Window tint: UK vs US vs Germany vs Norway
Every one of these four markets allows tint somewhere on the car and restricts it at the front. What changes is whether the limit is a light-transmission number, an approval document, or a flat ban on front film.
All four markets reach the same verdict, conditional. What differs is the rule each one uses to get there, which is the third column.
| Market | Verdict | The rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
United Kingdom DVSA / GOV.UK |
Conditional | 70% VLT front sides, 75% windscreen Rear glass has no legal limit. Enforcement is a calibrated roadside meter, and failing it means a prohibition notice rather than a warning. |
United States EPA, NHTSA and state codes |
Conditional | State VLT limits, roughly 20% to 70% There is no federal darkness rule, so the same film passes in one state and tickets in the next. Most states allow only a strip at the top of the windshield. |
Germany StVZO / KBA |
Conditional | No film on the front glass at all Behind the front seats, film is legal only with an ABG type approval printed on it and the certificate carried in the car. Factory privacy glass is already approved. |
Norway Statens vegvesen |
Conditional | No film forward of the B-pillar Behind the B-pillar there is no darkness limit whatsoever, provided both door mirrors work. Front film is a defect at inspection. |
All four say conditional, but for different reasons. The UK and US argue about a percentage, Germany and Norway barely argue at all: front film is simply out.
Why the answers differ
How dark can you legally tint your windows?
Tint is the clearest illustration of two different regulatory instincts. The UK and the US both accept that some front tint is tolerable and then argue about how much, which turns the rule into a measurable number and the enforcement into a meter reading at the roadside. Germany and Norway do not set a front number at all, because they do not accept front film in the first place; what they regulate instead is the approval status of film used behind the driver. The practical consequence is that a car built to a US or UK specification can be perfectly legal at home and still fail in Germany, not because the film is too dark but because it is in the wrong place. Rear glass runs the opposite way: Norway imposes no darkness limit at all behind the B-pillar, which is more permissive than anything the US offers.
Verdict at a glance
The same four markets, grouped by where they land.
Conditional
ConditionalUnited Kingdom, United States, Germany and Norway. Permitted, but only once the condition in the table above is met.
Sources
Primary legislation and regulator guidance behind each market's verdict.
- UKTinted vehicle windows: the law (GOV.UK)
- UKThe Highway Code, Annex 6 (GOV.UK)
- USFederal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, glazing (NHTSA)
- USVehicle modifications and equipment (NHTSA)
- Germany§ 40 StVZO - Scheiben, Scheibenwischer, Scheibenwascher (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Germany§ 22a StVZO - Bauartgenehmigung für Fahrzeugteile (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- NorwayKjøretøyforskriften kap. 31 - Vindusruter og sikt (lovdata.no)
Other cross-market comparisons
This is a comparison of national rules, not legal advice for your vehicle. Rules change, and the US row in particular summarises federal law where one exists and the common pattern across states where it does not. Confirm the position in your own state or region before you buy or fit anything. Sources last reviewed July 2026.