From 14 October 2026 an MOT tester must accept an ECE-approved LED replacement bulb, an LEDr, fitted in a compatible halogen headlamp. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency published special notice 05-26 on 13 October, and the inspection manual for cars and passenger vehicles was updated the next day. It applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The notice
The change covers class 3, 4, 5 and 7 vehicles. A taxi or private hire vehicle with up to eight passenger seats is class 4. A larger passenger vehicle can be class 5. Both are covered. Class 1 and class 2 motorcycles are not.
What will pass
The bulb has to be approved for that lamp, and the vehicle has to carry the maker’s approval sticker. The sticker must be fixed permanently where the tester can see it. It must show the category, such as H11 LEDr, the variant, the rated voltage, the ECE approval number and the manufacturer’s name, and it must have a security feature such as a hologram. Makers may change the size, shape and colour.
The tester checks that the sticker is there, can be read, and matches the bulb. The tester does not check the approval number against a database, and does not take the lamp apart. The markings on the bulb itself are not usually visible. The lamp rules
What will still fail
There is a major defect, light source and lamp not compatible, if an LED replacement is fitted and the sticker is missing, unreadable, damaged, looks tampered with, or does not match the bulb.
A halogen lamp on a vehicle first used on or after 1 April 1986 still must not be converted to a high-intensity discharge bulb. Replacing the whole headlamp with a unit that was built as LED or HID is a different case. That unit is not failed for an incompatible light source, but it still has to meet the other lamp rules.
A halogen bulb that is already fitted does not have to be changed. An MOT pass does not override a licensing condition.