OSRAM secures MOT change that will revolutionise the bulb market
After working closely with the Department for Transport and DVSA for over two years, automotive bulb manufacturer, OSRAM has been instrumental in changing the lighting portion of the MOT, that has led to ECE approved LED retrofit bulbs now being MOT compliant.
The ECE R37 approval marking on the bulb is a European standard that sets performance requirements for vehicle lighting. This is enforced in the UK through existing regulations, such as the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, which states that approved ECE R37 bulbs can be used in all headlamp units, as long as they are aligned correctly. However until now, LED retrofit bulbs would fail the MOT due to “light source and lamp not being compatible”.
While the ECE R37 marking and Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 stated ECE bulbs were approved, the MOT test states:
4.1.4. Compliance with requirements - Existing halogen headlamp units on vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986 must not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp for light source and lamp not compatible.
Now, together with the Department for Transport and DVSA, the wording in the MOT has been updated to reflect the advancements in lighting technology and reduce the confusion around this issue, making LED bulbs that have the ECE R37 approval, legal and MOT compliant.
Alongside the change in the MOT, bulb suppliers will also need to include a security sticker in the packaging to showcase to technicians that the bulbs are MOT compliant. This unique sticker will need to be applied near the lamp housing to confirm that the bulbs installed are ECE approved and comply.
OSRAM’s Product Manager for Bulbs and Vehicle Lighting, Carl Harrison, commented: “There has been a lot of work behind the scenes on this issue and we are thrilled the hard work of everyone involved has paid off. We want to thank the DVSA and Department for Transport for their assistance on this matter. There has been a lot of confusion on this subject for years, but with this change, we are moving forward with the technology on our roads and helping to keep drivers safe.
“Currently only OSRAM’s H11 and C5W types are included in the latest edition of UNECE Regulation 37, with a programme of further types being added over the next two to three years.
“OSRAM will continue to pioneer in this area, we already have the NIGHT BREAKER LED SMART ‘ECE’ H11, the first fully ECE R37 homologated LED retrofit bulb, as well as the NIGHT BREAKER LED C5W ECE, which was the first ECE R37 approved LED auxiliary bulb. With more ECE approved bulbs to come to market in the coming months, OSRAM remain dedicated to helping technicians and therefore, drivers, wherever we can to keep them road ready and safer.”
DVSA’s Head of MOT, Grant Thunder, commented: “We want to make it easier and quicker to identify ECE approved LED replacement bulbs. We’ve worked closely with the Department for Transport and lighting manufacturers to develop a practical way to identify these replacement light sources during MOT testing.
“ECE approved LED light sources will be sold with an approval sticker, which must be applied to the vehicle for MOT testers to identify whether an approved LED light source is fitted. This will make sure that those fitted with non-approved LED light sources continue to fail their MOT test.”