Overview
- The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency updated MOT guidance that took effect on 14 October 2026, instructing testers to accept ECE‑approved LED replacement (LEDr) bulbs when fitted into compatible halogen headlamp units.
- The rule covers Class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicles and explicitly excludes Class 1 and 2 motorcycles, halogen units converted to HID, and full factory LED headlamp unit replacements.
- Approved LEDr products must carry a permanent security sticker fixed to the vehicle that lists category, variant, rated voltage, ECE approval number, manufacturer name and a security feature such as a hologram.
- MOT testers are required only to check that the sticker is present and readable and may record a major defect as “light source and lamp not compatible” if the sticker is missing, tampered with, unreadable or does not match the bulb.
- The change follows roughly two years of work between lighting makers, the DVSA and the Department for Transport and aims to reduce test inconsistency, reshape the aftermarket bulb market and make enforcement depend on physical sticker verification rather than tester checks of approval records.