Best Replacement LED Headlights: Brighten Your Visibility (2023)

FAQs

Do LED headlights improve visibility? ›

LED lights are much brighter than halogen bulbs, which means that they can provide better visibility on the road at night. This can help to improve driver safety, as it allows drivers to see potential hazards on the road more clearly. Another benefit of LED headlights is their energy efficiency.

As the brightest LED headlights on our list, the Hikari Ultra LED headlights (US$89.99, Amazon) have 18,000 lumens in a set and a very long luminosity range, but for a light that is almost as bright and at a great value, the Fahren LED headlight bulbs (US$45.99, Amazon) are also an excellent option.

The most common problem that faces headlights is dim, dying, or burnt-out bulbs. Thankfully, this also comes with the most simple solution: bulb replacement. Much like the lightbulbs in your home, headlight bulbs need to be replaced every once in a while.

They are both very bright, providing an excellent source of light at night. However, LEDs are slightly brighter, and do not emit the glare that HID lights might. LED lights use electricity, or a diode to function, and HID lights use xenon gas.

Xenon headlights are probably the brightest bulbs you can get for your car that are actually street legal and can, in fact, often be confused for high-beam lights.

One reason xenon lights have gained in popularity is their extreme brightness. It's often brighter than both an LED light and a standard headlight. These brighter headlights do come with a trade-off, though. They use much more energy than LED light.

The brightest LED headlights on the market usually provide 5,000 to 6,000 lumens per light or 10,000 to 12,000 lumens in total for a pair.

Toothpaste and baking soda can be effective cleansers for cleaning headlights. Both products are abrasive enough to take off the fog without scratching or damaging the headlights. Polishing compounds such as Rain-X might also be effective enough to remedy UV damage.

The Code of Federal Regulations says that the luminous intensity of headlights must be between 500 and 3,000 candelas. What does all that scientific jargon mean? Drivers who want to install special headlights or taillights shouldn't choose lights that measure more than 3,000 lumens.

What color headlights are best for visibility? ›

White light is preferred for many reasons. A whiter light mimics the appearance of sunlight and improves visibility. Additionally, the filters used to create selective yellow light dim the brightness of headlights. White light is unfiltered, making it brighter.

Use warmer colored light bulbs marked 2700-3000K for your bedroom lamp, or consider dimming your lights as you wind down for the evening. Need an energy boost? Use a cooler, bluer light bulb marked 5000K because they give off a natural light, increasing your energy levels and alertness - Opens in new window.

Federal rules primarily govern headlight brightness. The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) states that headlights should have a luminous intensity of between 500 and 3,000 candelas. So drivers looking to install aftermarket headlights should be at most 3,000 lumens.

If your low beam is dim, then you should first try to clean the headlamp thoroughly. In most cases, this can already significantly improve performance and makes your headlights brighter. Warm water, a sponge and washing-up liquid or car shampoo are all that is needed for cleaning.

Reasons often include a faulty power supply, loose connections, a faulty circuit design, or even damage due to water ingress caused by rain. Whatever the reason is for your LED lights not working and whatever the tell-tale signs are, there's usually a solution to the issue.

The problem with LED headlights is that they are incompatible with dark adapted human eyesight – particularly for older drivers – they are too bright, too blue, too 'concentrated' and blinding over too long a distance.

The verdict – make the switch to an LED headlight kit

Compared to halogen bulbs, LED headlights are brighter, last longer and use less energy. But, for most consumers, the biggest draw is that they look much better than traditional bulbs.

Determine what you need from new headlights. If you drive more during the day, consider the cheaper option of halogen or HID lights. You might also choose HID if you're looking for a short-term solution. Our pick for people who drive nightly would be LED for their brightness, quick starting, and life span.

What is the whitest and brightest headlights? ›

Xenon HID White Headlights

The beam is significantly whiter than that of a halogen or LED headlight bulb. Besides improving your visibility, the bright white light also gives your car a more high-tech look and matches well with your fog lights. These headlight bulbs are direct replacements for regular HID bulbs.

6000K = COOL WHITE

As seen on the graph, 6000 Kelvin lighting falls between the white and BLUE side of the graph. People who choose this color are usually trying to get an exotic, more luxurious look.

All vehicles fitted with halogen headlight bulbs from the factory are suitable for LED conversion. The main advantage is a massive increase in road illumination and therefore improved safety when driving at night.

Illumination. Overall, xenon HID headlights provide some of the best illumination of all light types. Not only do they offer the broadest range of coverage, they're also the brightest of all lights in the headlight market.

