Headlights are one of the key safety features of your vehicle, so it’s a crucial step to get right when you’re due to replace them. Whether you’re looking for brighter lights for country driving or trying to be more energy efficient, there’s different headlights for different requirements.
There are three main types of headlights: LED, HID or ‘xenon’, and halogen. We’re going to take you through the features of all three, so you have all the information you need to make the best decision for your car.
What is a Car Headlight?
Car Headlights are one of the most essential parts of the car when driving down a dark and dingy road. Headlights help you navigate the road at night and improve visibility in bad weather conditions. Suffice it to say, having properly functioning headlights is vital to your safety on the road. A failing headlight should be fixed as soon as possible to keep your vehicle both legal and safe.
Headlight technology has come a long way from Carbide lamps used in the early days of cars to laser lights of the modern era. If you’re looking for a replacement or an upgrade, in this article we discuss the different types of headlights available on the market today.
Types of Headlights or Headlight Bulbs
Vehicles can have halogen, LED, xenon/HID, or laser headlight bulbs. The brightness, fuel efficiency, and longevity of a car headlamp depend on its bulb. Here’s a look at how the different kinds of headlight bulbs work and compare.
#1. Halogen Headlights.
Halogen lights contain a filament or a pair of filaments on single bulbs that provide both bright and dim headlamp functions, but there is pressurized gas rather than a vacuum within the bulb.
The bulb filaments are tungsten and the glass envelope is pressurized with inert gas and a small amount of chemically reactive halogen gas, usually, iodine or bromine, which allows halogen bulbs to burn brighter and longer without blackening the inside of the bulb. Some halogen bulbs have a blue coating to make them appear brighter than they are.
Most modern headlights use halogen bulbs. Some sealed beam replacements for older vehicles with glass even have halogen capsules built into the glass-sealed beam casing rather than the original type of filament.
If one of those earlier sealed beam units gets breached by a rock, the vacuum within the sealed beam lamp will be lost and those old-style filaments will oxidize and burn out almost immediately. With the halogen capsule providing the light, a small rock hole in the lens facing doesn’t matter.
- Pros: Halogen bulbs don’t cost much to manufacture and are usually less than $20 per bulb to replace, but you need to buy a good name brand – some brands may burn out within a month. They’re pretty easily replaced on most vehicles. Some vehicles may require removing parts from the engine compartment area or perhaps the splash shield.
- Cons: Standard halogen headlights burn with a slight yellowish hue that measures at roughly 3,000 Kelvin on the color temperature scale. There are some bulb manufacturers that make 3,400 to 4200 Kelvin Halogen bulbs, but those aren’t street legal in most places.
- Typical lifespan: These bulbs burn hot, giving them a somewhat shorter service life (450 to 1,000 hours) than other headlight bulbs.
- Average cost: $10 to $20 for a bulb, and as low as $100 for a pair of headlight assemblies.
Related Post: How To Repair A Dim Headlight?
#2. LED Headlights.
Light emitting diode (LED) headlights are still relatively new to the scene, but they certainly bring a lot to the table. Unlike Halogen and HID lights, LED lights generate almost no heat, instead converting most of their energy into light. Low energy requirements mean LED headlights reduce emissions and help preserve your Car’s battery.
Why isn’t everyone switching to LED? While some newer models of cars come fitted with them already, converting from halogen to LED can be a little trickier. Firstly, they are more expensive than regular halogen headlights. Secondly, there are some physical and legal obstacles to overcome if you want to convert from halogen to LED.
- Pros: LED bulbs are basically small semiconductors that can be arranged to fit tight spaces. This makes it possible for manufacturers to come up with sleeker headlight designs and allows more flexibility in styling other assembly components, such as turn signal lights. LEDs can be designed to emit any color of the spectrum. They can produce a bright, white light that illuminates up to a mile ahead without blinding oncoming traffic. LED lights usually range from 4,000 to 6,000 Kelvin on the color scale.
