Tint percentages, decoded
What 70, 35, 24, 20 and 5 percent actually look like, which are legal where in Washington, and why the number has nothing to do with heat.
Try it: slide the shade
Drag the slider to darken the glass on this Model 3, and click the windows on the car (or the chips) to pick which panes the film goes on. The Washington verdict updates live. A sedan is the strictest case: the 24% floor applies to every side and rear window, while SUVs, vans and trucks get extra freedom behind the driver.
At 70% VLT this shade clears the Washington 24% floor on every window of this sedan.
Every shade from clear to limo
| VLT | The look | Day to day | Washington legality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70% | Nearly clear | Windshield-safe ceramic. Invisible heat and UV rejection with zero visual change. | Legal everywhere, including windshields as a clear film |
| 50% | Light smoke | Subtle depth on the glass, keeps the interior fully visible at a stoplight. | Legal on all side and rear windows (not the windshield) |
| 35% | Classic tint look | The shade most people picture when they say tinted windows. | Legal on all side and rear windows (not the windshield) |
| 28% | Noticeably dark | Strong privacy in daylight while staying above the legal floor. | Legal on all side and rear windows (not the windshield) |
| 24% | Darkest legal all-around | The Washington limit for car side and rear glass. | The legal floor: darkest allowed on windows requiring 24% VLT |
| 20% | Factory "privacy glass" territory | What SUVs ship with from the factory on rear glass. | Street-legal only behind the driver on SUVs, vans and trucks |
| 5% | Limo tint | Interior essentially invisible from outside. | Show and off-road use, or rear glass on SUVs, vans and trucks |
Every shade we stock is installed in STEK LunaRay SMART nano ceramic, so heat rejection stays near its maximum whether you choose nearly clear or the legal limit. Package pricing is on the tint cost guide, and the legality column is unpacked window-by-window in the Washington tint law guide.
Tint shade questions, answered straight
What do tint percentages actually mean?
The number is visible light transmission, or VLT: the percentage of light that makes it through the film and glass together. Lower number, darker window. A 70% film is nearly clear; a 5% limo film blocks almost everything. The number says nothing about heat rejection, which is a separate property of the film.
Is 20 percent tint legal in Washington?
Only behind the driver on SUVs, vans and trucks. Windows that Washington law holds to the 24% floor, including all car side windows, cannot legally run a 20% film. The darkest all-around legal choice on a sedan is 24%. Our Washington tint laws guide has the full window-by-window breakdown.
Does darker tint keep the car cooler?
Not by itself, and this is the most common tint misconception. Heat rejection comes from the film technology, not the shade: a 70% ceramic film can reject more infrared heat than a 5% dyed film. STEK LunaRay SMART rejects up to 98% of infrared heat at every shade we stock, so you choose darkness for looks and privacy, not temperature.
What percentage matches factory privacy glass?
Factory rear glass on most SUVs and trucks lands around 15 to 26% VLT. Our front two window match pairs film to your factory glass so the vehicle reads consistent all the way around, and the match is $200 in ceramic film.
Can I see out of dark tint at night?
Darker films cost you night vision, full stop. A 24% or 28% shade stays comfortable for night driving for most people; 5% limo film on side glass makes parking in a dark lot genuinely harder. We will show you shades on the car, in the shade and the sun, before you commit.