What does BC law say about reflective and coloured film?
Nothing directly. MVAR s. 7.05(8) deals only with location: light-reducing material is allowed across the windshield’s top 75 mm, on any side pane to the rear of the driver, and on the back window of a car with mirrors outside on both sides. The subsection doesn’t mention colour, mirror finishes or any reflectance figure.
Subsection (9) covers tint built into the glass by the maker, and it points to the federal glazing standard rather than to colour. So in the regulation itself, a blue film and a charcoal film are in exactly the same position: allowed or banned by the pane they’re on.
Where does a BC inspection reject reflective tint?
On three panes: the windshield, the side windows ahead of the driver’s seat back and the back window. The 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual repeats the same reject, “any tint that is reflective type”, in three places: items 12e, 13d and 14c. The manual gives no reflectance percentage and doesn’t define the term, so the judgment is the inspector’s.
| Glass | Film allowed by s. 7.05(8)? | Reflective-type tint at inspection |
|---|---|---|
| Windshield, top 75 mm | Yes | Rejected, item 12e |
| Driver and front passenger windows | No | Rejected, item 13d (all film fails here anyway) |
| Back window, both outside mirrors fitted | Yes | Rejected, item 14c |
| Rear doors and quarter windows | Yes | No tint item for this glass |
In practice the reflective rule matters most in two places that are otherwise open to film: the windshield strip and the back window. The front doors can’t take film of any kind in BC, so whether it’s reflective is beside the point there. The manual’s side-window tint item applies only to glass forward of the seat back, and we found no BC rule that rejects reflective film on the rear doors. The shop still doesn’t sell mirror film for them.
The same three items also reject tint “other than that allowed by ANSI/SAE Z26.1”. That standard is sold, not published free, so we can’t tell you how it treats colour.
How reflective are LLumar films?
Not very: across every automotive film LLumar lists, visible light reflection runs from 5 to 10%. LLumar’s performance data sheet lists visible light reflection for each shade, measured on 6 mm clear glass:
| LLumar series | Construction, per LLumar | Visible light reflection |
|---|---|---|
| ATC | Colour-stable dyed, charcoal | 5 to 7% |
| IRX | Infrared-rejecting nano-ceramic, charcoal | 5 to 7% |
| AIR 80 and AIR 90 | Clear ceramic | 9% |
| CTX | Ceramic, charcoal | 5 to 7% |
| ATR (not sold by the shop) | Metallized, described as having “a slightly reflective look” | 5 to 8% |
Even LLumar’s metallized line, the one it describes as slightly reflective, tops out at 8%, and its clear UV-only film, AU 85, sits at 10%. Washington, which does publish a number, caps total reflectance at 35%. Brookswood Tint installs ATC, IRX and AIR, none of which is a mirror product.
Is coloured window tint legal in BC?
Yes, on the glass where film is allowed, because no BC rule names a colour. A red, blue, green or gold film behind the driver is in the same legal position as charcoal. On the front side windows it is illegal like every other film, and on the windshield it’s limited to the top 75 mm.
Colour can still cause trouble in other ways. A film that is coloured and reflective runs into the reflective-type reject on the windshield strip and back window. And film that has turned purple with age isn’t a colour choice at all: it’s dyed film breaking down, covered on removing purple tint. The shop’s own films are charcoal or clear, so a colour request is something to raise before booking rather than on the day.
What happens when reflective or coloured film crosses a border?
It can become illegal the moment you leave BC. Washington and Alberta both write rules on reflectivity, and Washington names colours:
| Place | Reflective film | Coloured film |
|---|---|---|
| BC | No figure in s. 7.05; “reflective type” fails inspection items 12e, 13d and 14c | No rule |
| Alberta | No glazing material that reflects headlamps or sunlight into another driver’s eyes, s. 70(3) and (4) | No colour named in s. 70 |
| Washington | Total reflectance 35% or less; “mirror finish products” not permitted | “Red, gold, yellow, or black material” not permitted |
Alberta’s section 70 applies its reflection ban to any window glazing, not only the front. Washington’s RCW 46.37.430(5)(g) bans those colours and finishes on every filmed window, and makes non-compliant film a traffic infraction for anyone driving there. For the darkness side of the Washington rule, read BC vs Washington tint laws.
Choosing a film that won’t draw attention
Pick a non-mirror film in charcoal or clear, and put it only on the glass BC allows. That keeps you clear of the reflective-type reject at any inspection and of Washington’s colour and reflectance rules on a trip south.
- For privacy and looks: LLumar ATC in 5, 15, 35 or 50%, in every starting price.
- For heat with the same look: LLumar IRX, quoted as an upgrade.
- For heat and UV without darkness: LLumar AIR, a clear ceramic.
Starting prices for the glass behind the driver run from $220 on a sports coupe through $240 on a sedan or pickup to $260 on a full-size SUV or wagon. Front door film is not road-legal in BC in any colour or shade; before anyone books it, the shop walks through the $109 ticket and the inspection order it can lead to. The rest of the rule is set out in the BC window tint law guide. For a quote, use the window tint request or call 604 534 6433.