Position Lamps in New Zealand: Front and Rear Sidelights Explained

A position lamp is the sidelight on a car: a low-power lamp that shows white at the front and red at the rear to mark where the vehicle is and how wide it is. A car has 2 front position lamps and 2 rear position lamps. They come on at the first click of the light switch and stay on with dipped and main beam. In New Zealand they are commonly called parking lamps or sidelights at the front and tail lamps at the rear, and on tractors and agricultural trailers used on the road at night they are part of the required lighting.

What Is a Position Lamp on a Car

A position lamp is a low-intensity light that marks the presence and width of a vehicle to other road users. A front position lamp shows the presence and width of a vehicle when viewed from the front, and a rear position lamp does the same when viewed from the rear. They are the dimmest exterior lamps on a vehicle, because their job is to be seen, not to light the road.

“Position lamp” is the term used in the UNECE lamp standards and in many vehicle handbooks. The same lamp goes by several other common names:

• Sidelight or side lamp: the everyday British term, still widely used in New Zealand. “Put your sidelights on” means switch on the position lamps.
• Parking lamp: the term commonly used in New Zealand rules and inspection guidance for the front position lamps.
• Position light: used in some vehicle handbooks and European documents.
• Tail light or rear lamp: the usual names for the rear position lamps specifically.

Position lamps are separate from headlights (which light the road ahead), brake lights (which signal braking) and indicators (which signal turning). Once the lights are switched on, the position lamps stay on from the sidelight stage right through dipped beam and main beam.

Front vs Rear Position Lamps

Feature	Front position lamp	Rear position lamp
Colour	White	Red
Number fitted	2	2
Usual location	Inside the headlamp unit	Inside the rear lamp cluster
Common bulb	W5W (501)	P21/5W (380) or R5W (207)
Typical wattage	5W	5W
Other names	Sidelight, side lamp, front parking light	Tail light, rear lamp, rear sidelight

Front Position Lamps

A front position lamp is a white light fitted to each side of the front of a vehicle. Its job is to show oncoming traffic and pedestrians where the edges of the vehicle are.

On most modern cars, vans and tractors, the front position lamp sits inside the headlamp unit, using its own small bulb or LED element. On older vehicles, particularly classic tractors, the front position lamp is often a separate lamp mounted on the front mudguard or wing.

A typical front position lamp uses a 5W bulb. That is deliberately low. On many modern cars the front position lamp is combined with the daytime running light, which runs at full brightness in daylight and dims to position lamp level when the headlights come on. Our guide to daytime running lights explains how that switching works.

Rear Position Lamps

A rear position lamp is a red light fitted to each side of the rear of a vehicle. It shows following drivers the width of the vehicle in front.

Rear position lamps almost always sit in the rear lamp cluster with the brake lights, indicators, reverse light and (where fitted) rear fog lamp. The rear position lamp is the dim, constant red glow when the lights are on. The brake light is the brighter red that appears when the brake pedal is pressed. The rear position lamp runs at about 5W; a brake light filament is 21W.

On many vehicles, the rear position lamp and brake light share 1 twin-filament bulb, the P21/5W (trade code 380). The thin 5W filament powers the position lamp and the thicker 21W filament powers the brake light. That is why a fault with one of these bulbs can affect both functions.

Left (Nearside) and Right (Offside) Position Lamps

Garage paperwork and inspection reports describe lamps by side. Left-hand and right-hand side are the usual terms, and the older terms nearside and offside are still common:

• Left (nearside): the passenger side in a New Zealand right-hand-drive car, nearest the kerb.
• Right (offside): the driver side in a New Zealand car, nearest the centre of the road.

Left and right are always as if you are sitting in the driver’s seat facing forward, and the terms do not change for a left-hand-drive import. So:

Description	Which lamp
Left (nearside) front position lamp	Front left sidelight (passenger side)
Right (offside) front position lamp	Front right sidelight (driver side)
Left (nearside) rear position lamp	Rear left tail light
Right (offside) rear position lamp	Rear right tail light

The terms come from horse-drawn days: the nearside was the side nearest the kerb. If your WoF check sheet says one of these lamps is not working, our guide to a position lamp not working walks through the fix and the retest.

