Before you even think about modifying your car you should check
that your modifications will be legal. Car modification laws in the
UK regularly update and you don’t want to end up paying out to
end up with a modified car that is illegal.
The following information has been checked for validity,
and it is/was correct at the time of posting.
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What isn’t legal:
Exhausts
Large or big bore exhausts are illegal to use on public roads.
Even if the vehicle passed its MOT this isn’t sufficient.
Big bore and sports exhaust systems are fitted to increase the
sound, but this actually contravenes the Type Approval of the
car and this is an offence.
A police opinion that the system isn’t standard and noisier than
a non modified vehicle of the same spec is enough to get you
into trouble !
Tinted windows
Tinted windows are also a danger zone.
The law requires that there must be a minimum of 75% light through
the front windscreen and 70% of light (min) through the front side
windows. Contravening this will get you a £50 non endorsable Fixed
Penalty Notice. A device is used to check the ratio of tint and can
incur a £30 Fixed Penalty Notice. Rear door windows and the rear
window aren’t included so you can tint heavily here.
Lights (in general)
The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (1989) state:
“except for emergency vehicles it is an offence to fit a blue
warning beacon or special warning lamp or device resembling
such whether working or not”.
Green lights can only be fitted on Medical Practitioners’ cars.
It is illegal to have a red light to the front of a vehicle or to have
a white light to the rear unless reversing.
This includes neon or LED lights fitted under or on the side of
vehicles emitting a blue light.
Fog lights, front and rear
It is an offence to use fitted front and rear fog lights unless
visibility is extremely poor, in conditions such as driving rain, fog
or snow and visibility is less than 100 metres.
Again, this incurs a £50 non endorsable Fixed Penalty Notice.
Windscreen washer lights
LED lights fitted to windscreen washer jets are generally not permitted,
especially if they are any other colour than white or yellow.
Under car lighting
Undercar lighting, particularly neon is a bit of a tricky area.
Red, green and blue are not allowed.
It is illegal if you can see the actual tubes, the 'flow' from the
lights is considered to be OK. However, and here is where it
gets tricky – the lights cannot be a distraction to you or other
drivers, so the glow may be considered to be a distracting.
The police can ask you to turn them off on these grounds.
So it is a good idea to have a control switch to put them on
and off and use them with great caution.
Note: With regard to lights which are not permitted, it makes no
difference whether the light is fitted to the inside or the
outside of the vehicle, if the light can be seen from the
outside. This includes neon lights fitted under or to the
side of the vehicle.
Basically, if you follow the rules set out in The Road Vehicles
Lighting Regulations 1989, you should not get into trouble.
Number plates
Number plates can also be a bit of a minefield; you cannot
misrepresent the characters in any way, shape or form.
So be careful where you place screw covers so they don’t cover
characters. Italic, bold and shadow fonts are all illegal.
Furthermore the plate must be white reflective to the front
and yellow reflective to the rear and the characters must be
in black. There are very few exceptions to this.
You can get into deep trouble over number plates as fines
can be £100 and the DVLA can remove the number plate from
the vehicle as they still own all plates.
Fitting stretched tyres
Fitting stretched tyres is becoming more popular and is illegal
since it can affect the handling of the vehicle and contravenes
the vehicle’s Type Approval. Three penalty points on your licence,
£100 fine or even court are possible if you get prosecuted under
Sec 40A of the Road Traffic Act (1988) for fitting stretch tyres.
Interpretation of the Law....
In some cases it is how the Law is interpretted that can be the
deciding factor on what is/isn't legal.
However.....if 'PC Plod' issues you with a ticket based on his
interpretation of the Law then either get yourself a very good
(but expensive) solicitor, or be prepared to accept the fact that
the Court will favour his interpretation over yours.
And a friendly word of advice when dealing with the Police.....
If you are pulled up by 'the people in blue' for anything, then
you would be wise to be courteous, and never ever argue with them.
After hearing what they have to say you can try to explain your
'understanding' of the regulations, but never argue with them.
If anything, say that you can see their viewpoint and that you will
take action to rectify/correct/remove/whatever it is that they have
drawn your attention immediately (or as soon as it is possible)
with the hope that they will possibly let you off with a warning
rather than a Fixed Penalty Fine, or a ticket for a visit to Court.
What’s legal:
You can fit a F1 style race steering wheel for faster and a more
direct steering feel. Filters, turbo conversions, and steel CAT back
exhausts are allowed to tune up your car, but the car must pass
MOT emission tests. Seat's can be converted into bucket race
seat types. Suspension can be lowered to get a more sporty
look but don’t cut the standard springs. Alloy wheels can get
bigger and wider, but don’t let the rims get too big or rub and
catch the wheel arches.
Before you embark on any modifications it is recommended that you
follow this two step process:
Step 1:
Check that the modifications are acceptable under the Road Traffic Act.
Ensure that the mechanic carrying out the modifications is fully trained
in modifications for that particular make and model.
Step 2:
Inform your insurance company as failure to do so could harm any
future claim you make or completely invalidate your policy.
Most insurers don’t like modified cars and will increase your premiums
or even refuse cover, even if the changes are quite minor.
Be prepared to shop around and look for specialist insurers.
