China's trimmed car tinting: A blend of legal compliance and practicality
Most cars in China have tinted windows. However, an open space in the Far East is often left near the mirror for several reasons.
Each country has its customs. Residents of China do not usually significantly modify the exterior of cars, mainly due to strict regulations. Instead, they focus on personalizing the interior and tinting the windows, though they do it in their way.
A Reddit user, ReeiTheModerator, explained the issue of "trimmed" tinting in more detail, underlining that cutouts are introduced for legal reasons. After registering the car, you can fully tint the window, but it requires a lot of "paperwork," and there is still a chance that such a solution simply won't pass the annual inspection. Thus, the solution is to cut out a piece near the mirror, allowing you to keep driving the car.
Another user (who decided not to use such tinting) also noted that many parking lots in China are underground, and maneuvering with a darkened window is not easy unless you open it completely.
It's worth noting that China has no tint limit for front windows.
