Fitting LED headlight bulbs yourself: what the MOT now accepts

Quick answer

Yes, LED bulbs can now pass the MOT in a halogen headlamp, but only the right kind. From 14 October 2026, MOT testers in England, Scotland and Wales accept LED replacement bulbs, called LEDr, when the bulb is ECE approved for that headlamp and its approval sticker is fixed to the car where the tester can see it.

No sticker means a fail. A missing, unreadable, damaged or tampered sticker, or one that does not match the bulb, is recorded as the major defect "light source and lamp not compatible". A major defect fails the MOT.

What changed on 14 October 2026

DVSA published MOT special notice 05-26 on 13 October 2026. It took effect on 14 October 2026, when section 4.1.4 of the MOT inspection manual for cars and passenger vehicles was updated. The manual now says a halogen headlamp fitted with an LED replacement light source can be accepted if the bulb is ECE approved for that lamp and carries a matching approval sticker.

The change applies to class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicles with their existing halogen headlamp units. Class 4 covers most cars and goods vehicles up to 3,000kg design gross weight. Class 7 covers goods vehicles over 3,000kg up to 3,500kg.

• Not covered: class 1 and class 2 motorcycles.
• Not covered: halogen headlamps converted to take HID bulbs. For vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986, the manual says halogen units must not be converted to HID.
• Not covered: complete replacement headlamp units built for LED or HID. These are not failed as incompatible, but they must still meet the other lamp rules in section 4.

The approval sticker is your proof

The approval sticker is the only evidence the tester uses. Approved LEDr products come with one, and it must be permanently fixed to the vehicle and easy for the tester to see. Testers do not remove lamp covers or bulbs to look for markings, and they do not check the approval number against any database.

The sticker must show:

• The LEDr category, for example H11 LEDr
• The rated voltage
• The ECE approval number
• The manufacturer's name
• A security feature, such as a hologram

Sticker designs can differ in size, shape and colour, as long as that information and the security feature are there.

Pass or fail: how the tester decides

These outcomes come from special notice 05-26 and section 4.1.4 of the inspection manual. Every fail in this table is a major defect, which means the vehicle fails its MOT.

The usual headlamp checks still apply on top of the sticker check, including aim, beam pattern and condition.

Which LED bulbs count as approved

An approved bulb is an LEDr product that is ECE approved for your headlamp, with the manufacturer's matching sticker. The notice uses H11 LEDr as its example. Being bright, being sold as "road legal" or fitting the socket does not make a bulb approved. The sticker is what the tester looks for.

Before you buy, check:

1. The packaging says LEDr and gives an ECE approval for the bulb type your headlamp takes.
2. An approval sticker comes in the box, with the category, voltage, approval number, manufacturer name and a hologram or similar feature.
3. The category on the sticker matches the bulb you are fitting.
4. You are fitting both sides, so the matched pair of headlamps stays the same colour.

Before the test, it is worth looking at how the car has done on lights in the past. ServiceByReg shows the full MOT history for any registration for free, including earlier headlamp fails and advisories. If you want a wider picture of how the MOT test works, MOTCO has a plain guide to that too.

Sources

Every fact in this guide comes from these official pages:

• MOT special notice 05-26: approved LED replacement bulbs in halogen headlamps (GOV.UK, DVSA, published 13 October 2026)
• MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles, section 4, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (GOV.UK, see 4.1.4)
• MOT inspection manual updates (GOV.UK, 14 October 2026 entry)
• MOT test classes and fees (GOV.UK)
• How the MOT defect categories work (DVSA Matters of Testing blog)