Darkest legal tint for Cars in New Mexico
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches is allowed
- Front Side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in
- Back Side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in
- Rear window: Must allow more than 20% of light in
Darkest legal tint for SUV and Vans in New Mexico
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches is allowed
- Front Side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in
- Back Side windows: Any darkness window tint can be used
- Rear window: Any darkness window tint can be used
Please note: The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the content is not warranted or guaranteed. We are not lawyers or a law firm and we do not provide legal advice. We recommend you consult a lawyer or other appropriate professional if you want legal advice.
New Mexico sees hundreds of hot, sunny days every year so vehicle window tint is a must both to keep the interior of your car cooler and safer for occupants and to reject the damaging ultraviolet light that causes fading and damage to the interior of the car, ruining the appearance of the upholstery, dashboard, and other surfaces.
Car tint is a great investment that will pay for itself over time both in reduced fuel consumption due to less need for AC cooling and when you re-sell the vehicle and enjoy a much better value thanks to the preserved interior. However not all window tint is legal in New Mexico, and each window tint ticket you get reduces the value of your investment by costing you money.
Below, we will go through all of the current window tint laws in New Mexico, which were enacted in 1997 and are periodically updated and revised to meet new window film developments. To ensure your car tint is legal under New Mexico law, you have to know the visible light transmission (or VLT) percent of the tint. This refers to how much light a tint allows to pass through and essentially means how dark and private or light and transparent the tint is; very dark tint might have a VLT of 5%, while lighter more see-through tint may have a 90% VLT. Note that even lighter and even effectively transparent window film can still block lots of damaging UV light and hot IR light, so you don’t need dark tint to get the benefits of window film. On the other hand, if you want added privacy and like the look of dark window tinting on cars, New Mexico does allow for darker tint than you can use in many states.
Windshield Tint Rules in New Mexico
As in most states, limited windshield tint is legal in New Mexico. Cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans may have non-reflective window tint applied to the windshield down to the factory AS-1 line, which is marked in small lettering and numbering on the glass. If no AS-1 line is visible, tint is legal down to five inches below the top of the windshield.
Car Window Tint Laws in New Mexico
In New Mexico, cars (meaning sedans and coupes, not larger vehicles) may have window tint rated at 20% VLT or lighter on all side windows and on the rear windshield. This window tint may be reflective or mirrored in appearance.
MPV Window Tint Laws in New Mexico
New Mexico tint laws for MPVs (meaning multi-purpose vehicles like sport utility vehicles, trucks, vans, passenger vans, etc.) may have 20% of lighter VLT on the front side windows and can have tint of any darkness, including full privacy tint, on the rear side windows and on the back windshield. As with car tint in New Mexico, tint for larger vehicles may not be metallic or reflective in appearance.
Other Window Tint Rules in New Mexico
A number of rules beyond VLT and reflectivity restrictions govern window tint in New Mexico, so read through this section carefully, as any breach can result in the same penalties as illegally dark tint itself.
Any vehicle that has any side or rear window tinting is required to have dual side view mirrors in good working order.
New Mexico tint laws ban tint that is amber, yellow, or red in color, and based on the ban on reflective tint, most metallic finish tints are de facto illegal as well.
Manufacturers, vendors, and installers of window tint in New Mexico must offer window film officially certified as meeting state law, so talk to your tint retailer or installation shop professionals to make sure the tint they offer is certified. And note that stickers identifying legal window tint must be placed between the window tint and the glass of every window that is tinted. This is a stricter regulation than you find in most states, but it can also make a potentially lengthy and fraught traffic stop or inspection much faster and smoother as the official can quickly note the sticker certifying legal window tint and move on from the issue.
New Mexico tint law does allow for medical exemptions to some rules, so if you need darker window tint on front side windows or for rear windows of a car, talk to a doctor about a dispensation for darker window tinting that can then be installed once you have proof you qualify for a medical tint exemption.
Window Tint Violations in New Mexico
Window tint tickets in New Mexico are not a serious matter but the costs can add up if you are cited multiple times without getting your illegal tint removed. A window tint ticket in New Mexico costs up to $75 and is assessed as a petty misdemeanor, a civil offense without the risk of criminal charges and jail time, but a pain if multiple tickets lead to high costs just the same.
Darkest legal tint for Sedans in New Mexico
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches is allowed
- Front Side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in
- Back Side windows: Must allow more than 20% of light in
- Rear window: Must allow more than 20% of light in
Darkest legal tint for SUV and Vans in New Mexico
- Windshield: Non-reflective tint above the manufacturer’s AS-1 line or top 5 inches is allowed
- Front Side windows: NMust allow more than 20% of light in
- Back Side windows: Any darkness window tint can be used
- Rear window: Any darkness window tint can be used
