LED Light Bars: Are They Road Legal in New Zealand? E-Marks, the WoF and Tractors

LED light bars can be fitted to a vehicle in New Zealand, but on a public road a light bar falls under the same general lighting rules as any other lamp: it must show a permitted colour, it must not dazzle, it must not confuse other traffic, and work lamps must be switched off before you go on the road. Most light bars are sold as work lamps, so for most bars that means off whenever you are driving on a public road.

New Zealand does not have a separate rule just for roof-mounted LED light bars. The rules come from the Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Lighting 2004 and from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) guidance, including the Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual used for the WoF and CoF. This guide explains how those rules apply to a light bar, which approval marks to look for, how a driving lamp should be wired, why covering an off-road bar makes sense, how the WoF treats lighting changes, and how it all applies to tractors.

Are light bars legal in New Zealand? The short answer

• Fitting a light bar is not banned, as long as it is securely mounted and fitted as the rules require. Fitting optional lighting is controlled by the lighting rule, so take professional advice and tell your insurer before you fit extras.
• Using it as a driving lamp on the road is only sensible if it meets a recognised standard for a driving beam function, is wired to switch off when the headlamps are dipped, and does not dazzle.
• Using a work-lamp light bar on the road is not allowed. Work lamps are for use off the road and must be switched off before using the public road.
• Covering an unapproved bar with an opaque cover is the clearest way to show it is not in use.
• Dazzle is not allowed with any lamp, approved or not.

How New Zealand law sees a light bar

New Zealand lighting law has no category called “light bar”. What matters is what the lamp is being used for, and whether it breaks one of the general rules:

• Colour: forward-facing lamps such as driving lamps show white light, and lamps to the rear show red (with exceptions such as indicators, number plate lamps and reversing lamps).
• Dazzle and confusing lamps: lamps must not dazzle or confuse other road users, and must be fitted and aimed so they do not.
• Work lamps: work lamps are for work off the road and should be switched off before using the public road.
• Rear white light: a white light showing to the rear (other than a reversing lamp) can look like an approaching vehicle and dazzle following drivers. A rear-facing light bar used for reversing or loading must be off on the road.

Most light bars on the market have no road approval, so they can only be used as work lamps off the road. Driving along a road with a work-lamp bar lit breaks the rules on work lamps and very likely the dazzle rule as well. For the wider difference between these lamp types, see work lights vs driving lights vs fog lights.

E-mark and approval table for light bars

An E-mark is a capital E in a circle (or a small e in a rectangle for an EU approval) followed by a country number, moulded into the lens or printed on the housing, with an approval number that shows which UN regulation the lamp was tested to. New Zealand accepts UN ECE approvals from any country, along with some other recognised standards such as SAE and the Australian Design Rules. The regulation number tells you what the lamp is approved to do. Newer lamps may be approved under UN Regulation 149 (road illumination devices, in force from November 2019) or UN Regulation 148 (light-signalling devices), which took over from the older separate regulations.

Function	UN regulation	What to look for	Can it be lit while driving?
Driving lamp (main beam)	R112, R113 or R98 (older), R149 (newer)	E-mark with the regulation number and a driving beam (R) class code	Yes, on main beam only, switching off when you dip
Front fog lamp	R19 (older), R149 (newer)	E-mark with a front fog class code such as B or F3	Only in fog or poor visibility
Daytime running lamp	R87 (older), R148 (newer)	E-mark with RL	Yes, in daylight as a DRL, not as a headlamp
Front position lamp	R7 (older), R148 (newer)	E-mark with A	Yes, as a sidelight only
Amber warning light bar	R65	E-mark with R65 approval	As a warning lamp, on vehicles allowed to show amber warning lamps (including agricultural vehicles)
Work lamp	No road lighting approval; may carry R10 (EMC)	Often an E-mark with 10R in the number	No; switch off before using the public road

One mark causes more confusion than any other. Many light bars carry an E-mark with “10R” in the approval number. That is an R10 electromagnetic compatibility approval: it means the bar’s electronics have been tested for radio interference. It says nothing about the beam, so an R10 mark on its own does not make a light bar road legal. Our guide to E-mark approval explains how to read the full approval number.

Check 3 things before using a light bar on the road: an E-mark (or other recognised standard marking) on the lens or housing, a regulation number that matches the job (driving beam, not just R10), and a product description that says what it is approved as. A “road legal” claim on a listing with no visible approval mark is marketing, not law. The general advice on lamps is the same: use units that meet a recognised standard and show the marking.

Using a light bar as a driving lamp

An approved driving lamp is a main-beam lamp, so it should behave like one:

1. Colour: white, as for headlamps and other forward driving lamps.
2. Switching: wired so it only works with main beam selected and goes off when you dip your headlamps.
3. Aim: set so the beam lights the road without throwing light into the eyes of other drivers.
4. Approval: E-marked (or meeting another recognised standard) for a driving beam function, not just R10.
5. No dazzle: switched off for oncoming traffic, when following another vehicle and in lit urban areas.

The Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual sets out how optional lamps such as driving lamps are checked at a WoF or CoF, so check the current NZTA guidance for the detail on number, position and switching. If in doubt, take professional advice and tell your insurer.

