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Signs Your Brake Light Needs Replacing

A brake light (also referred to as a tail light) that’s working properly is easy to take for granted, right up until it breaks, and a few tell-tale signs are worth checking for next time you're near your car.

●      One side is dim or completely out while the other works fine

●      Both sides are out at once

●      The lens is visibly cracked, chipped or smashed, often after a knock, a reversing bump or a car park scrape.

●      The housing looks foggy or has condensation inside it: a sign water has found its way in, usually through a perished seal.

●      Someone's already taped it up as a temporary fix. It's a sensible stopgap, but not something to leave in place for long.

If only one bulb's gone and the housing itself is intact, you're probably looking at a straightforward bulb swap. If the lens, housing or wiring has taken the hit, that's a different job entirely.

Do I Need to Replace a Bulb or a Full Unit?

It’s likely that you only need to replace a bulb if the housing is intact and one or both of your brake lights are dim or completely out.

You can replace a blown brake light bulb yourself with a screwdriver, especially if the rest of the unit is undamaged. As long as you have the right bulb and access to your manufacturer’s guide or a video tutorial, this is something you should be able to fix at home in about half an hour.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable completing your car’s brake light bulb replacement yourself, you can easily find a BMG-verified garage to complete the work for you.

Any of the other symptoms mean you’ll need to replace the full unit, especially if there’s visible, significant damage. This is a job best left to the professionals as they can source the right part for your exact make and model and fit it so it seals properly, completing a high-quality repair first time.

If the housing is intact and you’ve already changed the bulb, it’s likely there is some other fault with your car’s wiring or fuses that an auto electrician can find and fix.

Is a Broken Tail Light Illegal or an MOT Fail?

If one or more of your brake lights are fully out, there’s a crack in the lens that changes the colour shown or your tail light unit has failed altogether, it’s likely that your vehicle will fail its MOT and be considered illegal to drive on the road. The more severe the failure, the more likely it is to be recorded as a major or dangerous fault than a minor one, given the guidance provided to MOT testers by the DVSA.

A single blown bulb in an LED cluster may be recorded as a "Minor" MOT failure, but any light position with just one defective bulb is an automatic "Major" failure. If all your brake lights are out at once, that would be rated "Dangerous".

You should always pay attention to the condition of your rear lights and check them regularly as driving with defective lighting equipment is also an offence, MOT due or not, though it may not always mean an instant fine.

RAC's guidance on car lights notes officers more commonly issue a verbal warning or a short window to get a blown bulb fixed, with a fixed penalty and points reserved for more serious or repeated cases (such as a seriously damaged unit).

Regardless, a blown bulb is worth sorting sooner rather than later as other drivers rely on your brake lights to know you're slowing down.

How Do I Check My Brake Lights Work?

The easiest way to check your brake lights is to get someone to stand behind your vehicle with the engine switched on and your foot on the brake pedal. They can then let you know which bulb(s), if any, is faulty or if there’s any other damage.

If you don’t have someone to stand behind the vehicle, you can also check your brake lights work by reversing close to a wall or other solid structure and putting your foot on the brake pedal. You should be able to see distinct reflections from each of your tail light clusters. If not, you’ll need to get the bulb changed as soon as possible.

How Much Does a Brake Light Replacement Cost?

A bulb on its own is a low-cost part, usually costing less than £20 whether you fit it yourself or have a garage do it as a quick job.

A full light unit is a different proposition. You're paying for the part itself, which needs to be the correct one for your specific vehicle to fit and seal properly. Then there's the fitting time, and often some careful checking of the wiring and seal once it's in. On some cars, the tail light also houses the indicator and reversing light in the same cluster, which can add to the cost if the whole assembly needs replacing rather than just a section of it.

Rather than quote a single figure that won't reflect your car, the most accurate way to know what your job will cost is to compare real prices from garages near you, based on your actual reg and postcode.

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**Some mobile technicians (that come out to you) may require an upfront payment or commitment, please check this with them first.