Driving at night and in bad weather: lights, rain, fog and ice

Quick answer

• Your sidelights and rear number plate lights MUST be on between sunset and sunrise.
• At night you MUST use headlights, unless the road has lit street lights.
• You MUST use headlights whenever visibility is seriously reduced - generally when you cannot see more than 100 metres.
• You MUST NOT dazzle other road users, and you MUST NOT use fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced.
• The Highway Code advises at least a two-second gap on high-speed roads, at least doubled in the wet and up to ten times greater on ice.
• Before you drive in snow or frost you MUST clear every window, and your lights and number plates MUST be clean and readable.

The clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026. British Summer Time is what gives you more daylight in the evenings, so when it ends, that evening hour goes with it. Lessons that used to finish in daylight can start finishing in the dark. Your first dark, wet drive is the wrong moment to find out where the demister switch is.

This guide follows the Highway Code, which applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Rules that say MUST or MUST NOT are law. Rules that say 'should' are advice. You will not be prosecuted for ignoring advice on its own, but the Code can be used in evidence in court. Where a tip comes from teaching rather than from the Code, it says so.

Lights after dark: the rules that are law

Rules 113 and 114 carry the legal duties. Between them:

• Sidelights and rear number plate lights MUST be lit between sunset and sunrise.
• Headlights MUST be used at night, except on a road with lit street lights. Those roads generally have a 30mph limit, or 20mph in Wales, unless signs show otherwise.
• Headlights MUST be used when visibility is seriously reduced, day or night.
• You MUST NOT use any lights in a way that dazzles or causes discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.

Notice that two different times are in play. Sidelights are tied to sunset and sunrise. Headlights are tied to 'night', which the Code defines as half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. The advice in rule 115 goes further than both: you should use dipped headlights at night in built-up areas and in dull daytime weather, so that you can be seen. Lights are for being seen as well as for seeing.

Main beam on unlit roads

The Code does not tell you when to switch main beam on. It sets the limits around it. You MUST NOT dazzle anyone. Rule 115 says you should keep dipped headlights when overtaking until you are level with the other vehicle, then change to main beam if necessary, unless that would dazzle oncoming road users. Inside those limits, this is the routine we teach for meeting traffic on an unlit road.

1. 01

   Main beam while the road ahead is empty

   With nothing coming and nobody in front, main beam shows you far more of the road. This is our advice rather than a Code rule.

2. 02

   Dip as soon as you see oncoming lights

   That includes their glow over a crest or round a bend, before the car itself appears. If you wait until the car is in full view, the driver has already had your main beam in their eyes.

3. 03

   Look at the left edge of the road, not into their lights

   Keep your eyes on the nearside edge ahead of you, so you hold your position while the other car passes. Again, this is our advice.

4. 04

   If you are dazzled, slow down, and stop if you need to

   That is rule 115. It applies even when the other driver should have dipped and did not.

5. 05

   Back to main beam once they have passed

   Check nobody else is coming and nobody is ahead of you first.

Following another car counts too. Your main beam fills their mirrors, which is the kind of dazzle and discomfort rule 114 forbids. Stay on dipped beam when you are behind someone.

Drive at a speed that matches what you can see

Rule 126 gives the principle that matters most after dark: drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. At night, that distance ends where your headlights stop. Rule 125 puts it more plainly: you should reduce your speed when driving at night, because it is more difficult to see other road users.

People on foot are the hardest to pick out. Rule 3 advises walkers to wear reflective materials in the dark, which drivers using headlights can see up to three times as far away as non-reflective ones. That is advice to them, and you cannot rely on everyone following it. When you pass cyclists, horse riders or people walking in the road, rule 163 says to take extra care and give more space at night and in bad weather.

Tiredness and the late drive home

The Code's safety code for new drivers says that many of the worst collisions happen at night, and that midnight to 6am is a time of high risk for new drivers. Its advice is to avoid driving then unless it is really necessary. Rule 91 adds that you should take a break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving. Rule 94 says not to wear tinted glasses, lenses or visors at night or in poor visibility if they restrict your vision.

Rain

Rule 227 says that in wet weather stopping distances will be at least double what they are on dry roads, because your tyres have less grip. It says you should keep well back from the vehicle in front, which also helps you see further ahead. Rain and spray make it harder to see and to be seen.

If the steering suddenly feels unresponsive, the Code says it probably means water is preventing the tyres from gripping the road. Ease off the accelerator and slow down gradually.

Small controls count on test. DVSA's guide to understanding your test result lists not turning on the windscreen wipers when it starts to rain, and not using the demisters to clear the front windscreen when needed, among the common faults. Under following distance, it lists not adjusting your distance in bad weather such as rain, ice or fog.

