Window Tint Laws in TAS (2026): Legal VLT Limits

Tint darkness is measured as Visible Light Transmission, or VLT. The higher the number, the lighter the film and the more light gets through. Tasmania sets different minimums depending on where the glass sits on the car, and the rules are more relaxed once you get behind the driver.

These figures apply to a normal passenger vehicle. Goods vehicles like vans and utes have their own allowances, which we cover further down. Our directory lists 24 window tinting businesses across Tasmania, and a good installer will know these limits without needing to look them up.

The two front windows, the ones next to the driver and front passenger, must have a VLT of at least 35% after any film is applied. This is the strictest limit on the car because these windows matter most for the driver's vision and for police being able to see into the cabin.

Tasmania applies a 5% measurement adjustment when tint is checked, which gives a small allowance for the tolerances of the metre and the film. Do not treat that as licence to aim below the limit. Build to 35% and you have nothing to worry about.

Once you are behind the driver, the rules loosen. The rear side windows (behind the driver) and the rear windscreen can go down to 20% VLT. That is noticeably darker than what is allowed up front, so plenty of Tasmanian drivers run a legal 35% on the front and a darker 20% on the back for privacy and heat control.

There is one condition on the darker rear glass. Because you are reducing the view out the back, the vehicle must have at least one working external rear-vision mirror on each side. Both mirrors have to be operational. This applies to both the rear side windows and the rear windscreen when they carry film taking them below what the front allows.

The windscreen is treated separately. It must keep a light transmission of at least 70% and must not be coated in any way that reduces that figure or affects ADR compliance. You are allowed a tinted band across the top of the windscreen, but only down to the greater of two points: the area above the swept path of the wipers, or the upper 10% of the windscreen. Anything deeper than that is not legal.

Reflectivity

Tint film cannot act like a mirror. The maximum reflectance is 10%, meaning no more than 10% of light bounces back off the glass. Mirror-finish and heavily metallic films usually fail this test, so ask your installer to confirm the reflectance rating of whatever film you choose.

Goods vehicles

Vans, utes and trucks (ADR category NA and NB goods-carrying vehicles) can take the glazing behind the driver right down to 0% VLT, provided there is a working external mirror on each side. This is why so many work vans run blacked-out rear glass. Passenger cars do not get this allowance on their rear glass.

The cost to tint a full passenger car varies widely with the film quality, the number of windows and the vehicle, and reflective or ceramic films sit at the higher end. Any figure you see quoted is a rough market range only. Real prices differ between shops and jobs, so always get a written quote that states the finished VLT of each window.

Window tint rules in Tasmania are set out under the Vehicle and Traffic (Vehicle Standards) Regulations 2024 and are administered and enforced by the Department of State Growth (Transport Services / Registration and Licensing). The primary reference documents are the Tasmanian Applied Film / Window Tint Information Bulletin (V1, December 2018) and the Service Tasmania car window tinting page.