THE LAW AND REGULATIONS ON UPGRADED LIGHTS - HID's, LEDs, Tinted lights, Underglow, DRL's and more! 

Can we change the laws and legislations to ban numberplates that try and spell Boss.

I co-run a car group, I love content like this because it makes it easier to make sure the me and my mates don't cause the wrong kind of attention at our meets and others. We are currently in the mix of trying to modify certain member cars, and this video was shared by me, into our group chat as an example. So thank you

I just learned a new word. Interpretate.

I just was looking on internet info about underglow. Thanks. You just save my time

I got pulled tonight about my lights and was told to watch this video and Sarge you proved me right in the argument. I can have amber on the front. I wish all coppers were like you I would have respect.

We can't have underglow because they're a distraction, yet lorries can have 27 million lights on it that will blind a car that's lowered or small, or maybe HID/LED lights, I understand that they're not making the right pattern but in the modern age where a 2005 car's lights are no match to anything new, I believe that used cars should also be allowed to have the same level of bulbs, its only fair.

Love these videos, and very interesting to know that I can use neon light on the road as long as they are not flashing and only certain colours

Great Video and was good to meet you at IOW!

Spot on video. Very informative and helpful. I’m assuming interior lights doesn’t matter as you shouldn’t have them on while driving anyway then

Love this content! Just wish all officers were as understanding as this, have seen people getting tickets while stationary, engine off as the car was displaying something against the construction and use If it was on the road, such as red underglow at the front, or flashing blue and red lights.

Great advice, and well presented, thanks.

Ex designer here. The basic rule is red at rear, white at front and amber turns and that’s it. Wen designing u have to abide by this as to not cause distraction to other road users and that’s the key. Anything that is out of the ordinary or too bright/ not bright enough causes distractions which could cause accidents. Car designers abide by these rules and any mods made after it leaves the factory have to as well for road use. Hope that helps

I lived in four European countries ... I probably drove most of the car and I can definitely say that the UK is the most tolerant police I have ever dealt with!!! Most of the countries you can forget about any tinted lights! About neons under the car even don't think!! Gentlemen, I think you have to appreciate it more, instead of cursing at the sight of the police. Good job mate 👍 Thank you to the police officer for your time and thorough explanation! Safe journeys 4all👍👍 ( don't drink and drive)

I have a 20-year-old motorcycle with 20-year-old lighting, rear lights are fine but the front headlight from factory is abysmal, fitted a 50% brighter h4 bulb which helps, but I've also fitted an independently switched 7 inch 30watt led light bar beneath the headlight and dipped it in-line with the dipped beam headlight and boy has it made a difference. Other road users can actually see me now. Some lighting upgrades will help protect your life !! And yes, it's passes the mot, so no issues with it 👍 Bright lights and loud pipes save lives 💪

Brilliant video wish there was more officers like this just a quick on you spoke about tinting headlight is it OK to have yellow head lights if it dosnt effect the beam

Bloody good show chaps! 👍

Way Back In The 90s I Got Pulled In Mk4 Escort RS For Some Blue Globe Caps From Motorworld. You Put Then Over Halogen Bulbs To Give A White Look, You Could Get Ones To Give A Rainbow 🌈 Effect Too, Got Told To Take Them Out There And Then At The Side Of The Road. And They Were Bleeding Hot!!🔥

Enjoyed this video. I think LED stop lights are safer as they come on a fraction quicker than standard bulbs. I think there's an issue with the amount of cars driving around with illegal number plates. Wrongly spaced or sized letters and numbers which could cause confusion by an older person.

I once had an electrical fualt. I tracked it down to a loose connection on the main/dip relay. When driving it made the lights flash between main and dip at about the same frequency as the flashing light beacons. Peope were very quick to move out of my way on that journey.

Love these videos, and very interesting to know that can I use F1 rain light.

The ST is the pre-facelift version of the Mk2, so even the Un-modified lights only had half the cluster as opposed to the RS’s full length red lights, as the RS is a face lifted version of the Mk2 Focus.

Very informative 👍

Another great video 👍

Fantastic video lots of good advice for us all. just a quick question i would like to add, can I fit LED indicator bulbs to my vehicle that are brighter than normal?

I always thought you had to turn off underglow when you go on the road, interesting to know, love these videos always learning from them and much more clearer then written rules ect. Keep up the good videos :)

I've had under car leds on whilst driving, always kept on solid colour and not flashing, never had issue with police. So long as as its used sensibly.

great video guys

Great video, is it possible to fit front fog lamps to a 2010 mk2.5 focus which have the plastic covers fitted ?

Another great video

Problem with HID upgrade bulbs, the focal point doesn't match the original bulbs, so don't match reflectors causing glare.

