An automatic darkening liquid crystal mirror for vehicles, the mirror having a transparent front substrate and a back substrate with a reflective or transflective mirrored coating. The front and back substrates are spaced apart to define a liquid crystal cell between the substrates that is filled with a liquid crystal fluid incorporating a dichroic dye. A conductive thin film is applied onto the interior surface of the front substrate, and the mirrored coating of the back substrate also is conductive. An alignment compound is deposited on opposite sides of and bounding the liquid crystal cell. An electronic control circuit is adapted to apply selectively a voltage signal to the conductive think film and the conductive mirrored coating to affect the transmittance of the liquid crystal fluid, and thereby the darkness of the mirror, in response to light intensity sensed by a headlight sensor coupled to the electronic control circuit.