In recent years, there has been a huge uprise and demand for Yellow DRL’s (Day Time Running Lights) for the front end of people’s cars. BMW brought back this trend by installing yellow DRL’s on their M4 & M3 CSL edition car, since then, this style has exploded where it’s available as a retrofit for many different models, not just BMW’s!

There is a bit of a backstory to yellow headlights on cars, one that has been adapted and changed over nearly 90 years! During World War II, the French government specified that civilian vehicles produced from 1937 must have installed yellow headlight bulbs to differentiate from enemy vehicles. This idea has since been adapted where, quite often front fog light bulbs are more of a yellow colour than white due to the ability to cut through fog better and also the human eye being able to see the colour better during low light or difficult light conditions. In recent years, Le Mans racing cars have made use of different colour lights between the various competing cars within the championship. In a similar way to why these were first used, it’s to differentiate the different classes of cars that are out on track at the same time, this is helpful knowing who you are racing against and whether you are racing for a position against a fellow competitor. Something our very own company owner has first hand had experience with having raced in Le Mans for a handful of years for various manufacturers.

BMW have always had a strong relationship with racing cars and one that prizes themselves on all of their cars having “Racing DNA”. Perhaps this is the reason why yellow DRL’s have been incorporated into their cars in recent years.

Moving back to the legality side of yellow DRL’s in road going vehicles, the first thing to note is that this will change country to country and although the legality is generally pretty similar across the board apart from a few instances, it will always be slightly different. There are a few points to take note of.

This has been pulled directly from the The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 from the UK Gov website.

1. BMW managed to produce the M4 CSL which for the most part is a car that’s available to purchase in every single country across the globe.
2. In the UK, the following is stated under the driver and vehicles standard agency
   1. Article 4.2.3
   2. For front position lamps (DRL’s), the following colour of light is acceptable:
      • white light
      • predominantly white light with a blue tinge
      • yellow light – if combined in a yellow headlamp

Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1989/1796/schedule/2/made

Going off the above, it is technically a “Minor” to be noted on a UK MOT based on the emitted colour being outside of the noted acceptable variations. Since most headlamps are not yellow, they are clear with the DRL emitting a yellow light it could be noted as being a minor but not a Major (a reason to fail).

It is also noted that no headlight colour should imitate any emergency services – (Red, Blue, Green). Other than the above, there is no technical bulletins to say that the colour of a DRL cannot be yellow or for that matter potentially another colour entirely!

Here at Carbonwurks, we offer a range of Yellow DRL’s to enhance the look of your car, you can check out a couple installation videos below on some vehicles we have worked on:

BMW M3 Touring G81 

Mini Cooper JCW F56

Thanks for reading!