OBJECTIVE: Quality of life (QoL) is a key parameter in describing the impact of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The reliability and validity of the Hungarian version of the SLEQoL were assessed with the intention of using it in clinical and health economic trials and burden-of-disease studies in Hungary. METHODS: Data were collected through a postal survey of patients with SLE. Participants completed the SLEQoL and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) on two occasions, two weeks apart. Test-retest reliability was assessed by correlating SLEQoL scores at the two time points. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Evidence of construct validity was gained by correlating SLEQoL scores with NHP section scores and by testing whether the measure was able to distinguish groups that differed according to self-perceived severity of condition. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients participated in the survey. Mean age of the sample was 39.9 (SD = 12.2) years, 49 patients (92.5 %) were female and mean disease duration was 12.0 (SD = 8.2) years. Test-retest reliability for patients who had no change in their condition between administrations was 0.94. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.90 and 0.93 at times 1 and 2 respectively. The highest correlation was observed with the emotional reactions section of NHP and the lowest with pain and sleep disturbance. Patients who perceived the severity of their condition to be moderate or quite severe obtained higher SLEQoL scores (indicating poorer QoL) than those who perceived their condition to be mild (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The Hungarian SLEQoL was shown to have good test-retest reliability, indicating that it produces little random measurement error. Evidence of validity was also good. The results provide preliminary evidence that the instrument will be able to detect changes in QoL occurring in routine clinical practice or in clinical trials or studies.