UK Bike Lights Law: What You Must Have After Dark

If you ride on a public road in the UK at night, your bike must show a white light at the front and a red light at the back, both switched on, and it must also carry a red rear reflector. That is Rule 60 of the Highway Code, which states: “At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit.” Everything else in this guide explains what sits around that sentence, so you know what is a legal requirement and what is only advice.

The requirement at a glance

The Highway Code uses capitalized “MUST” only where a rule is backed by law. Rule 60 uses it twice, so both items below are legal requirements as the Code presents them. Other items are phrased as “should” or “recommended”, which marks advice rather than law.

Lights versus reflectors

A light is a powered lamp that produces its own beam. A reflector is a passive device that bounces back the headlights of other vehicles. Rule 60 asks for both at the back: a lit red lamp and a red reflector. The reflector is the backup. It works when your battery has died, but only while a car’s headlights are pointed at it, so it is no substitute for a working lamp.

The pedal reflectors are the part riders most often forget. They flash amber as your feet move, which helps drivers recognize a moving cyclist. The date matters: Rule 60 ties the requirement to bikes manufactured after 1 October 1985, so an older classic may fall outside it. If you ride a vintage machine, check the wording yourself on the Highway Code page linked below.

Where the law itself lives

Rule 60 is a plain-English summary. Beneath it, the Code lists the legislation it relies on as “RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24”, meaning the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989. Annex 1 (the “You and your bicycle” section) cites “PCUR regs 6 & 10” and RVLR regulation 18 alongside its own reminder to have white front and red rear lights lit when cycling at night.

• Regulation 18 is headed “Obligatory lamps, reflectors, rear markings and devices”. It says that vehicles in the classes listed in its tables must carry the lamps and reflectors specified there, installed to the stated requirements.
• Regulation 24 deals with when lamps must be in use. Its wording covers use of a vehicle on a road between sunset and sunrise, and in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset. It requires the relevant lamps to be kept lit and unobscured.
• Regulation 13 concerns lamps that flash. As originally made, it barred vehicles from having a lamp that automatically emits a flashing light, with a list of exceptions. Rule 60 separately says that flashing lights are permitted for cyclists, so follow the Code’s current wording for bikes.

The legislation.gov.uk pages linked below show the original version as made in 1989. Amendments since then may change the details, so treat the Highway Code as the up-to-date plain-language statement and the regulations as the underlying text. If a specific situation matters, such as a roadside stop, ask a qualified adviser rather than relying on a summary.

What “night” means in practice

Rule 60 says “at night” without defining the hours. The lighting regulations frame the same idea as the period between sunset and sunrise, plus any time of seriously reduced visibility in daylight. Fog, heavy rain and dark tunnels of trees can all qualify in everyday terms, so a sensible habit is to switch lights on whenever you would struggle to see a rider at distance. The Code does not set a visibility distance in the passages cited here, so the judgment is yours.

Steady or flashing

Flashing lights are permitted, but the Code recommends a steady front lamp where there is no street lighting. The reason is practical: a beam that stays on lights the road surface ahead, while a pulsing lamp mainly announces you. Many riders run a flashing rear light for attention and a steady front light for seeing. For help choosing, see our cycling lights buyer’s guide or the commuter lights roundup.

Keep the equipment legal day to day

1. Test before you leave. Annex 1 advises keeping lights and reflectors clean and in good working order. A film of road grime on a lens or reflector cuts how much light comes back.
2. Do not hide the lamps. The Code warns against clothing that may obscure your lights. Long coats, bag straps and panniers can cover a rear lamp, so check from behind. Our pannier and bag guide covers load placement.
3. Carry a spare. A small backup lamp means one dead battery does not leave you without the required light.
4. Add visibility, not substitutes. The Code says reflective clothing or accessories such as belt, arm or ankle bands can increase your visibility in the dark. They add to lamps and reflectors; they do not replace them.

For parents of teenagers

The Highway Code addresses “you” as the person cycling, so the lighting rule applies to a teenager riding home after sunset in the same way it applies to an adult. Before a teen starts riding in autumn and winter, check that both lamps work, that the rear reflector is present, and that pedal reflectors are still fitted, since they are often knocked off. For the wider kit list, see our guide to commuting by bike.

Where this does not reach

This page reflects the Highway Code text and the 1989 regulations named above, with the Code’s Annex 1 last updated on 22 October 2025. E-bikes carry their own legal definitions; see E-Bike Laws: US, UK and EU. Riders in Northern Ireland should check the guidance that applies there. Rules can change, so confirm against the official pages before relying on a detail.

Sources

• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, Rules for cyclists (59 to 82)
• GOV.UK: The Highway Code, Annex 1, You and your bicycle
• legislation.gov.uk: Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, regulation 18
• legislation.gov.uk: Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, regulation 24
• legislation.gov.uk: Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, regulation 13

Last reviewed: October 2026.