News

The benefit of using LED bulbs to replace traditional filament bulbs is that they give a better light and use less power than the conventional bulbs they replace. They also last longer. A recent article in Classics Monthly has hinted that the use of such bulbs may not be legal if they do not carry an e/E mark to show they have been type approved. The paragraph that follows is an updated summary of an article that appeared in FBHVC’s newsletter in April 2005.

Regulations normally require that replacement vehicle parts be type approved (e/E-marked), but this does not apply to those vehicles that were in use before the relevant European regulations were in existence. Research into the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations (1989), its schedules and six subsequent amendments reveals that the regulations for each type of lamp assembly (including bulbs) differ. For vehicles first used prior to 1972, no lamps need to be e-marked. For vehicles made between 1972 and 1974, the front lamps have to be e-marked while for those made between 1974 and 1986, the indicators do not have to be e-marked, but most other lamps do. Where lamps are not required to be e-marked, the normal requirement in respect of power is simply that the lights should be visible from a reasonable distance and angle, but in the case of stop lamps, a power range of between 15 and 36 watts is specified, so replacing a 21 watt stop lamp bulb with a 2.5 watt LED bulb would (theoretically) be illegal even though the light emitted may be clearer. But who is going to know?