Short answer
Check the licence first — window tinting are not licensed in Australia, so check qualifications and public liability insurance instead. Then check that the business is who it says it is: of the 970 Australian window tinting in this directory, only 12.5% publish an ABN you can confirm, and 19.1% list a phone number that contradicts the one on their own website.
Window Tinting handle car window tinting, home and office window films, paint protection film and vehicle wraps. This is what to check before you drive in, and what the evidence says about the category as a whole.
There is no window tinting business licence — so check something else
Tinting is unlicensed, but the darkness of car window tint is regulated by every state's road rules — front side windows must let through at least 35 per cent of light in most states, and a tint darker than the limit makes the car unroadworthy. A reputable tinter knows the limits for your state and will refuse an illegal job.
No licence. Your state's road authority publishes the tint limits; the film manufacturer's warranty is only worth anything if the installer is an authorised dealer, which the manufacturer can confirm.
What 970 Australian window tinting actually publish
We check every business in this directory the same way, and publish the result whether it flatters the trade or not. For window tinting:
| What we checked | Window Tinting | All trades |
|---|---|---|
| Publish an ABN we could confirm | 12.5% | 21.5% |
| Listed phone matches their own website | 55.6% | 59.2% |
| Listed phone contradicts their own website | 19.1% | 7.7% |
| Website responded when we checked | 85.4% | 81% |
| Corroborated by two or more sources | 77.7% | 81.1% |
| Median number of Google reviews | 62 | 39 |
What goes wrong with window tinting
- Tint applied darker than the legal limit, so the car fails its next inspection
- Film that bubbles or purples within a year because the wrong grade was used
- A lifetime warranty from a business that has had three names
What to ask before the work starts
- What is the legal limit for each window in this state, and what are you applying?
- What film brand and grade is it, and what does the warranty cover?
- How long until I can wind the windows down?
A window tinting business who answers all three of those without hesitating is telling you something useful. One who is vague about a licence number is telling you something too.
The median matters more than the average
The median window tinting business in this directory has 62 Google reviews. That is the number to hold in your head when you see a perfect five-star rating: five stars from four reviews and 4.6 from three hundred are not comparable, and the second is almost always the safer hire.
It is also why the ranking here weights review volume more heavily than review score. A business cannot buy its position, and a handful of glowing reviews does not move it far.
Where the window tinting are
Melbourne (60), Brisbane (56), Sydney (40), Perth (25), Fremantle (19), Craigieburn (17). A shortlist for your own area is more useful than a national ranking — the best window tinting business in the country is no help if they are four states away.
Where to check a licence, by state
There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state where the work is happening.
- NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
- VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
- QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
- WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
- SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
- TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
- ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
- NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers
Common questions
- Do window tinting need a licence in Australia?
- No. Tinting is unlicensed, but the darkness of car window tint is regulated by every state's road rules — front side windows must let through at least 35 per cent of light in most states, and a tint darker than the limit makes the car unroadworthy. A reputable tinter knows the limits for your state and will refuse an illegal job.
- How do I check a window tinting business's licence?
- No licence. Your state's road authority publishes the tint limits; the film manufacturer's warranty is only worth anything if the installer is an authorised dealer, which the manufacturer can confirm.
- What percentage of Australian window tinting have a verifiable ABN?
- 12.5% of the 970 window tinting in this directory publish an ABN we could confirm against the national register, against 21.5% across all trades.
- How many reviews should a window tinting business have?
- The median window tinting business here has 62. Treat a five-star rating from a handful of reviews with more caution than a slightly lower rating from hundreds.
Compare window tinting near you
970 window tinting, ranked on the evidence described above rather than on advertising.
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