Tinted visors are one of the most-asked-about grey areas in UK motorcycling. A dark or mirrored visor looks great and cuts glare on a bright day, but riders are understandably worried about being pulled over. The short answer is that some tinted visors are road-legal and some are not — and the deciding factor is how much light the visor lets through, not how it looks. This guide explains the actual rules in plain UK English so you can choose a visor with confidence.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. The law and the underlying standards change over time, so always confirm the current regulations before you rely on them.
Are tinted motorcycle visors legal in the UK?
Yes — tinted visors can be legal, but only up to a point. Wearing eye protection is not itself compulsory in the UK, but the rule is this: if you wear a visor or goggles on the road, they must be of an approved type. Approved visors carry a light-transmission rating, and once a tint gets too dark it is no longer approved for road use. So a light or mild smoke tint can be perfectly legal, while a very dark “limo” tint is not road-legal at all.
What is the minimum light transmission (VLT) for a road-legal visor?
The measurement that matters is luminous transmittance, often shortened to VLT (visible light transmission) — the percentage of light the visor lets through. A clear visor is close to 100%; a very dark visor might be 20% or less. UK guidance and the relevant standards set this out as a tiered system rather than a single pass/fail line:
- 80% or more VLT — legal in all conditions (day and night). This is the threshold for a fully unrestricted visor. Standard clear visors sit here.
- Between 80% and 50% VLT — legal but “daytime use only”. A visor in this band must be marked accordingly (a “DAYTIME USE ONLY” symbol or wording). This is where a light or mild smoke tint typically falls.
- Below 50% VLT — not road-legal. Dark tints under this figure do not meet the accepted UK threshold and should not be used on the road at any time.
Two honest caveats. First, the 50% daytime-only floor comes from the older British Standard BS 4110 and current gov.uk guidance. The newer international standard, UNECE Regulation 22.06, sets its own light-transmission requirements, and the figures quoted for it in circulation do not agree with one another, so no number for it is stated here. UK government guidance has continued to cite the 50% figure — and this is exactly the kind of detail that can shift, so check the current regulations and the marking on the visor itself rather than relying on a threshold quoted second-hand. Second, gov.uk and the Highway Code require an “approved standard” visor; the precise numbers live in the standards themselves (BS 4110 and UNECE Regulation 22) rather than in the Highway Code text (source: gov.uk; source: legislation.gov.uk).
If you want a visor that is unambiguously legal at any hour, choose a fully approved clear visor at 80%+ VLT — see our clear replacement visors.
Which law and standards apply?
The controlling law is the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/535), made under section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Regulation 4 lists the “authorised” eye protectors a rider may use. There are two valid routes to a road-legal visor (source: legislation.gov.uk):
- Conformity with British Standard BS 4110 (Grade X, or Grades XA, YA or ZA as amended); or
- Conformity with UNECE Regulation 22 — the “22.05” and now “22.06” series — including its approval, marking and conformity requirements. This route was added by the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) (Amendment) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/1489) (source: legislation.gov.uk).
ECE 22.06 has superseded 22.05 for new type-approvals and is equally accepted. A compliant visor must also carry an approved certification mark. In short: look for a genuine BS 4110 or ECE 22.05/22.06 marking on the visor and helmet (source: gov.uk; source: unece.org).
Are dark or smoke visors legal for daytime use?
A smoke or light-tinted visor can be legal in daylight provided it stays at or above the daytime-only floor and is marked for daytime use. Mild and medium smoke tints are the ones most likely to fall in the legal daytime band; heavily darkened “dark smoke” visors often drop below the threshold and are not road-legal. The safest rule of thumb: the darker it looks, the more likely it fails.
Can I use a tinted visor at night?
No — a tinted visor below 80% VLT is not legal for night or poor-light riding, even if it is fine in daylight. Only a visor rated at 80%+ (effectively clear or very lightly tinted) is approved for use in all conditions. Practically, this is also the scenario police are most likely to act on: riding after dark or in poor visibility behind a dark visor is the classic case that attracts attention (source: whitedalton.co.uk).
Are iridium and mirrored visors road-legal in the UK?
Iridium and mirrored visors are judged by exactly the same VLT rule as any other tint — the mirror finish is not treated separately in law. Many iridium visors are quite dark and therefore fall below the road-legal threshold, which is why they are often sold explicitly for track or off-road use. In practice that is a high bar: an iridium visor is only legal in daylight if that specific visor carries a BS 4110 or ECE 22.05 approval mark and sits inside the marked daytime-only band — and aftermarket iridium visors, including ours, do not carry verified approval markings. Unless a visor demonstrably has the marking, treat it as not legal for road use in the UK, day or night. SHOEI itself labels its mirrored finishes “Not Legal For Road Use” (source: shoeiuk.com).