Position Lamps vs Daytime Running Lights vs Dipped Beam

Position lamps are often confused with the other front lamps that come on with the engine or the light switch. The difference is what each lamp is for.

Lamp	Purpose	When it is on	Lights the rear lamps?
Front position lamp (sidelight)	Shows the vehicle’s position and width	When the light switch is on (sidelight, dipped or main beam)	Yes, rear position lamps come on with it
Daytime running light	Makes a moving vehicle easier to see in daylight	Automatically with the engine, off or dimmed when headlamps are on	Not necessarily; on many cars the tail lights stay off
Dipped beam headlamp	Lights the road ahead without dazzling	During the hours of darkness and in poor visibility	Yes

The practical point: DRLs are front-only, so a car running only on DRLs at dusk may have no tail lights lit at all. Driving with dipped headlights on during the day helps a vehicle without DRLs be seen, and headlights must be on during the hours of darkness.

New Zealand Rules for Position Lamps

The Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Lighting 2004, administered by NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA), sets out the lamps vehicles must carry and their colours. Front position (parking) lamps show white, and rear position (tail) lamps show red, with exceptions for indicators, number plate lamps and reversing lamps. Lamps should meet a recognised standard, and UN ECE (E-mark) approval is accepted in New Zealand.

Minimum Requirements

• 2 front position lamps (white), 1 on each side of the front
• 2 rear position lamps (red), 1 on each side of the rear

Under the European installation rules (ECE Regulation 48), position lamps on a car are mounted between 350 mm and 1,500 mm above the ground and no more than 400 mm in from the outer edge of the vehicle, so that together they mark its width.

When Position Lamps Must Be Used

• During the hours of darkness: New Zealand rules define the hours of darkness as the period from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise. Position lamps, rear lamps and number plate lighting must be lit during that time, and when visibility is poor.
• Tractors and agricultural vehicles: agricultural vehicles have their own treatment under NZTA’s rules, so check NZTA Waka Kotahi’s agricultural vehicle guidance for the exact requirement for your machine. Whatever the rule, keep side lamps and rear lamps fitted and working.
• Parked at night: the road rules set out when a parked vehicle must show lights. Check NZTA’s current guidance for the detail, and never leave a trailer or a vehicle with a projecting load on a public road at night without lights.

Penalties

Driving a vehicle with missing or faulty lamps can lead to an infringement notice from NZ Police, and a vehicle in a dangerous condition can be ordered off the road. A tractor or trailer with no rear lights on an unlit rural road at night is one of the most dangerous things on that road.

Position Lamps and the WoF and CoF

Light vehicles are inspected for a Warrant of Fitness (WoF) and heavy vehicles for a Certificate of Fitness (CoF), to the standards in NZTA’s Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual. Fitted lamps must work, and a position lamp that does not work is a failure item.

Position lamp defect	Likely outcome
Lamp missing or not working	Fail
LED lamp with a large share of its light sources out	Fail
Defective or cracked lens	Fail
Red light showing to the front, or white light to the rear	Fail
Wrong colour (for example a strongly blue sidelight)	Defect recorded
Lamp not secure or likely to fall off	Defect recorded, fail if serious

A vehicle that fails its WoF or CoF can usually be rechecked once the fault is fixed, within the time the inspector gives. A front position lamp should be white. A strongly coloured “ice blue” LED sidelight is likely to be picked up. Rear position lamps must give a steady red light.

Position Lamp Bulb Types

The most common position lamp bulb is the W5W, a 5W capless wedge bulb also sold as 501. Most front sidelights use it, and many rear clusters and number plate lamps do too.

