I know that the EU in general, and Germany specifically, have tightly regulated the use of aftermarket lighting on vehicles. I live in Germany (US Service Member) and was wondering if the add-on in the pictures would be allowed.
It’s still has all the original vehicle brake, turn, and reverse lights, which won’t be a problem, it’s the addition of the “light bar” on the back that connects the left and right across the trunk. The website is German, but I don’t want to get sideways with the Polizei.
The safe answer is no, the correct answer is “ask vehicle inspection,” but I don’t want to line up at 3am to ask (https://www.stripes.com/branches/army/2024-09-12/germany-vehicle-registration-woes-15150152.html)
If I could save myself headaches (and money!) any thoughts from the community would be appreciated!
by KKBMP
7 comments
I do see several issues with this.
* You are not allowed to have parts of the lights on movable parts of the car, so the one on the trunk migt be an issue.
* At least the gif you posted feels like it is blinking too slow. Needs to be ~90 impulses (with some wiggle room) per minute.
* It is arguable if a long light like this tells other traffic participants instantly what it means.
* Are those lights generally red or just for the braking light in the picture? Cause they need to be yellow for the direction lights.
As a fellow traffic participants: I ask you to not use novelty crap like this. It is worse enough what some car get as regular lights already. No need to overcomplicate it, just because it looks cool.
I had a quick look at the website to read the product description and it doesent mention any EU or German type approval, certification etc. Since it isn’t mentioned it es a safe bet that they don’t have any as these approvals cost the manufacturer lots of money and take quite a bit of time. So the only thing you would get a a German (TUV, Dekra, etc.) vehicle inspection is a firm “NEIN”.
Really, your best bet would be to go to vehicle inspection on post where they will certify it if it is road legal in the US. Judging by the amount of Hondas with fart cans the standards don’t seem to be all that high 😉
Iirc they need the e symbol or a certificate called “allgemeine Betriebserlaubnis” aka abe.
1) on the website (not the app) you can switch languages… heres the english version:
[https://www.hautopart.com/en-de/collections/lighting-upgrade/products/model-y-3-knight-rider-full-width-strip-tail-light-hansshow](https://www.hautopart.com/en-de/collections/lighting-upgrade/products/model-y-3-knight-rider-full-width-strip-tail-light-hansshow)
2) the company is based in the us, not germany… there is no mention of abiding by german regulations. the website is not german.
[https://www.hautopart.com/de-de/pages/contact-us](https://www.hautopart.com/de-de/pages/contact-us)
3) what i do know is, that many americans complain about the cybertruck, which has exactely this “one light” configuration. they say its much harder to judge the distance to the car with that kind of lighting, than it is with 2 lights. but that said, there are several cars with “one” tail light on the market. so i dont see any issues. the issue might be the “intentional flickering” which might or might not occur during driving the car. if it occurs during driving, it might be a distraction and therefore an issue.
What is the purpose of the light? Is it a back light? Break light? AND indicator?
While it apparently is allowed for US Service Members to keep their shitty red indicators, it will not be allowed to add new ones that are red.
So adding a center break light like that could be allowed, as well as a center backlight. A light that functions as additional red indicator, which is also combined into a back/break light, will most likely not be allowed
You might be allowed to install an additional fog light in the rear (assuming it’s certified).
Additional signal lights, lights with decorative purpose (which is basically everything, as the regular standard lights already fulfill their purpose) and underbody lights are strictly forbidden.
Passive reflectors on the front and rear might be permitted, but are forbidden on the sides (except for police and emergency vehicles). Yes, gold-plating your car is forbidden in Germany, unless you apply a matte finish (which will turn the gold into yellow paint).
Swapping incandescent light bulbs with LEDs is also generally not allowed
Besides, the point of driving in Germany is to go on the Autobahn and go fast enough that no one even gets close to your tail light. So what’s the point? /s
I own a Tesla and I was also looking at these lights. I couldnt find these with a E-Code which would be mandatory for a EU-spec vehicle. If however these are DOT approved it could be legal for you to have these. But that depends on the type of registration your car has and so it would be best to ask somebody that knows about your specific regulations.