- Cons: The cost of LED headlights is typically higher than their halogen counterparts. This is because the structure of their assembly is a little bit different due to the heat sink that must be built into the lights to prevent the base-emitter from overheating.
- Typical lifespan: 10,000 to 30,000 hours (some sources put the life at 5,000 hours). Compared to halogen headlights, LED bulbs run cool and don’t produce as much heat. This gives them longer hours of illumination which, in some cases, could span the entire service life of a vehicle.
- Average cost: $100 for a bulb, and $600 to $1,300 for a pair of headlight assemblies.
#3. HID Headlights/Xenon.
High intensity discharge (HID) headlights – also called ‘xenons’ after the gas used in them – are known for their brightness. In fact, they tend to be up to three times brighter than the average halogen light, making them great for outback driving and country roads. Despite the extra brightness, HID headlights actually use less energy than halogen lights and have a long lifespan. Many new cars already have HID globes fitted as car makers look to more energy efficient solutions than the traditional halogen.
Converting from halogen to HID is similar to LED in the sense that they’re more expensive globes and you must fit them in accordance with Australian law. Most of the requirements are related to reducing the strong glare of the HID headlights for other drivers.
- Pros: HID headlights emit light in a bluish-white hue (4,000-6,000 Kelvin) which typically provides a greater (farther) range of illumination.
- Cons: Xenon or HID headlights have a delay of several seconds before reaching maximum output. Also, they can be too bright and may blind oncoming drivers. Another possible issue is that the bluish-white glare can impair the other driver’s vision in the dark. Since their light is so focused, you may not see anything else outside the headlights’ field of illumination. This can make it harder to park, switch lanes, or cross intersections.
- Typical lifespan: 2,000 to 10,000 hours. HID headlights can last for years because they have no filament that can burn out.
- Average cost: $100 per bulb, and $350 to $1,400 for a pair of headlight assemblies.
#4. Laser headlights.
Laser headlights are a recent innovation in automotive lighting technology. These lights illuminate through the process of chemiluminescence, which means they produce light by triggering a chemical reaction.
Laser beams are shot through a chamber which causes the phosphorus gas inside to glow. What you see in front of your vehicle is the light coming from the gas, and not the laser beams themselves.
In other words, within the headlight unit, the lasers shine onto mirrors that reflect onto a lens filled with a special gas to create a strong light beam.
- Pros: Laser headlights are more efficient than LED bulbs. They can produce 1,000x the amount of light for half the amount of energy that LEDs consume. They are also 10x smaller than the latter, which allows manufacturers to design a shallower assembly. They are far-reaching, have good adaptability, and can easily be switched on/off as well.
- Cons: While they can produce lighter, they also produce more heat than LEDs. This means the assembly requires more sophisticated built-in cooling systems. Also, they are only currently available for use in high beams, which means they must be paired with regular halogen, LED, or HID headlights. While BMW and Audi have started using these in select models, they were only approved for use in the U.S. recently. Compared to other headlight types, these lights are very expensive and could set you back thousands of dollars.
- Typical lifespan: 50,000 hours. Laser headlights require very low energy input which allows them to work for a very long time.
- Average cost: $8,000 to 12,000.
#5. Matrix.
Matrix lights are also known as pixel lighting. Many different individual LEDs are used to make a headlight, and all of them are independently controlled. A camera is mounted behind the inside rearview mirror, which can detect the headlight and taillight of cars.
When the system detects a vehicle, it turns off the individual LED so that the driver of other cars is not dazzled. So, the headlights do not project the light vertically as well as horizontally on vehicles. This way,a driver can use high beam headlights even if there is oncoming traffic.
Types – Based on Headlight Assembly
Basic headlight design can be divided into two basic types: reflector and projector:
1. Reflector Headlights
Reflector headlights were the standard headlights that were present in all vehicles till 1985. These are still the most common types of headlights that you will see. The bulb in a reflector headlight is encased in a bowl-like case. The bowl-like case has mirrors installed that reflect the light onto the road.
