Dipped, daytime, main beam and fog lights: when to use which

You switch on dipped headlights whenever you drive, all year round and around the clock (art. 51 of the Road Traffic Act). From dawn to dusk in normal air clarity, daytime running lights may replace them. After dusk, in fog, in rain and when towing, daytime running lights are not enough: you go back to dipped.

When to switch on dipped headlights: the basic rule

You switch on dipped headlights every time you drive. Art. 51(1) of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym) requires the use of dipped headlights when driving in conditions of normal air clarity, with no restriction to a season or time of day. There is no exception for a sunny summer day or for a well-lit city.

The question catalogue tests this rule in its simplest form. Question 6226 asks: does the obligation to use dipped headlights apply only in winter? The answer: NO. The obligation lasts twelve months a year.

The Act provides two substitutes for this rule: daytime running lights during the day, and main beam at night on an unlit road. Each has its conditions. If you do not meet them, you go back to dipped headlights.

If your car has automatic lights, glance at the dashboard indicators after starting the engine. The automatic system reacts mainly to light intensity, so in a downpour it may leave only the daytime running lights on.

Daytime running lights: when they are enough and when they are a mistake

You use daytime running lights instead of dipped headlights from dawn to dusk, but only in conditions of normal air clarity (art. 51(2)). Both conditions must be met at the same time: time of day and good visibility.

Hence three classic exam traps:

1. After dusk on a well-lit road, daytime running lights are not enough (question 6211: NO). Street lighting does not replace your dipped headlights.
2. In fog, rain or snowfall, daytime running lights are prohibited (question 1323: NO, question 7466: NO). Reduced air clarity means dipped headlights, possibly with front fog lights.
3. In a tunnel you switch on dipped headlights regardless of the time of day, because the fines tariff has a separate item for driving without the required lights in a tunnel (item 185, 200 zł (PLN) and 6 points).

The Act does not define the hours of dawn and dusk, so do not look for a specific time. You go by what you see: when it turns grey, you switch to dipped headlights.

Main beam: when it is allowed and when you must switch it off

You use main beam from dusk to dawn on unlit roads, instead of dipped headlights or together with them (art. 51(3)). The condition: you must not dazzle other drivers or pedestrians walking in a column.

The Act lists three situations in which you are obliged to switch from main beam to dipped:

1. Another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction. If one of the drivers has switched off main beam, the other must do so too.
2. You are approaching the vehicle in front, and its driver could be dazzled (through the mirrors).
3. A rail or water vehicle is within dazzling range.

These three cases are ready answers to the specialist questions: 6361 (A: when another vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction), 6362 (B: when there is a possibility of dazzling the driver of the vehicle in front) and 10065 (C: when you are approaching the vehicle driving ahead of you and could dazzle its driver). Once the oncoming vehicle has passed you and there is no one to dazzle, you may go back to main beam (question 4242: YES).

Using main beam contrary to the rules costs 200 zł and 4 points (fines tariff item 187, code G 08). All amounts and points are given as of September 2026.

Front fog lights: fog, precipitation and winding roads

In reduced air clarity, that is in fog or during precipitation, you drive on dipped headlights, on front fog lights or on both at once (art. 30(1)(1)(a) and art. 51(5)). That is why in heavy rain that limits visibility you may add front fog lights to your dipped headlights (question 6216: YES, question 7464: YES).

There is one more case that is easy to forget: on a winding road marked with signs, you may use front fog lights from dusk to dawn even in good visibility.

Outside built-up areas in fog there is an additional obligation that is rarely mentioned on the course: when overtaking and passing, you give short sound signals (art. 30(1)(1)(b)). For front fog lights used contrary to the conditions you will pay 100 zł and get 2 points (item 188, code G 05).

Rear fog lights: only below 50 m visibility

You use rear fog lights only when reduced air clarity limits visibility to less than 50 m (art. 30(3)). When visibility improves, you switch them off immediately. The reason is simple: in good visibility a strong rear light bothers the drivers behind you.

The catalogue tests the 50 m threshold from several angles:

In question 13444 the other two answers (60 m in rain, 100 m in fog) are above the threshold, so they are out. It does not matter whether visibility is limited by fog, rain or snow; only the distance counts. Driving with rear fog lights in normal air clarity is 100 zł and 2 points (item 115, code G 06).

Traffic jam, parking, towing and tunnel: what about lights when you are not driving normally

This table gives the answer to question 6305: when a broken-down vehicle is parked on a hard-surfaced road outside a built-up area, you do not have to leave dipped headlights on (NO). In insufficient visibility, position lights or parking lights are required, not dipped headlights. Leaving a vehicle without the required lighting in insufficient visibility carries 150-300 zł and 3 points (item 186, code G 07).

Fines and points for lights: table

The amounts come from the fines tariff (regulation of 30 December 2021, Dz.U. 2021 item 2484; Dz.U. is the Dziennik Ustaw, the Polish Journal of Laws), and the points from the regulation on the register of drivers violating traffic rules (Dz.U. 2026 item 724), in force since 3 June 2026. As of September 2026.

Night is the most expensive: 300 zł and 6 points for no lights from dusk to dawn, and the same number of points for a tunnel. For a fresh driver that is a serious dent, because in the first year the limit is 20 points. The details of collecting and clearing points are described in our article on penalty points and losing your licence, and other amounts from the same tariff are in our article on speed limits and fines.

Cheat sheet: how the catalogue asks about lights and what to answer

Questions about lights appear both in the basic part (YES/NO) and in the specialist part (A/B/C). Below are the answers from the official catalogue of the Ministry of Infrastructure in its July 2026 version. You can browse the full list of questions in the category B question database.

Some of the questions are videos: 1319 (obligation to use dipped or daytime running lights: YES), 3544 (obligation to use dipped headlights: YES), 6213 (right to use main beam: NO) and 6223 (obligation to change main beam to dipped: YES). While watching the video, check three things: whether it is daytime with good visibility, whether the road is lit, and whether there is anyone within the range of your lights whom you could dazzle. The whole logic of the answers rests on these three questions.

The most common traps in this group: "only in winter" (always NO), "well-lit road" (does not exempt you from dipped headlights), "100 m" for rear fog lights (too much, the threshold is 50 m) and "daytime running lights in rain" (prohibited). More typical slips are collected in our article on the most common mistakes in the theory test, and a revision plan is in our guide on how to study for the theory test.

Lights in the practical test: what the examiner checks

On the manoeuvring area the system draws one item from the list of lights: position lights, dipped headlights, main beam, brake lights, reversing lights, indicators, hazard warning lights, and rear and front fog lights if the car has them. You have a maximum of 5 minutes for this, and for the brake and reversing lights you can ask the examiner to confirm that they work. The whole course of this task, together with the fluids, is described in our article on vehicle checks in the driving test.

A practical tip to finish: on your last lesson before the exam, sit in the car you will be tested in and, without looking, find the light switch, the main beam position and the separate switches for the front and rear fog lights. In most cars the rear fog lights have their own button or position on the dial. When the examiner draws "rear fog lights", you will not be fumbling around.