Québec requires the front side windows to transmit at least 70% of light when tested with a photometer. That means checking the finished window, including its existing tint and any added film. The SAAQ's tinted-window guidance warns that original glass already reduces light transmission and that owners remain responsible for tint on a used vehicle.
This guide covers ordinary passenger cars. It does not assess motorcycles, school buses, other specialized vehicles, or vehicles using a special authorization for camera-based mirrors.
Windshield and front side windows
Section 64 of the Regulation respecting safety standards for road vehicles prohibits added darkening or opaque material on the windshield, with an exception for a strip no wider than 15 cm at its top. The same section sets the 70% photometric requirement for windows on each side of the driver's compartment. Section 63 prohibits applying mirror-like material to any window.
The windshield-strip exception is not permission to darken the whole windshield. This guide does not decide whether a particular clear windshield film is acceptable. Do not use a film's advertised percentage, a photograph, or a claim that it is nearly invisible as a substitute for checking the actual installation.
Rear windows and visibility
The SAAQ distinguishes rear side windows and the rear window from its front-window percentage and windshield rules. This does not make all rear-window treatments acceptable. Mirror-like material remains prohibited, and the regulation addresses rear-window obstructions and condition that reduce the driver's view.
Highway Safety Code sections 265–266 also protect visibility. For an ordinary car using conventional mirrors, section 262 requires an interior mirror and an exterior left mirror; when the interior mirror cannot be used, an exterior right mirror is required. Special camera-and-monitor authorizations are outside this guide.
Before installing film or buying a tinted car
- Identify every pane being treated; separate front side windows from rear side windows and back glass.
- Have the front side windows checked with a photometer, accounting for factory tint and existing film.
- Confirm the proposed windshield strip's width and position.
- Check mirror-like appearance, visibility and the rear-view arrangement, not just a percentage.
- If you receive an inspection notice, follow its instructions and use the SAAQ's inspection information.
No universal measurement tolerance, inspection-pass guarantee, medical exemption or visiting-driver exemption is supplied here.
Sources checked October 17, 2026. The regulation's HTML consolidation was current to June 1, 2026; the Highway Safety Code HTML to August 12, 2026. The SAAQ page displays May 27, 2022 as its last update. These are source dates, not dates on which all the tint rules took effect.