I always thought having underglow using white for front amber for sides and red for rear would be a benefit for road use to increase visibility & this safety (other colours for shows if you like)

Hi, love your videos and think that it is a great way to get the public on side and give them a source of information they can trust. There is one point that was confusing. You said no red to the front, that bit is clear. But then you said only white or Amber to the front. But then added you can have static blue or green. My understanding was under the Road vehicle lighting regulations 1989 that any optional lights fitted to the front would likely be deemed optional position lamps or headlights and therefore have to meet specific colour requirements, being white or if in a headlamp capable of displaying only yellow, then yellow. This would mean that although blue and green are not defined as a prohibited light colour like red, they are not permitted under the regulations either. The RVLR also states that a vehicle cannot be fitted with a blue light that resembles a warning beacon whether in working order or not, which is something people should take into account when fitting the lights even for show purposes. Obviously most officers would deal with the matter in context of the situation. (A warning beacon would also be not less than 1200mm from the floor so probably not relevant for most optional lamps fitted to cars.)

So, I could do solid blue all round as long as it doesn’t flash? Or you can do white at the front and sides, but not the back.

Just commenting on a random video hope u see, did u ever do a video on the foot well blue light u have or what did u do for these, just got a focus st3 mk2 but driving on a night I need them lights

With regards to amber strobe lights, my van came with them when I brought it and I’ve never had any issues with them with regards to the police or mot or anything. There’s a switch in the cab but I’ve never used them and they’ll be a pain to unwire I imagine.

Top man 🙌🏽

Hi mate, can I ask whether pace car indicators are legal? Eg on Golfs or Audis

great vid. spotlights

I remember about 20yrs ago, getting pulled for red illuminated washer jets 😂

Beats me how some cars get their lights type approved, particularly Audi LED indicators, which are close to invisible if the brake lights are on.

The MOT Tester Manual sometimes gets into conflict with the category of defects manual (VOSA) or now VDSA

Thanks for this interesting video however, since the front lights of my 2007 vehicle are totally inadequate for night road use nowadays, especially with these new HID & Laser headlamps of oncoming more recent cars ! . . . So ? How do I fix the problem legitimately when I cannot even upgrade to a different and more reliable type of bulb?

George didn’t listen to him at all 😂😂

Steven Westhead you beat me to it!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Great video. But i see some lorry on the road street with the underglow neon and the color it s green and blue. It s not flashing. If I put the underglow neon on my car and I drive with the blue or red on the road can I have problem with the law?

So for the Neons underglow, it seems that if the LED around the front is showing white and the transition to the back showing red, then it should be ok ? since from the back u only see the red and front only see the white ?

The Focus MK3 is gorgeous!

Is it ok to have amber running lights at the front. For example having indicators always on as running lights?

George... What about the Euro reverse light mod in place of the red fog light..? (so from a symmetrical point of view you have two white lenses on the rear instead of a white one on the N/S and a red one on the O/S.) As long as it lights up red its OK right?

In regards to the third brake light, I drive a low car 124 spider, can I add a flasher module to it for better visibility/safety when braking, ie it flashes 3 or 4 times before staying lit under braking?

Nice dude 👌

Will the MOT test the capability of the driver to know how to use an indicator (audi) and the fact if you do actually indicate its not a god given right to move in that direction instantly in front of traffic.

Did I miss the part about front fog lights? Or was it not mentioned in the video? Are the colours for front fog yellow/white only?? Thanks.

Hey, i live in exmouth… where do you get most of your mods from? And body work done?

True content love it

Can u fit an addition DTR lights ?

So white underglow on the front, red underglow on the back and orange underglow on the sides. Years ago I used red underglow indirect lights to make the tyres and road red. I'd have thought this would be a good thing.

Can you confirm wether infinity mirror tail lights are legal or not as i want to make some for my fiesta

Great video, really interesting to have definitive information on what I can do to my car. If my car is fitted with halogen DRL lights, can I legally change them to white LED’s? Cheers

Very interesting

What about adding extra driving (spot) lights and LED light bars? E markings and how bright they can be (100w bulbs, HIDs and LEDs etc).

What about led sequential in the wing mirrors?

So can I use blue LED sidelight bulbs i ordered some thinking they were a white light

does this relate to motorbike as well i wanna tint my lights on my bike

I’ve got led strip lights inside my Vauxhall mareva design automatic and manual in the foot wells

so, if i wanted my underglow purple, i could have my purple underglow turned on while im driving around?

Do the DVLA have a problem with infinity lights found on the rear?

Hey I purchased two pairs of led low beam lights. 1. Watt 60w (30w/ bulb) & Lumens 6000LM 2. Watt 50w (25w/ bulb) & Lumens 5000LM I obviously want high visibility but dont want to blind on coming drivers - what do you suggest?

