Window Tint Laws in Victoria (2026)

Victoria’s rules are set out on the Transport Victoria window tinting page and in Vehicle Standards Information 2 (VSI 2), “Window tinting and films”, a guideline dated October 2021. The law is clause 44 of Schedule 1 to the Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021. The pages have moved from VicRoads to Transport Victoria and the Department of Transport and Planning, but we found no change to the rules.

Victorian tint limits at a glance

VLT is the share of light that gets through the window, so the lower the number, the darker the glass. The limit applies to the finished window: VSI 2 says film may be fitted behind the driver “provided that the resulting VLT is 20% or more”.

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The windscreen band

Transport Victoria’s page says: “Windscreens may have a tinted band of less than 70 percent VLT above the wiper arc area or the top 10% of the windscreen, whichever is greater. However, the tinted band must not cover any sensors or cameras mounted inside.” Below that band, the windscreen must let through at least 70% of light under clause 44.

VSI 2 adds that windscreens on vehicles “manufactured before July 1971 must transmit at least 70% of visible light”, and that all other vehicles must comply with Australian Design Rule 8. ADR 8/01, the current version, requires at least 70% in the primary vision area for passenger cars built from 1 January 1994.

Reflective film

“The reflectance of any window fitted with film must not be more than 10 percent. This is the equivalent reflectance of untreated glass.” Victoria also treats perforated signs and vehicle wraps on windows like film: “The requirements for perforated signs and vehicle wraps are the same as the requirements for tinted films.”

Mirrors decide the rear limit

The 20% limit behind the driver depends on mirrors. The page says: “If a car has a rear vision mirror fitted to each side, windows located behind the driver’s seating position may have tinting provided that the VLT is 20% or more.” Its diagram labels the rear glass “Minimum 20% VLT if at least one rear vision mirror is fitted to each side of the vehicle.”

Clause 44 says the same thing in legal terms: “If a motor vehicle is fitted with at least one 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%.”

Goods vehicles, special vehicles and privacy glass

Buses and goods vehicles

Transport Victoria’s page says: “For buses and vehicles designed for the carriage of goods, there are no minimum VLT requirements for windows located behind the driver’s seating position.” The goods-vehicle diagram adds the mirror condition: “No minimum VLT if at least one rear vision mirror is fitted to each side of the vehicle.”

Special-purpose vehicles

The page says the “Department of Transport and Planning may grant certain exemptions for vehicles constructed for a special purpose.”

Factory privacy glass

Victoria is strict about factory-tinted glass: “If a factory-tinted window has a VLT less than the requirements, then you may not apply any film to the window. This prohibition includes ‘clear’ films.”

Medical exemptions

The Transport Victoria page and VSI 2 don’t describe a medical exemption process. The only exemption process they mention is for vehicles built for a special purpose. That doesn’t prove none exists, so if a customer has a medical reason for darker film, ask the Department of Transport and Planning in writing before you fit it.

Penalties and how tint is checked

Neither the page nor VSI 2 gives a fine or demerit points for illegal tint. VSI 2 says a vehicle with film “not in accordance with the requirements set out in this information sheet is non-compliant”. VSI 2 calls itself a published guideline “for the purposes of Regulation 35”, the regulation on modified vehicles. The Regulations themselves make it an offence to use a vehicle on a highway that “does not comply with any standard for registration”, which includes the tint rules in clause 44, with a maximum penalty of 20 penalty units (regulation 294).

How Victoria compares

Victoria follows the national default of 35% at the front and 20% behind the driver with a mirror on each side, the same as NSW, Queensland, WA, South Australia 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

• Transport Victoria, Window tinting
• Vehicle Standards Information 2, Window tinting and films (October 2021)
• Road Safety (Vehicles) Regulations 2021, regulation 294 and Schedule 1, clause 44
• Australian Design Rule 8/01, Safety Glazing Material

Other states

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