Fog

Fog changes fast. Rule 234 warns that a 'Fog' sign on a clear road can mean a bank of fog or drifting patches ahead, and that even when fog seems to be clearing you can suddenly find yourself back in thick fog. When you reach it, the order matters.

1. 01

   Check your mirrors

   Before you slow down, find out what is behind you and how close it is.

2. 02

   Slow down, using your brakes

   Rule 235 says to use your brakes, so your brake lights warn the drivers behind you that you are slowing down.

3. 03

   Headlights on

   Once visibility is seriously reduced - generally when you cannot see more than 100 metres - headlights are a legal requirement under rule 226.

4. 04

   Fog lights only if visibility is seriously reduced

   When visibility is seriously reduced you may also use front or rear fog lights. When it is not, you MUST NOT.

Once you are in it, rule 235 says you should:

• Keep a safe distance behind the vehicle in front. Rear lights can give a false sense of security.
• Be able to pull up well within the distance you can see clearly.
• Use your wipers and demisters.
• Watch out for other drivers who are not using headlights.
• Not speed up to get away from a vehicle that is too close behind you.
• At a junction with limited visibility, stop in the correct position and listen for traffic. When you are sure it is safe, emerge positively rather than hesitating in the path of approaching vehicles.

Our tip for that last one: open your window at the junction. It is much easier to hear an approaching car with the window down.

Hazard warning lights are not fog lights. Rule 116 says you MUST NOT use them while driving, unless you are on a motorway or an unrestricted dual carriageway and need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead.

Ice and snow

Rule 228 says to check the forecast in winter and not to drive in icy or snowy weather unless your journey is essential. If it is, allow more time and take an emergency kit: de-icer and an ice scraper, a torch, warm clothing and boots, a first aid kit, jump leads, a shovel, and a warm drink and emergency food in case you get stuck.

Rule 229 is the one people get wrong, because only part of it is law. Before you set off:

• You MUST clear all snow and ice from all your windows.
• You MUST make sure your lights are clean and your number plates are clearly visible and legible.
• You should make sure the mirrors are clear and the windows are thoroughly demisted.
• You should remove all snow that might fall off into the path of other road users.
• You should check your route is clear of delays and that no more snow or severe weather is forecast.

On ice, rule 230 says stopping distances can be ten times greater than on dry roads, so keep well back. Drive with care even if the roads have been treated, and expect conditions to change over short distances. Rule 231 says to drive at a slow speed in as high a gear as possible, and to accelerate and brake very gently. On bends, slow right down: brake progressively on the straight before the bend, then steer smoothly round it.

The Code gives two clues to ice: steering that feels unresponsive, and tyres that go almost silent. To check your grip, it says to choose a safe place and brake gently.

Wind and bright sun

Rule 232 says strong gusts can blow a car, cyclist, motorcyclist or horse rider off course, especially on open stretches of road, by bridges and at gaps in hedges. Rule 163 says to give cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders more space in high winds. If bright sunlight dazzles you, rule 93 says slow down and, if necessary, stop.

Bad weather and your driving test

GOV.UK says driving tests are not carried out in dangerous weather conditions, such as when the roads are icy or if there is flooding, thick fog or high winds. If there are conditions like that on the day, call your test centre. The number is on your booking confirmation email.

If your test cannot go ahead, DVSA automatically books the next available date and sends you the details within 3 working days, or up to 7 days if there is a long period of bad weather. You can change the date if it does not suit you. You cannot claim for out-of-pocket expenses when a test is cancelled because of bad weather.

Rain and darkness are not among the examples GOV.UK gives, so plan on driving in either, and make sure you have done it before the day. Lights can come up before you even move off. The published 'tell me' questions, asked before you drive, include how you would switch from dipped to main beam. The 'show me' questions, asked while you drive, include switching on your dipped headlights and demisting the windscreen.

Get the practice in before you need it

• Find every switch in daylight: dipped and main beam, front and rear fog lights, front and rear demisters, the rear wiper. The car you practise in at home may have them in different places from your instructor's car.
• Ask for at least one lesson in the dark and one in proper rain before your test. After the clocks go back on 25 October 2026, the dark is easy to find.
• Drive a route you know in daylight, then drive it again at night. What you can no longer see is the lesson.
• After you pass, Pass Plus is a course of at least 6 hours whose modules include driving in all weathers, at night and on rural roads. You need an instructor registered with Pass Plus, and GOV.UK says completing it may help you get a car insurance discount.