles and scratches that would significantly affect the driver’s vision.

Some metallised tint films can upset the operation of in-glass radio aerials and e-toll transponders.

Note that these requirements are only a brief outline. For more details consult Queensland Transport or RACQ Technical Advice.

For information on the effects of window tinting on cabin temperatures see pages 16 to 21 of the RACQ Temperatures in Cars Survey (PDF, 2.1MB).