How to wire a light bar to main beam

The right way to wire a driving lamp is through a relay triggered by the main-beam feed. The relay’s coil takes its feed from the main-beam circuit, and its contacts switch a fused supply from the battery to the light bar. A separate dashboard switch in the relay coil feed lets you choose when the bar comes on, but it can only work with main beam selected. When you dip, the coil loses its feed and the bar goes off.

Don’t take the light bar’s current straight from the headlamp wiring. A 100W bar draws over 8A at 12V, more than many headlamp circuits are designed to carry. Use a relay rated well above the bar’s current and a fuse sized for the cable. Our 12V relays suit most installations.

Covering or disabling an off-road light bar

An unapproved light bar does not have to come off the vehicle. It can stay fitted as a work lamp for use off the road, provided it is switched off on the public road.

A cover is the simplest way to show the Police or a WoF inspector that the bar is not in use. A good cover is opaque, fits tightly enough that it can’t blow off at speed, and is easy to remove for off-road use. A bar left uncovered but switched off invites questions at a roadside check, especially when it is wired to a switch the driver can reach. Covering it, or disconnecting it, removes the doubt.

How the WoF treats light bars and lighting changes

In New Zealand, light vehicles are inspected for a Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and heavy vehicles for a Certificate of Fitness (CoF), to the standards in NZTA’s Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual. Lights are checked, and optional lamps that are fitted are checked too, including how driving lamps are mounted and switched.

Passing a WoF does not make a light bar legal to use however you like on the road. The lighting rule still applies, and NZ Police enforce it at the roadside, whatever the inspection result.

Light bar fitting often goes hand in hand with headlamp bulb changes, and here the position is clear. Retrofit HID or LED bulbs are not always compatible with the vehicle or headlamp, and a headlamp must give a compliant beam that does not dazzle. A conversion that scatters light, such as HID or LED bulbs retrofitted into ordinary halogen headlamps, can fail a WoF or CoF.

Light bars on tractors and farm vehicles

The same rules apply to a tractor on the public road. A light bar used to light the road ahead must be an approved driving lamp, wired to main beam and not dazzling. A work-lamp light bar must be switched off before the tractor goes on the road. The difference for farm vehicles is how much of the work happens off the road.

• In the paddock and the yard: off the road, work lamps may be used, so a large work-lamp bar on the cab roof is fine for night work at silage, effluent or harvest.
• At the gate: switch work-lamp bars off before you pull onto the public road. A cab switch with a tell-tale helps drivers remember.
• Working at the roadside: work lamps should be off on the public road. If you are hedge trimming or dealing with a breakdown on the road after dark, keep work lamps aimed away from traffic and check the current NZTA guidance.
• Rear-facing bars: rear white lights other than reversing lamps can dazzle and mislead, so reversing or loading bars must be off on the road.
• Inspection: many farm tractors do not need a WoF or CoF but must be roadworthy at all times. Faster tractors, or those used for non-agricultural work, may need one. Either way, how lamps are used is enforced at the roadside by NZ Police.

Amber warning light bars are a different product. In New Zealand, amber warning lamps are required on agricultural vehicles in various situations, such as oversize or slow-moving operation. A roof-mounted amber light bar approved under UN R65 can do that job, but check it against the NZ requirements for warning lamps on your machine, including where it is mounted and whether it can be seen from all round. Check NZTA Waka Kotahi’s agricultural vehicle guidance for the exact requirement. For choosing and fitting a work-lamp bar on a tractor, see our guide to tractor light bars.

Work lamps vs driving lamps: which light bar to buy

The right bar depends on where you will use it:

• Off-road and fieldwork only: a work-lamp bar with a flood or combo beam gives the widest light for the money. It needs no road approval, but should carry R10 EMC approval to limit radio interference. Browse our tractor light bars.
• Night driving on unlit roads: an E-marked driving lamp, either a slim approved bar or round driving lamps, wired to main beam. See our auxiliary lamps.
• Both: fit an approved driving lamp for the road and a separate work-lamp bar for the field, on separate switches.

On tractors with GPS guidance, check the bar’s EMC performance as well as its beam. Our guide to EMC compliant LED work lights explains why some bars interfere with radio and satellite reception.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to have a light bar on your car in New Zealand?

Fitting one is not banned, but how it is fitted and used is controlled. An unapproved bar is a work lamp and must be off on the public road. Any lamp used on the road must show a permitted colour and must not dazzle or confuse other traffic. Tell your insurer about any lighting you add.

Do light bars fail the WoF?

A WoF inspection checks that fitted lamps work and are fitted correctly, and fails unsuitable headlamp conversions. A light bar that is not mounted or wired as the rules require can fail. Passing the inspection does not make a light bar legal to use however you like; the lighting rule still applies and is enforced at the roadside by NZ Police. Ask your inspector if you are unsure how a particular fitting will be treated.

Do I have to cover my light bar in New Zealand?

Not every light bar must be covered, but an unapproved bar must not be lit on the public road. A cover is the clearest way to show it is not in use.

How many driving lamps can I fit?

Check NZTA’s current guidance for any limit on number and position. Each driving lamp should meet a recognised standard, show white light, switch off when you dip, and be aimed so it does not dazzle other road users. Take professional advice and tell your insurer before fitting extras.

Can I use a light bar on a tractor on the road?

Only if it is an approved driving lamp wired to main beam and used without dazzle. A work-lamp light bar must be switched off before the tractor goes onto the public road. An approved amber light bar can serve as the tractor’s warning lamp if it meets NZTA’s requirements for your machine.