Driving lights and light bars can be fitted to a light vehicle in NSW, but the number of lamps, their colour, how they are mounted, how they are switched and when they are used all matter.
This guide summarises Transport for NSW Vehicle Standards Information 64 (VSI 64), which covers aftermarket forward-facing lamps on light vehicles with a GVM of 4.5 tonnes or less. It is general information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on the vehicle and the work, and guidance can change, so check the current Transport for NSW information before fitting or using lamps. Heavy vehicles are covered by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
How many driving lights can you have?
VSI 64 allows a maximum of four driving lamps, and a light bar counts as a driving lamp. Two spotlights plus a light bar is three lamps. Four spotlights plus a light bar is five, which is over the limit.
When lamps are fitted in pairs, they must be fitted symmetrically and at the same height. A single lamp or light bar must be fitted on the vehicle’s centreline.
Where can they be mounted?
Driving lamps are fitted at the front of the vehicle. VSI 64 does not specify a mounting height, so a lamp is not ruled out just because it sits below the headlamps. The requirement is that the light must not reflect off any of the vehicle’s surfaces into the driver’s eyes.
VSI 64 notes that no regulation currently prohibits roof-mounted driving lamps, but Transport for NSW does not recommend them, because elevated lamps greatly increase the likelihood of dazzling other road users and can reflect off the bonnet or the rear of a bull bar.
How they must be switched
VSI 64 requires driving lamps to turn off automatically when the high-beam headlamps are switched off, and to be able to be switched off while high beam is on. In practice, the lamps should only be able to operate with high beam, and the driver needs a way to turn them off without dropping high beam.
A switch wired to a permanent supply, so the lamps can run without high beam, does not meet that requirement. A common approach is a relay triggered from the high-beam circuit, with a switch in the trigger line and the lamps powered through their own fused supply. The right method depends on the vehicle, and some newer vehicles control high beam electronically and may need a vehicle-specific interface.
Colour and when you can use them
Driving lamps must emit white light.
Under VSI 64 it is an offence to use driving lamps where they will, or are likely to, dazzle another road user; in areas where street lighting is present; within 200 metres when travelling behind another vehicle; or within 200 metres of an oncoming vehicle or when an approaching vehicle is visible to the driver, whichever is farther away. These conditions apply however the lamps are fitted.
What about LED globes in factory headlights?
This is a separate question from driving lamps. VSI 64 permits retrofitted LED globes that are designed as a direct replacement for the original globe, but they must meet the same requirements as the original lamps, including ADR 51/00. Before buying, check that the packaging clearly states the product is suitable for road use and complies with the relevant ADR requirements.
Fit matters as well. A headlamp reflector or projector is designed around a particular light source, and a replacement globe can change where the light goes. Checking the beam pattern and cut-off against a wall is a useful practical check for aim and glare, but it does not on its own show that a globe is legal for road use.
Having driving lights fitted
Wired Right fits driving lights and light bars with reference to VSI 64 and the vehicle’s existing wiring. We will confirm the proposed installation scope, including the lamps, mounting position and switching, before work is authorised. If you are unsure whether an existing setup meets the current requirements, check the Transport for NSW guidance or contact us to discuss it.