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

WA sets its tint rules around the B-pillar, which is the vertical post between your front and rear doors. Everything forward of that pillar must let through at least 35% of visible light. Everything behind it may be darker, down to a minimum of 20% VLT.

That split is deliberate. The front glass is where the driver's direct vision matters most, so the law keeps it lighter. Behind the driver, where vision is less critical, you are allowed a darker film for privacy and heat control.

The driver and front passenger windows must have a VLT of at least 35%. This is a minimum, so anything darker than 35% is illegal for the front.

The same 35% rule covers any window forward of the B-pillar, not just the front doors. On most passenger cars that means the two front side windows.

Behind the B-pillar, the rules relax. Rear side windows and the rear windscreen may be taken down to a minimum of 20% VLT. There is one firm condition attached: the vehicle must have external rear-vision mirrors complying with ADR 14 fitted to each side.

That condition exists because darker rear glass reduces what you can see out the back, so the law expects you to rely on properly fitted side mirrors instead.

Before October 2004, most vehicles were held to 35% overall. The rear limit was later relaxed to 20%, which is why older cars and newer ones can have different histories on paper.

Windscreen band

You cannot apply film to the windscreen itself. WA does allow a tinted band across the top, but only if it sits above the part swept by the wipers and stays out of your primary vision area. That band must not cover more than 10% of the windscreen area unless Vehicle Safety and Standards approves a larger area.

Reflectivity

Tint film in WA is limited to a maximum of 10% reflectance. Highly reflective or mirror-finish films are not permitted because they dazzle other drivers and hide the occupants entirely. If a film looks like a mirror from outside, it is almost certainly over the limit.

A few vehicle types sit outside the standard passenger-car rules.

• Vans that are available from the factory with metal panels in place of rear windows may reduce rear VLT to 0%. In practice these are treated like a panel van behind the driver.
• Stretched limousines may go down to 20% behind the B-pillar, the same minimum as any other vehicle, and not below.
• Factory privacy glass below 20% can be matched under an exemption. If your vehicle came from the manufacturer with dark rear glass, you may be able to have film matched to it with approval.

All of this sits under the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014. If your situation is unusual, ask Vehicle Safety and Standards before committing to a film.

Because factory glass already darkens what film sits over it, the safest path is to have your installer measure the finished VLT on the glass with a meter. Ask for the reading in writing. Our directory lists 152 window tinting businesses across Western Australia, so you have plenty of choice for someone who tints to the legal limits and will confirm the result.

These rules are set and enforced by the Government of Western Australia, Department of Transport (Driver and Vehicle Services), through Vehicle Safety and Standards Information Bulletin IB-119D, under the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014.