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A dark or iridium visor looks great and cuts the glare of a low winter sun. But can you use one on UK roads? It depends on which visor and when you use it.
What the rules say
Under the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) Regulations 1999, a visor or goggles can only be used on the road if they are an approved type: BS 4110 (with a certification mark such as the Kitemark), an equivalent EEA standard, or UNECE Regulation 22 approval. The Highway Code repeats that eye protectors MUST comply with the regulations, and advises against tinted eye protection in poor light.
The approved standards set how much light a visor must let through:
| Light transmission | What it means |
|---|---|
| 80 % or more | Clear visor: fine day and night |
| 50 % to 80 % | Light tint: daytime only, and marked as such |
| Below 50 % | Not legal for road use in the UK |
The 50 % floor comes from BS 4110, the standard behind the UK regulations. Most dark smoke, iridium, mirrored and chrome visors let through less than that, so in practice they are not road legal in the UK, day or night, whatever the packaging says. (ECE 22.06 allows tints down to 35 % for daytime use, but for UK roads, 50 % is the safe line.)
So, is my tinted visor legal?
- Light-tint approved visor (50 % or more), in daylight: yes. Look for the approval marks and the daytime-use marking on the visor.
- The same visor at night, at dusk or in poor visibility: no. Police can check the tint, and you are riding with reduced vision exactly when you need it most.
- Dark smoke, iridium or mirrored visors: almost always below 50 %, so not for UK roads, even in bright sun.
- Tint films stuck on the visor: they alter an approved visor. Avoid them.
Photochromic visors
They darken in sunlight and clear in low light. Very handy, but they take a few seconds to clear: riding into a tunnel or under trees you may have a moment of poor vision. Check that the one you buy is approved for your helmet.
The legal alternative: an internal sun visor
If you just want to stop the glare, the easiest answer is a helmet with an internal drop-down sun visor: a clear main visor at all times plus a tinted visor you flick down in the sun and up in the shade. Legal at any time of day, and no swapping visors.
Tips if you ride with a tinted visor
- Carry your clear visor if there is any chance you will ride home after dark.
- Buy visors from your helmet’s maker, for your exact model.
- Keep it clean and scratch-free. See how to clean a helmet and visor.
More on UK helmet rules in is my motorcycle helmet legal in the UK?
