Window Tint Laws in South Australia (2026)

South Australia’s rules are in rule 44 of the Road Traffic (Light Vehicle Standards) Rules 2018. The Department for Infrastructure and Transport summarises them on the sa.gov.au window tinting page, last updated 26 May 2025. The page and the Rules differ in three places: the windscreen figure, the windscreen band (the page adds the manufacturer’s masked area) and the mirror condition. Where they differ, the Rules are the law, so that’s what we follow below.

SA tint limits at a glance

Light transmittance is the share of light that gets through the glass and any film together. The lower the number, the darker the window.

On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.

The page puts the front rule this way: “The driver and front passenger windows or interior partition of a motor vehicle must have a luminous transmittance of at least 70% and may be coated to achieve a luminous transmittance of not less than 35%.” For the rear it says “The windows or interior partition behind the driver’s seat may be coated to achieve a luminous transmittance of not less than 20%.”

The windscreen band

South Australia’s Light Vehicle Standards Rules set the windscreen minimum at 70%. The sa.gov.au tinting page still says 75% for cars built after 1971, which is wording from the older national rules. Either way, film can’t go on the windscreen below the top band. Nationally, ADR 8/01 requires at least 70% in the primary vision area for passenger cars built from 1 January 1994.

The page says “The windscreen must not be coated” except for the greater of the upper 10% of the windscreen, or as originally “masked” by the vehicle manufacturer, and the area above the highest point the wipers sweep. The Rules list only the upper 10% and the area above the wiper sweep, so the factory-mask option comes from the page. The page adds: “Ensure that a tinted band applied does not obscure any original equipment sensors or cameras mounted to the inside of the windscreen.”

Reflective film and the brake light

“Any window that has been coated to reduce its luminous transmittance must not have a reflectance value of more than 10%. It must not be reflective or mirror-like as it could dazzle other drivers”.

Mirrors decide the rear limit

South Australia allows 20% on windows behind the driver only if the car has a rear-vision mirror on each side. Rule 44(6A) says: “If a motor vehicle is fitted with at least 1 rear vision mirror to each side of the vehicle, the motor vehicle’s rear glazing may be coated to achieve a luminous transmittance of at least 20%.” The sa.gov.au page doesn’t mention the mirror condition, but the Rules do.

Goods vehicles, converted vans and privacy glass

Goods vehicles

“For vehicles designed primarily for the carriage of goods – eg panel vans, single cab utes, and fitted with at least 1 rear vision mirror on each side, windows behind the driver’s seat may be coated to achieve a luminous transmittance of 0%.”

Converted vans

Adding seats to a goods van changes the answer. The page limits a goods van with seats added to 20%, but it stays a goods vehicle if “more than 60% of the original load-carrying space is still available”. It works the other way too: “if seats are removed from a passenger vehicle to make it a goods vehicle, windows can be coated to a luminous transmittance of 0%”.

Factory privacy glass

“The windows behind the driver’s seat can be privacy glass with a luminous transmittance below 20%. Such windows must be part of the vehicle when supplied by the vehicle manufacturer. It must not be coated in a way that reduces its luminous transmittance.”

Medical exemptions

The sa.gov.au page doesn’t describe a medical exemption process. That doesn’t prove none exists, so if a customer has a medical reason for darker film, ask the Department for Infrastructure and Transport in writing before you fit it.

Penalties

The page gives no fine or demerit points for illegal tint. It says only that “Vehicles that do not comply with the standards place the driver, owner and operator at risk of committing an offence.” The Rules note that those offences arise under sections 117 and 118 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. The Rules themselves don’t state a penalty. The Act sets a maximum penalty of $2,500 for driving (section 117) or operating (section 118) a vehicle that doesn’t comply with the Rules, in the version current at 1 January 2026; any on-the-spot amount is set separately and we don’t quote one.

How South Australia compares

South Australia’s Rules follow the national default of 35% at the front and 20% behind the driver with a mirror on each side, the same as NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA and Tasmania. The NT allows 15% behind the driver. In the ACT, Access Canberra’s page says 20%, but the regulation itself still says 35%. Our window tint laws by state guide compares all eight jurisdictions, and our guide on how to tint car windows covers the job itself.

Sources

• sa.gov.au, Window tinting (updated 26 May 2025)
• Road Traffic (Light Vehicle Standards) Rules 2018, rule 44
• Road Traffic Act 1961, sections 117 and 118
• Australian Design Rule 8/01, Safety Glazing Material

Other states

• Window tint laws in New South Wales
• Window tint laws in Victoria
• Window tint laws in Queensland
• Window tint laws in Western Australia
• Window tint laws in Tasmania