New law allows the modernization of automotive lighting, as long as the components are certified by Inmetro
The Traffic and Transportation Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved Bill 1108/25, a measure that authorizes drivers to replace their vehicle’s original headlights with LED bulbs or other equivalent technologies. The advancement of the proposal aims to modernize national road safety and benefits, above all, the owners of old cars, who today face bureaucratic restrictions to update the headlights of their cars.
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The agenda circumvents an existing legal barrier. Currently, a resolution of the National Traffic Council (Contran) prohibits the exchange of original lamps – predominantly halogen, yellowish in color – for different technologies, except in cases where the automaker’s own manual already provides for this alternative. The current infraction generates headaches and fines for drivers caught in inspections.
The text approved in the committee, a substitute by rapporteur Zé Trovão (PL-SC) based on the original PL by Rodrigo da Zaeli (PL-MT), intends to insert the new rule directly into the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB). The maneuver ensures greater legal certainty for drivers, establishing that the permit is valid regardless of the year of manufacture of the vehicle.
Despite the flexibility, the transition will not be unrestricted. For the exchange to occur within the law, the new LED lamps must be certified by the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro). In addition, the optical assembly will need to respect the focus and adjustment standards already stipulated by Contran.
The technical requirement has a clear reason: to prevent unregulated or poor quality headlights from obscuring the vision of those traveling in the opposite direction, a recurring problem on the country’s roads. For the rapporteur of the matter, the adoption of well-regulated LED delivers technical superiority, providing greater night range, visual comfort and lower energy consumption compared to old systems.
The project now goes to the Commission on Constitution and Justice and Citizenship (CCJ), where it will be analyzed in a conclusive manner. To come into force definitively, it will need to go through the plenaries of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate before presidential sanction.
