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

Victoria treats the front of the car differently from the back. The windows either side of the driver need to stay reasonably clear so police, other drivers and cameras can see in, while the windows behind the driver are allowed to be noticeably darker. That means you can run a darker look on the rear of a family wagon or SUV while keeping the front legal.

These rules come from VicRoads Vehicle Standards Information sheet 2 (VSI 2) and apply to normal passenger vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Mass of 4.5 tonne or less. Our directory lists 297 window tinting businesses across Victoria, and any competent installer should quote film to these figures without prompting.

A higher VLT number means a lighter film. So a 35% front film is lighter than a 20% rear film. The front number is the strict one, and it is the figure police check most often.

The driver and front passenger windows must have a VLT of 35% or more after the film goes on. This is the tightest limit in the state because these windows sit in the driver's main field of view and matter most for road safety and enforcement.

Behind the driver you get more room to move. Rear side windows and the rear windscreen can be tinted down to 20% VLT, which is a good deal darker than the front. This is where most people put their darkest legal film for privacy and heat control.

There is a catch. The 20% allowance on windows behind the driver only applies where the vehicle has at least one rear-vision mirror fitted to each side. If you only have an interior mirror and no proper side mirrors, you lose that concession.

Buses and goods-carrying vehicles that have a mirror on each side have no minimum VLT for windows behind or above the driver, so vans and similar vehicles can effectively black out the rear.

The main windscreen must comply with Australian Design Rule 8, which sets a minimum VLT of 70% or greater depending on the year of manufacture. Vehicles built before July 1971 must transmit at least 70%. In practice, you cannot cover the windscreen with tint film.

The only film allowed on a windscreen is a tinted band across the top. That band must sit above the area swept by the wipers, or within the top 10% of the windscreen, whichever is greater. The band itself can be darker than 70% VLT, but it must not cover any sensors or cameras mounted up there. Many newer cars have driver-assist cameras behind the top of the glass, so the installer needs to work around them.

Reflective and mirror-look films

Reflectivity is capped at 10% reflectance on any window. Highly reflective, mirror-finish films are not allowed because they dazzle other road users. Note that perforated signs and wraps are treated the same as tinted film, so a perforated rear window graphic still has to meet the VLT rule for that window.

Fitting tint that breaches VSI 2 can attract a defect ("canary" or yellow sticker) notice, an order to remove or replace the illegal film, and a fine. Once a defect notice is issued you have to fix the problem and get the car cleared before it is fully roadworthy again, which usually means stripping and re-doing the film at your own cost.

The figures in this guide come from VicRoads Vehicle Standards Information sheet 2 (VSI 2), published October 2021 under the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021, and administered by the Department of Transport and Planning (VicRoads).