A vehicle lighting unit can prevent the erroneous emission of laser light from a lens member through its light emission surface to the outside even when a wavelength converting member is dislocated. The vehicle lighting unit can include a laser light source, the wavelength converting member configured to receive the laser light and wavelength-convert at least part of the laser light, and the lens member including a light incident surface on which light from the wavelength converting member or the laser light is incident, a first reflecting surface configured to totally reflect the light from the light incident surface, and a light exiting surface through which the light from the first reflecting surface can exit. The lens member can further include a total-reflection prevention structure at the first reflecting surface, configured to prevent the laser light entering the lens member from being totally reflected by the first reflecting surface.