Helping you to be safe and be seen

Daytime running lights (DRLs) are designed to make your vehicle more visible in bright, daytime conditions. They should come on automatically when you start your engine.

• Bright enough to be seen clearly in daylight, DRLs are too bright to be used at night when they would cause dazzle
• They go off automatically when you switch your headlights on
• They don't have to be separate lights and are sometimes combined with the front position lamps (side lights). If this is the case, the DRLs dim when the headlights are turned on
• If your daytime running lights are very close to your indicators, the DRL will turn off while the adjacent indicator flashes
• Performance requirements for DRL are defined in UN ECE Regulation 87
• Operating requirements are defined in UN ECE Regulation 48

Fitting DRL yourself

Thanks to European regulations, they’ve been fitted to most new cars and vans since 2011, and new trucks and buses since August 2012, but EU regulation applies to new cars only.

There’s no requirement to retrofit daytime running lights, but kits are available if you wish to do so. Look for an approval mark on the lamp which includes the letters 'RL'.

If you’re fitting daytime running lights they should be installed so that they come on with the engine and go off when headlights are turned on.