PROPERLY-ENGINEERED LED CONVERSIONS WON'T FAIL A CLASSIC MOT TEST

There has been even more debate and confusion than usual recently about the use of LED bulbs in classics, fuelled by changes to the MoT that became effective in February. These saw the automatic MoT failure of a car with HID headlamp conversions that had been brought in during 2018 being expanded to also include any LED headlamp conversion of an original halogen unit.

However, on Thursday 18th March the government made a U-turn so that with effect from 22nd March, any car first used before 1st April 1986 is not now to be automatically failed if it has an LED or HID headlamp conversion, so long as the lamps meet all the practical aspects of the MoT test of beam alignment, matched pair and no dazzle etc. As former policeman Roger Parker told us: 'The Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations of 1989 have always stated that headlamps on vehicles first used before 1st April 1986 do not have to have an approval mark, and finally this latest ruling creates the sensible approach for pre-1st April 1986 cars to be able to pass an MoT as long as they comply in all functional tests. It also gives an official blessing to the use of effective, quality, well- controlled HID and LED conversions that can significantly improve classics cars' headlamp performance, and also make them more visible to other road users, so enhancing their safety.'

This view was echoed by LED lighting specialists. Duncan Rickards of www. classiccarleds.co.uk told Classics Monthly: 'This is great news for customers purchasing products that produce MoTcompliant beams. The changes made to the MoT regulations with effect from Monday 22nd March to allow LED conversions that meet the beam pattern test for halogen headlamps for Class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicles with halogen headlamp units first used before 1 April 1986 and all Class 1 and 2 motorcycles are a very welcome step forward in making our classic vehicles more useable and therefore safer on the roads. What it also does is weed out the poorer performing products that are flooding the market which will not pass this test and therefore are likely to give glare to other road users.

'Classic vehicle lighting was never the best, and competing with modern vehicle light outputs is a struggle. We hope that customers will now be able to upgrade in the knowledge that they can meet the MoT guidelines and have safer and more comfortable enjoyment of their vehicles. However, owners should note that these changes to the law do not remove the requirement for owners of such cars to inform their insurers of the modification.'