Rear Light Replacement Guide

Rear lights, or also known as tail lights, are red lights on the back of a vehicle. These lights get turned on whenever the head lights are on. Rear lamps are multifunctional - acting as the brake, reverse, indicator and fog lights. When the vehicle is in the process of stopping, the rear lights have a bright red appearance compared to their fainter red appearance when the vehicle is in motion.

The location of the rear lights is on the rear end of the vehicle, facing rearward. To help boost the light, some rear lights have reflective material inside of them which makes it possible to appear brighter and larger. Due to their important safety feature it is illegal to drive if they are not in a fully working order.

So what should one know when in need of replacing a rear light? 

•  Fitment

Depending on the size of the vehicle, rear lamps tend to vary in shape and size. Some are rectangular, some more circular or elongated - it all depends on the individual model of the vehicle. 

• Indicator Colour 

It is a must for indicators to emit an amber colour. The automotive industry has two methods which are used. Some rear lights use an amber bulb and a clear coloured lens, while others use a clear bulb with an amber coloured lens. Both of these methods are ensured to emit an amber coloured light.

• Date Limitation

Some lights will only fit a particular model of a vehicle for a specific number of years because car manufacturers update regularly the shape of their models. 

As an example, this rear light will only fit on the driver side of a Ford C-Max model, released from 2010 and 2015

• Light Design / Type

The automotive industry makes use of two main types of lighting. These are halogen and LED's (Light Emitting Diodes). It's important to note that LED tail lights come with the LED panel as a single unit and there is no need to purchase any other parts. Halogen lamps use bulbs rather than LED panels to produce light.

• Fitting Position

Rear lights vary from the driver's to the passenger's side and it's important to make sure you purchase the correct one that needs to be replaced. The two options are: Right (Driver Side) or Left (Passenger Side).

• Number of Light Functions

A tail light that contains the reverse light, stop light, indicator and tail light (parking light) all in the same unit has a total of 4 light functions.

• Section

This is referring to where the light is positioned. There are two options - inner and outer. Inner is the tail light's that is on the inside or on the boot lid while on the other hand outer refers to the part of the lamp that is on the outer section.

 Find The Exact Parts For Your Vehicle

We can see that a vehicle’s rear lights is a fundamental part of any vehicle. You can find a large range of rear lights at affordable prices right here in our store. With our VRM Lookup you can find the parts that only suit your vehicle - no more hustling around!