Drivers Face £1,000 Fine for Dazzling Lights

The DVSA has begun a crackdown on drivers using overly bright and illegal retrofitted LED headlights, following growing concern about motorists being “dazzled” by oncoming vehicles.

A government-backed study published on 5 November confirmed that intense headlights pose a real problem for road users. This comes after several reports highlighting that more and more drivers are worried about glare from oncoming traffic.

Research from October revealed that 75% of people afraid to drive at night blamed dazzling headlights from other cars. The government also noted an increase in drivers illegally installing high-intensity LED bulbs in headlights designed for halogen lights.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said it has increased monitoring to stop the sale of illegal retrofit headlamp bulbs for road use. Although selling LED retrofit kits is not illegal, the DVSA is targeting misleading marketing phrases like “road legal” or “MOT proof.” The agency plans to work with sellers to remove non-compliant ads or make warnings clearer.

Authorities have also announced further research on the issue as part of the first road safety strategy in over a decade.

Is changing headlamps illegal?

Usually not. Replacing a broken halogen bulb is required by law to maintain functional headlights. Many modern cars now use long-lasting LED headlights, which must be replaced as a full unit when they fail. However, converting halogen headlights to LED is considered an illegal vehicle modification.

Experts from Powerbulbs explain that this is because halogen headlights are designed with specific reflectors to manage glare. Installing LEDs in these housings can make the light beam excessively bright and unfocused, increasing danger to others on the road.

According to the Highway Code, drivers “must not use lights in a way that dazzles or causes discomfort to others.” It also requires the use of dipped headlights in poor visibility or at night in urban areas to ensure visibility without causing glare.

Although LED retrofit kits are widely available online, fitting them to your car is illegal—and that’s the area the DVSA is now investigating.

Penalties for illegal headlamps

Drivers caught using illegal headlights can be fined up to £1,000, and their car will automatically fail its MOT test.

Are headlights becoming brighter?

The RAC says modern headlights seem brighter because of technologies like LED and bi-xenon bulbs, which create stronger beams for better visibility but can be blinding for others. Poor headlight alignment and the rise of SUVs—with higher-positioned headlights—also contribute to glare.

The recent government study, which involved more than 50 hours of nighttime driving tests, confirmed that glare from modern headlights is a real problem. It found higher glare levels when vehicles were travelling uphill or around right-hand bends, as drivers’ eyes were more exposed to headlamp beams.

An RAC survey of 1,850 drivers found that one-third have reduced or stopped night driving because of bright headlights, and another 22% said they’d like to avoid night driving if they could.

Data from the Department for Transport shows that since 2013, an average of 280 crashes per year have involved dazzling headlights as a factor—six of them fatal.