I’m that rare, circumstance specific case that makes a good moot point. As a First Aider of many years, & general kindly type, I’ll stop to assist at RTCs & breakdowns in awkward places. May I use amber beacons in those cases, to ensure greater safety?

Thanks good information

Can you have a white light on back of a work van if they are on a separate switch in the back of the van for work purposes

Can the rear of a car have obligatory led lights to the right drivers side and bulb lights to the passenger side rear, so the cluster looks different on either side.

would a combination of a higher intensity bulb (mines a black 07 c230 coupe with standard bulbs) and a smoke tint work? i was thinking of tinting the lights and compensating with a higher intensity bulb, not necessarily hid or led any suggestions would be appreciated

What about additional mounted lighting, most commonly seen on camper, work or other vehicals

Would love an update on this , so if there's any news on the outcome please tell. We want a fencing ripping out party 🥳

Donde puedo encontrar el difusor de paragolpes trasero?

Does this mean that custom tail lights are de facto not allowed? What is the process to get your type of light approved specifically? Who would I contact to have them tested? I don't see anything in the lighting regs that would prohibit them, and they would pass an MOT as far as I know.

So if my car is factory fitted with halogen bulbs I can’t put LED bulbs in the car? Because at night where I live there’s a lot of back roads and I find it hard to see with halogen bulbs I’d much prefer the bright led lights they are much more clear and help a lot more

Can I fit blue LED lights in the grill IF they are not flashing ie on only ??

My car doesn't have drls but has the imprint for where they can go on the more expensive models can I drill them holes out and put purple led lights in them (for off road use like car meets and shows)

Whats the deal with flashing reds at the rear. Are only emergency services allowed to use them when stopped? If thats the case how come some recovery and highways use them?

So can I wrap my headlights yellow like the old school euro cars and GT cars use today? They help in bad weather at night

So you can drive with underglow on but only a solid colour and no red or white right. Can you run a solid blue or green?

What if u put autobeam leds in a headlight from say a mk6 fiesta or a focus which is t designed for them but they have correct beam pattern. Is that still legal? Also the blue or green lights that don’t flash is that for foglights or can that be the sidelights aswell and what about purple

What kit did you use for the underglow where you control with your phone?

would halos around headlights be allowed?, This also covered cars, is this the same with Motorbikes?

I wonder what the laws are for me having coloured neon underglow on my motorbike. Having been knocked off at night I'd love other lights on the side of the bike fairings around the engine holes I'd point out my van has added lights up the side and a light bar on the front. It also has lights used for lighting at the rear for unloading. If I can run with orange lights up the side of the van why not my car or bike?

The high-level third brake light will indeed fail an MoT if there is insufficient light but if it doesn't work at all it is not tested and so will not fail the test, therefore, having it fitted does not mean it has to work. The MoT inspector has to assume it has been disconnected or switched off.

So I have a light that has a purple halo made and E8 approved. Am I legally okay to have that ?

Side lights? What colour do they have to be as one time I put pink lights in but then took them out

Nice vid but have you seen some rear clusters on new cars? They cannot be type approved. A bit of sun and you cannot see the indicators, or differentiate between rear lights and brake lights.

I have an ice blue under hood light, it is static not flashing,is it legal?

Can you add a 3" strip of yellow reflective tape to the rear of the car?

could I add amber side marker LEDs to my defender? also wondered about fitting those to a trailer. The other thing is reversing lamps. the one on my 90 is woefully dim, could i fit some worklamps to the rear, wired up to illuminate when i put it in in reverse, with a switch for using as work lamps, of course. and of course, could i fit additional reversing lamps to a trailer?

Is legal to have indicators on when you put sidelights on like you see with vw and BMWs?

you said its not ok to replace the bulbs with leds in the original housing would that make it ok if you got a housing designed for leds?

Not sure if this question has been asked, can you use chameleon head light tint?

I don't feel enough info was covered about amber beacons. I have a standard mk3 Focus hatchback but have used it to herd livestock up the road as well as 'escort' some agricultural vehicles that were very large for the road, no legal requirement for an escort vehicle but was on very narrow roads where advanced warning creates a safer situation for everyone. Amber beacons/roof bar would be very beneficial for advanced warning for other road users that there's something they need to slow down/stop for, but is my car being a privately owned standard car (not a commercial version (the 'vans' that are a standard hatch/estate just without rear seats or rear windows) or a company vehicle like a road maintenance survey vehicle or convoy vehicle for roadworks areas) ruled out for that reason or would an amber roof bar and flashing amber LEDs in the grill and rear window be OK?

so i can have solid blue underglow on each side as long as its not flashing?

Front fog lights yellow color are legal as well. I like led lights but problem with some of them is visibility on angles. To stay behind vehicle every light is very bright. But indicator led light in crocc roads very often are hopeless on visibility way from angle view.