Are photochromic (light-reactive) visors legal?
Photochromic visors darken in bright light and clear in low light, which makes them a genuinely clever middle ground. Under UNECE Regulation 22.06, photochromic and liquid-crystal visors are recognised as a distinct category, and the requirements for them are framed around their ability to lighten again in poor conditions rather than around a single fixed tint figure. A quality photochromic visor that clears to 80%+ VLT and carries the correct approval can be a practical, largely worry-free choice. As with everything here, confirm the visor’s markings and the current rules, since this is one of the newer and more fluid areas of the standard (source: unece.org). Browse rated options on our photochromic visor collection.
What about track days and private land?
The Eye Protectors Regulations apply to use on a road or public highway. On a closed circuit, a track day, or private land, road-traffic tint rules do not bite — which is why very dark and mirrored visors are commonly sold and used for track riding. If you buy a dark or iridium visor primarily for the track, that is fine; just don’t ride it to and from the circuit on public roads if it falls below the legal threshold.
What are the penalties?
The offence framework flows from the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the 1999 Regulations. In practice, UK motorcycle solicitors describe enforcement as patchy and largely at the officer’s discretion — historically, “words of advice” have been common rather than a fine. That said, discretion cuts both ways: an illegal visor can support a wider stop, and night-time use of a sub-legal dark visor is the situation most likely to result in a penalty (source: whitedalton.co.uk). Treating the rules as if they will be enforced is the sensible approach.
Does this apply to replacement and aftermarket visors?
Yes — and this is the key point for anyone buying a swap-in visor. The law does not care whether a visor is the original manufacturer part or an aftermarket replacement; it cares about the approval and the VLT rating. An aftermarket or replacement visor is road-legal on exactly the same terms as an OEM one: it must meet BS 4110 or ECE 22.05/22.06 and carry the correct certification marking. It must also sit at or above the applicable light-transmission threshold — 80% for all conditions, or the daytime-only band for lighter tints.
So when you buy a replacement visor, check three things: the standard marking (BS 4110 or ECE 22), the VLT/tint rating, and any “daytime use only” designation. A dark aftermarket visor sold for styling or track use is not magically road-legal just because it fits your helmet — the tint figure still decides. If in doubt, a fully approved clear or photochromic replacement is the lowest-risk choice for everyday road riding.
Because standards and government guidance are periodically revised, always confirm the current regulations (via gov.uk and the visor’s own approval marking) before relying on any tint for road use.
Frequently asked questions
What VLT is legal for a motorcycle visor in the UK?
A visor transmitting 80% or more of light is legal in all conditions, day and night. A visor between 80% and 50% VLT is legal for daytime use only and must be marked accordingly, and anything below 50% is not road-legal under current UK guidance. The newer UNECE 22.06 standard sets its own light-transmission requirements and the figures quoted for it in circulation do not agree, so check the current regulations and the visor’s own approval marking rather than relying on a quoted threshold.
Are dark tinted visors illegal in the UK?
Very dark tinted visors that fall below the light-transmission threshold are not road-legal. Lighter smoke tints can be legal for daytime use if they meet the required VLT and carry the correct approval markings. The darker the visor, the more likely it is illegal for road use.
Are iridium or mirrored visors road-legal?
They are judged by the same VLT rule as any tint. Many iridium and mirrored visors are too dark to be road-legal and are sold for track use, and without a BS 4110 or ECE 22.05 approval mark on the specific visor there is no basis to treat an iridium finish as legal for road use in the UK at any time of day. Ours do not carry verified markings — treat them as track and off-road equipment.
Can I use a tinted visor at night?
No. Only a visor rated at 80% VLT or higher (effectively clear or very lightly tinted) is approved for use in all conditions including night and poor light. Tinted daytime-only visors must not be used after dark.
Are photochromic visors legal in the UK?
A photochromic visor that clears to 80% or more VLT in low light and carries the correct approval marking can be a practical, largely road-legal choice. UNECE 22.06 recognises photochromic and liquid-crystal visors as a distinct category. Confirm the visor’s markings and the current rules before relying on it.
Do these rules apply to aftermarket replacement visors?
Yes. The law applies to the visor’s approval and light-transmission rating, not whether it is an original or aftermarket part. A replacement visor must meet BS 4110 or ECE 22.05/22.06, carry the correct certification mark, and sit within the legal VLT band to be road-legal.