Most people land on 35% for the front side windows where it's legal and 20% for the back, with 5% kept for the back of a vehicle that already has factory privacy glass. The percentage is how much light gets through, the glass itself changes the reading, and every state draws the line somewhere different. Here's what each shade looks like, how it drives at night, and how to check your state before you order.
What the percentage means
A shade's number is its visible light transmission (VLT): the share of light that passes through the film. 50% lets half the light through; 5% lets through almost none. The numbers are the film's nominal shade; the measured figures for our standard HP Neutral film are 48% for the 50 shade, 39% for 35, 19% for 20 and 4% for 5. The film specifications table has every film and shade.
Two clear options sit above the shades: 80% Clear UV Block, a nearly clear film that blocks 99% of UV, and Ultra Nano, a clear film that blocks heat without darkening the glass. Both are for windows where no visible tint is allowed, or where you want the heat protection and not the look.
Shade by shade
| Shade | From outside | View out, day | View out, night | Privacy | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80% Clear UV / Ultra Nano | No visible change | Clear | Clear | None | Front windows in states that allow no tint; windshield; heat without the look |
| 50% Very Light | A hint of tint | Clear | Clear | Little | Front windows in strict states (50% limit); a factory-glass look |
| 35% Light | Noticeably tinted, glass still visible | Clear | Good | Faces are harder to make out | Front side windows where allowed; the most popular all-round shade |
| 20% Medium | Dark; the inside is hidden by day | Clear, slightly dim | Fine with good mirrors | Good by day | Back side windows and rear windshield; matching factory privacy glass |
| 5% Dark / Limo | Black | Dim | Hard | Full by day | Rear windows only, behind factory privacy glass or where any darkness is allowed |
The glass counts too
A tint meter reads the film and the glass together, and 44 states write their limit that way. Clear factory glass lets about 75–85% of light through, so a 35% film on it reads around 28–32%, and a 20% film reads about 15–17%. In a state with a 25% front limit, 35% passes comfortably and 20% doesn't. In a state whose limit is exactly 35%, a 35% film is right at the edge: several states allow a few points of tolerance, but 50% is the safe answer there.
Factory privacy glass on SUVs, trucks and vans is different: the rear glass is already tinted to roughly 15–25%. Adding a 20% film to it gives a combined reading near 4%, which is why many owners tint the front windows only, with a 20% or 35% shade that visually matches the back, using the front kit.
Night driving
Side mirrors and the rear window are the shades to be careful with. 20% on the back side windows and rear windshield is the common choice and drives fine at night with good mirrors. 5% behind you is for drivers who already live with factory privacy glass and rely on their mirrors; it makes reversing in a dark lot harder. On the front side windows, anything darker than 35% is both hard to see out of at night and illegal almost everywhere.
Is it legal where you live?
Every kit page shows your state's rule for the front side windows, the back side windows and the rear windshield as you pick shades, from the same verified data as TintCenter's state tint laws. The broad picture, as of September 2026:
- Front side windows. 18 states set the limit at 35%, 16 allow darker (mostly 25–32%), 6 require 50%, six states and DC require 70% (Alaska, California, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and DC), and Michigan, New Jersey and Vermont allow no tint on the front sides at all. Illinois ties the front limit to how dark the back windows are.
- Back side windows. 16 states allow any darkness; most of the rest allow 20–35%. Several give SUVs and vans a darker allowance than sedans.
- Rear windshield. 18 states allow any darkness, often only if the vehicle has mirrors on both sides.
Rules change, and police measure the glass, not the box the film came in, so when the kit page shows your shade at the limit, pick the next lighter one or check the tolerance on your state's law page.
Film colour and heat
Every kit comes in five films, and the colour changes the heat rejection more than the shade does. Figures are total solar energy rejected (TSER) from the spec sheets.
| Film | Look | 50% | 35% | 20% | 5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP Neutral (standard) | Neutral charcoal | 30% | 33% | 39% | 43% |
| HP Charcoal | Deeper charcoal | 35% | 49% | 54% | 58% |
| HP True Grey | Cool grey | 40% | 55% | 60% | 67% |
| HP Bronze | Warm bronze | – | 45% | 60% | – |
| HP Blue | Cool blue | 34% | – | – | – |
Charcoal and True Grey cost $5 more on a front or rear kit and $10 more on a back or complete kit, and reject noticeably more heat at the same shade. Ultra Nano, $15 per window group, is the heat film for a strict state: clear glass, cooler cabin. The windshield sun strip ($12.50 with a complete kit, $14.95 alone) comes in your kit's film for the top of the windshield, above the AS-1 line; most states allow it, with their own rules on depth.
Mixing shades
The kit page lets you set the front, back and rear shades separately. Common combinations: 35% front with 20% back and rear; 50% front with 20% back in a 50% state; Ultra Nano front with 20% back in a 70% state; and front only, 20% or 35%, on a vehicle with factory privacy glass. Keep the back side windows and the rear windshield the same shade so the car reads as one colour from outside.
See the shades on your own car
The car tint samples are $4.99. Hold each one against your side window in daylight and again at night, from the driver's seat and from the curb. Then pick your vehicle on the kit finder, and the page shows your state's rule next to each shade.
Common questions
Does a darker shade block more heat?
A little. Going from 35% to 5% in HP Neutral adds ten points of heat rejection; switching from Neutral to True Grey at the same 35% adds twenty-two. Film type matters more than darkness, and Ultra Nano blocks heat with no tint at all.
Can people see in through 20%?
By day, barely: shapes, not faces. At night with the dome light on, anyone can see in through any shade.
Is 35% too dark for night driving?
No. 35% on the front sides is the everyday shade in most of the country.
What can I put on the windshield?
A sun strip across the top, or a clear film (80% Clear UV or Ultra Nano) where your state allows it. Never a tinted shade on the whole windshield.