We usually recommend two LED Parking Lot Light heads of 20,000 lumens each at about 15-20 feet high on each pole. Space the pole about 20 feet apart. That is average lighting. Go brighter and higher if you want your space more inviting.

6000k is the preferred OE color for a LED forward light source. Even if it's close enough as a few hundred Kelvin would be undetectable to the naked eye (5700-6200). I recall seeing a lighting engineer for Audi say that 5700k is the best color for the human eye.

A level between 4,000 and 8,000 lumens is ideal. This is a wide spread so you can choose the amount that is right for your bathroom size.

So, where do you begin? Before taking your car to a detailing specialists and paying exorbitant prices, try using WD-40. The water-displacing spray works effectively at kicking cloudy headlights.

While using a Magic Eraser on a vehicle's paint has become somewhat of a cautionary tale, it's completely safe to clean cloudy headlights. A bonus? The cleaning tool even gets rid of the gross yellow coloring that develops over time. Buff each one with a wet Magic Eraser, then wipe with a paper towel as they dry.

So, why does this happen? At night, and other low light situations, your pupil dilates (gets larger) to allow in more light. When this happens, more peripheral light enters your eye. This causes more blurring and glare, and makes lights look fuzzier.

Why are LED bulbs not road legal? ›

LED upgrade bulbs can't be classed as road legal because they cannot be E marked or have the British Standard mark. The reason that LED upgrade bulbs can't be E marked is simply because no legislation exists for the use of LED technology in a headlight unit built for halogens.

Therefore, LED and HID lights are legal with a few stipulations: They are an OEM feature on a vehicle. In other words, they came standard with a vehicle and are not aftermarket parts. If they are an aftermarket upgrade, they must be white (between 5000k-6000k) and not too high or low to the ground.

What is the brightest LED headlight color? The brightest LED color for your car's headlights and fog lights is white, approximately equivalent to a 5500K bulb color temperature in HIDs. Although the light output is the same for each color, the human eye responds better to a white light similar to natural sunlight.

Night driving glasses are special glasses that may help you to see better at night while you're driving. They're usually yellow-tinted and don't need a prescription. They often have an anti-reflective coating. Some night driving glasses are also polarized.

It's caused by diffraction, a phenomenon that occurs when a light beam passes through a narrow aperture (a hole that allows light in). The pupil is the aperture in the eye, when exposed to bright light, the pupil contracts, resulting in the appearance of a ring or halo around the light.

“LED” stands for “light-emitting diode.” This diode is actually a semiconductor that emits visible light when an electric current flows through its structure.

Explanation: Only use your fog lights when visibility is seriously reduced. Use dipped headlights at other times when visibility is poor. Your headlights and tail lights help others on the road to see you. It may be necessary to turn them on during the day if visibility is reduced; for example, due to heavy rain.

LED Headlights Advantages

LED bulbs emit light 15 times longer than halogen bulbs. LED lights are shockproof, vibration-resistant, and energy-efficient. That means they're very long-lasting. Aside from that, the bulbs are quite bright.

Xenon headlights are probably the brightest bulbs you can get for your car that are actually street legal and can, in fact, often be confused for high-beam lights.

Are expensive LED headlights worth it? ›

The short answer is yes. As with many products, you get what you pay for when it comes to LED lighting. The difference in quality can be quite noticeable. An initial investment for high quality LED lights can actually cost less in the long run when you factor in maintenance, light quality and energy savings.

Q. Visible light has wavelengths in the range of 400nm to 780nm.

The material used most often in LEDs is gallium arsenide, though there are many variations on this basic compound, such as aluminum gallium arsenide or aluminum gallium indium phosphide.

Due to its microscopic size, it did not have practical everyday use. The next year, in 1962, Nick Holonyak, Jr. (the “Father of the Light-Emitting Diode”) invented the first LED that produced visible, red light while working at General Electric.

Driving condition: Daytime

When visibility is significantly reduced during the day, headlights and fog lights should be used. Once visibility improves, these lights should be switched off to avoid dazzling other drivers.

LEDs Need Additional Equipment

Unlike standard xenon or halogen bulbs that can be used on a plug-and-play basis (meaning you can unscrew the old bulb and replace it with a new one), LEDs require additional components such as a relay or heat sink under the hood.

Technology: LED lights use electricity while HID uses gas (typically xenon). Energy use: Both have high energy use compared to halogen, but LEDs are slightly more energy-efficient. Life span: LED lights might last up to 45,000 hours while HIDs have a life span of around 15,000 hours.