Abstract We have investigated the behaviour of inverted poly(3-hexylthiophene) : [6,6]-phenyl- C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT : PCBM) solar cells with different active layer thickness upon changing light intensity. Using white-light bias external quantum efficiency (EQE) measurements and photocurrent transient measurements we explain the different thickness dependence of device performance of inverted (ITO/ZnO/P3HT : PCBM/WO₃/Ag) and standard (ITO/PEDOT : PSS/P3HT : PCBM/Ca/Al) cells. Whereas for inverted devices where high EQEs of up to 68% are measured under low light intensities (∼3.5 mW cm⁻²), a dramatic reduction in EQE is observed with increasing white-light bias (up to ∼141.5 mW cm⁻²) accompanied by a severe distortion of the EQE spectrum. For the inverted device this spectral distortion is characterized by a dip in the EQE spectrum for wavelengths corresponding to maximum light absorption and becomes more prominent with increasing active layer thickness. For regular P3HT : PCBM devices, in contrast, a less dramatic reduction in EQE with increasing light intensity and only a mild change in EQE spectral shape are observed. The change in EQE spectral shape is also different for standard devices with a relative reduction in EQE for spectral regions where light is absorbed less strongly. This asymmetry in device behaviour is attributed to unbalanced charge transport with the lower mobility carrier having to travel further on average in the inverted device structure. Thus at high light intensities charge recombination is more pronounced at the front half of the device (close to the transparent electrode) for inverted cells where most of the light is absorbed, and more pronounced at the back half of the device for standard cells. Our results therefore indicate that bulk charge transport mobilities rather than vertical composition gradients are the dominant factor in determining the performance of standard and inverted P3HT : PCBM cells.