Modular vs full-face motorcycle helmets: safety, P/J approval labels and SHARP latch scores
A modular helmet approved as P or P/J can be tested like a full-face with its chin bar closed, but the latch is the weak point: SHARP's latch scores for five flip-front helmets among its latest ratings range from 37% to 100%. Here is what J, P and P/J mean, how modulars are tested, and what ALLR's catalog shows (2026-10-24).
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A modular (flip-front) helmet is not automatically less safe than a full-face, but the chin-bar latch is the part to check. SHARP, the UK Department for Transport’s helmet-rating programme, tests flip-front helmets with the chin bar closed, exactly like a full-face, and says many flip-front helmets score as well as full-faces. It also publishes a latch score, the share of impacts in which the chin bar stayed locked, and across the five flip-front helmets among its 20 latest ratings that score ranged from 37% to 100%. The approval label tells you whether a modular may be ridden open: P means closed only; P/J means it is also approved as an open-face when the chin bar is in its approved raised position. In ALLR’s catalog modulars are 9.3% of complete helmet pages and cost a median 11% more than full-faces (ALLR data, 2026-10-24, spare parts excluded). This guide explains the labels, how modulars are tested, and how to choose.
J, P and P/J: reading the approval label
A helmet approved under ECE 22.06 has a fabric label sewn to the chin strap. Besides the “06” series number, it carries a letter code. SHARP’s explanation of the markings (23 September 2026) is the clearest primary source:
- 01J: open-face.No approved protective chin bar. The rider’s face and chin are exposed in a crash, even if the helmet has a face covering that is not approved for protective chin-bar performance.
- 02P: protective chin bar.Found on conventional full-face helmets and on some modulars. A flip-front approved only as P must be ridden with the chin bar closed and securely locked. The bar may be raised only when stationary, or to put the helmet on or take it off.
- 03P/J: approved open or closed.A modular approved in two configurations: P with the chin bar closed and secured, and J with the bar in the manufacturer-approved open position. Riding with it up is allowed only in that position and with the maker’s instructions followed. SHARP is explicit that this leaves the face and chin exposed, “as if the rider is wearing an open-face helmet”.
Two practical points. First, the label is on the chin strap, not on the retailer’s page, so check it when the helmet arrives. Second, “adventure” is a style, not a helmet type: SHARP notes that some adventure helmets have a fixed chin bar and are P, while modular adventure helmets usually fall under P/J.
How modular helmets are tested
Both major standards treat the chin bar as a failure point. In Snell’s M2025R oblique test, the first impact on any flip-up sample is run with the chin bar locked closed, and the bar “must not release and flip-up inadvertently”; at least one certification sample is oriented so the impact stresses the chin-bar closure. SHARP runs its linear impact tests on flip-fronts with the bar closed, which makes the star rating directly comparable to a full-face, then reports the latch score separately.
That separation matters: the star rating and the latch score can disagree. A helmet can earn four stars while its chin bar opened in many of the test impacts. Look at both.
SHARP’s recent flip-front results
| Helmet | SHARP RRP | SHARP stars | Latch score (chin bar stayed locked) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schuberth E2 | £589.00 | 4 | 100% |
| HJC i80 | £199.00 | 4 | 90% |
| HJC F100 | £299.00 | 4 | 77% |
| Nexx X.Lifetour | £369.00 | 3 | 50% |
| LS2 Strobe II | £99.99 | 4 | 37% |
Price does not sort this list. The £99.99 LS2 has the lowest latch score and the £589 Schuberth the highest, but the £369 Nexx sits below the £199 HJC i80 on both measures. Five helmets are a snapshot, not a ranking; SHARP’s full list is at sharp.dft.gov.uk/helmets, and results apply to the UK-market model.
Why the chin bar matters at all
The reason to care about the closure is that the chin area is where a face-first impact lands. An Australian Government research report on basilar skull fracture analysed 174 mainly fatal South Australian motorcycle crashes (1983 to 1994): almost half of the severe head impacts were to the facial region and 42% of those were to the chin bar. The sample is old and skewed to fatal crashes, and 70% of the riders wore full-face helmets, so read it as evidence that the chin area takes hits, not as a measure of any modern helmet. It is the reason both standards test it.
What the catalog shows (ALLR data, 2026-10-24)
| Type | Pages | State ECE 22.06 | State Snell | Median price (CA$) | Middle half (CA$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-face | 7,915 | 54% | 402 pages | 460 | 285 to 736 |
| Modular | 1,288 | 44% | 0 pages | 510 | 368 to 739 |
| Adventure | 364 | 54% | 15 pages | 530 | 354 to 816 |
| Open-face | 1,809 | 56% | 9 pages | 280 | 200 to 374 |
| Off-road | 2,348 | 44% | 63 pages | 335 | 224 to 550 |
| Half | 195 | 3% | 0 pages | 165 | 122 to 200 |
Modulars are a small slice (9.3% of pages) and fewer of them state ECE 22.06 (44%, against 54% for full-face). That gap is partly stock still labelled under older approvals and partly retailers that do not print the approval letters, so confirm both the series and the P or P/J letters on the label. Popular modulars with the 22.06 approval stated include the Shoei Neotec 3, Schuberth C5, AGV TourModular and LS2 Advant X. For comparison, well-stocked full-faces include the Shoei RF-1400 and AGV K6 S.
Which should you choose?
- 01Choose a full-face if.you ride fast, ride off-pavement, track your bike, or simply want the simplest design with no hinge to fail. Fewer moving parts means nothing to latch.
- 02Choose a modular if.you wear glasses, commute, tour, or often stop and want to talk, drink or take payment without removing the helmet. Pick one with a high SHARP latch score and a P or P/J approval, and keep it closed and locked whenever the bike is moving unless the label allows otherwise.
- 03If you want to ride with the bar up.Only a P/J helmet is approved for it, only in the manufacturer’s open position, and you give up chin and face protection while it is up. Most riders flip up at stops.
- 04Either way.Fit first. Use the certification line and head-shape fit, and compare the exact model across stores; price spread for the same helmet is covered in do expensive helmets protect better?.
Common questions
Are modular helmets legal for road use?
Does a modular helmet protect the chin as well as a full-face?
What is a SHARP latch score?
Is a Snell-certified modular available?
Why does my modular say P/J but the store page only says ECE 22.06?
About these figures
Catalog numbers are a dated snapshot (2026-10-24), spare parts excluded, and the SHARP figures were read on 2026-10-05; the method is on the methodology page and live listings are on the helmets catalog. To see modulars side by side, each priced landed per retailer: Schuberth C5 vs Shoei Neotec 3, Neotec 3 vs Schuberth E2, Schuberth C5 vs LS2 Advant X and Schuberth E2 vs LS2 Advant X; for a full-face benchmark, Shoei RF-1400 vs AGV K6 S. For the full buying sequence, start at the buyer's guide hub.
Sources
- SHARP: the anatomy of a label, what the J, P or P/J markings mean (23 Sep 2026)
- SHARP: helmet ratingsLatch scores for flip-front helmets
- Snell Memorial Foundation: M2025R final textStandardFlip-up chin-bar rule in the oblique test
- Australian Government: basilar skull fracture in motorcycle crashes (2007)174 South Australian crashes, 1983 to 1994
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