Bulb	Trade code	Base	Wattage	Typical use
W5W	501	W2.1×9.5d capless wedge (often called T10)	5W	Front sidelights on most cars and vans; some rear position lamps
R5W	207	BA15s bayonet	5W	Older front sidelights, separate rear position lamps, trailer and tractor lamps
H6W	434	BAX9s offset-pin bayonet	6W	Front sidelights on some European cars
P21/5W	380	BAY15d bayonet (offset pins)	5W position / 21W brake	Combined rear position and brake lamps
LED	None	Built into the lamp, or an LED replacement bulb	Under 1W to a few watts	Many cars from the 2010s, LED trailer and tractor lamps

The W5W pushes straight into its holder. The R5W pushes in and twists to lock, like a small version of a brake light bulb. The P21/5W has offset pins so it only fits one way round, which keeps the 5W filament on the position lamp circuit and the 21W filament on the brake circuit. See our guides to W5W 501 bulbs and R5W 207 bulbs for the details of each, and find replacements in our standard miniature bulbs range.

LED Sidelight Bulbs

LED W5W and R5W bulbs are widely sold. They last longer and resist vibration, but most are not type approved for use in a lamp designed for a filament bulb, and a lamp is approved with the type of bulb it was designed for. On cars with bulb monitoring they can trigger a “bulb failure” warning unless they are CANbus compatible. If you fit one, choose a plain white bulb (not blue) and check it lights evenly through the lens. The more robust answer on trailers and tractors is a complete LED position lamp with an E or e mark.

Position Lamp Faults

A position lamp that stops working is almost always 1 of 4 things:

• Blown bulb: by far the most common. One lamp out, the others fine.
• Corroded holder: the lamp flickers, works when tapped, or the new bulb still does not light. Clean the contacts and protect them with a little dielectric grease.
• Blown fuse: on many cars, all the sidelights on one side (or all of them) go out together. Replace with the same rating; if it blows again, look for a short.
• Wiring or earth fault: more common on tractors and trailers, where vibration, chafing and rodents damage looms. A lamp that cuts out over bumps is usually a wiring fault.

If a WoF inspection has flagged a lamp, the not-working guide linked above covers each fix step by step.

Position Lamps on Tractors and Trailers

In New Zealand, tractors and agricultural trailers used on the road at night need position lamps, alongside headlamps, stop lamps, indicators and number plate lighting, and amber warning lamps are required in various situations such as oversize or slow-moving operation. Agricultural vehicles have their own provisions under NZTA’s rules, so check the agricultural vehicle guidance for your machine, and keep any lights fitted in working order.

Tractors

Modern tractors build the front position lamps into the headlamp or bonnet lamps and the rear position lamps into the rear lamp clusters on the mudguards. Older tractors often have separate sidelights on the front wings, which are exposed to hedges, loaders and implements and are often knocked off. Replacement universal sidelights are a simple bolt-on job.

Trailers

Agricultural trailers used on the road at night need side lamps and rear lamps. If towed equipment without its own lights (a baler or a sprayer, say) hides the tractor’s lamps, a lighting board is required. On both the 7-pin 12N socket and the 13-pin socket, the rear position lamps are fed through pin 5 (right-hand side) and pin 7 (left-hand side). Trailer lamps take a beating from spray, mud, effluent and pressure washing, so LED lamps are a worthwhile upgrade. Browse our position lamps for universal front and rear units, shipped from the UK with free delivery to New Zealand on orders over NZ$500 (prices in NZ dollars; any NZ GST, duty or Customs fees are paid on delivery).

Practical Tips

Position lamps on farm vehicles fail more often than on cars because of vibration, moisture and less frequent checks. Walk round before any road journey, and keep a spare W5W and P21/5W in the cab.

Frequently asked questions

What is a position lamp on a car?

It is the sidelight: a low-power white lamp at the front and red lamp at the rear that marks the vehicle’s position and width. A car has 2 at the front and 2 at the rear.

What is a front position lamp?

A front position lamp is the front sidelight, usually inside the headlamp unit, showing white. Most use a W5W (501) bulb.

What is a rear position lamp?

A rear position lamp is the tail light, the dim red light at the back that is on whenever your lights are on. It often shares a P21/5W (380) twin-filament bulb with the brake light.

Is a position lamp not working a WoF fail?

Yes. Fitted lamps must work, so a missing or non-working position lamp fails the WoF, or the CoF for heavy vehicles, until it is repaired.

Which side is the nearside position lamp?

Nearside is the left side of the vehicle (the passenger side on a New Zealand car). Offside is the right side, the driver side.