These headlights that were found in older cars had a fixed casing. This meant that in case the bulb burned out, it could not be replaced, and the entire headlight case had to be changed. These reflector headlights were also known as the sealed beam headlights. In sealed beam headlights, there was a lens in front of the headlight which determined the shape of the beam of the light that was produced by them.
However, newer reflector headlights come with mirrors inside the housing instead of a lens. These mirrors are used to guide the beam of light. With this technological improvement, there is no need to have a sealed headlight housing and bulb. It also means that the bulbs can be replaced easily when they burn out.
Pros of Reflector Headlights
- Reflector headlights are inexpensive.
- These headlights are smaller in size, and therefore, take up less space within the vehicle.
Cons of Reflector Headlights
- The light output in reflector headlights is less controlled, and therefore, high output light bulbs cannot be used with this type of headlight housing.
- The low beam cutoff is less distinct for oncoming traffic.
- The beam of light often has weak and intense spots.
2. Projector Headlights
With improvements in technology in the headlight industry, headlights got better. Projector headlights are a newer type of headlight that was first used in the 1980s in luxury cars only. However, today, projector headlights have become quite common, and most of the newer models of cars come equipped with these types of headlights.
Projector headlights are quite similar to reflector headlights in terms of assembly. These headlights also consist of a bulb that is enclosed in a steel case that has mirrors. These mirrors act as reflectors, just like they do in reflector headlights. The only difference is that projector headlights have a lens that works like a magnifying glass. It increases the brightness of the beam of light, and hence, projector headlights produce better illumination.
To make sure that the angle of the light beam produced by projector headlights is correct, they come with a cutoff shield. It is due to the presence of this cutoff shield that projector headlights have a very sharp cutoff.
Pros of Projector Headlights
- Projector headlights are brighter than the old reflector headlights.
- They do not shine into the eyes of the other drivers on the road. This is because the lens projects the beam of light downwards onto the road. The benefit of this is that projector headlights don’t blind other drivers or pedestrians who are crossing the road.
- The beam of light produced by projector headlights is a lot more even, with no weak or intense spots.
- Projector headlights can have HID bulbs, unlike reflector headlights, which can only house halogen bulbs.
Cons of Projector Headlights
- The output of light with projector headlights is a lot different than reflector headlights. If you are too accustomed to the light output of reflector headlights, you may find it hard to get used to projector headlights.
3. H4 Conversions Headlights
If you wish to upgrade the headlight system of your car, H4 conversions are a cost-effective way of doing so. It uses the standard reflector-type housing, but instead of a sealed case, they use an H4 dual filament type bulb that can be replaced.
This means that if your bulb gets burned out, you don’t have to get the entire casing replaced. You can simply replace the bulb and be on the road again in no time (or as long as it takes your mechanic to replace the bulb). This also opens up the possibility of using brighter bulbs like LEDs or HIDs.
Since H4 conversions are a standard reflector-type, the light beam they produce is uneven with hot-spotting, a scattered light output, and possible blinding of oncoming traffic.
Headlights are divided into two types on the basis of the number of bulbs housed in the headlight housing.
- Quad Headlights: Quad headlights are the headlights that have two bulbs in each headlight.
- Non-Quad Headlights: Non-Quad headlights have a single bulb in each headlight.
Quad headlights and non-quad headlights are not interchangeable because the wiring inside is specific to each type. If your vehicle has quad headlights, that’s what you can replace your headlights with. The same is the case with non-quad headlights.
Kinds of Headlight Colors
Headlights for cars come in different colors. Yellow and white headlights are the most common, but some car lights come in cooler tones like blue.
Yellow Light
Yellow light helps filter out blue tones, making them softer on the eyes than white light. Compared to white light, yellow light can cut through rain, fog, and snow. However, it can be difficult to see with yellow light under clear conditions.
The popularity of yellow headlights faltered over the years, but they’re still common in fog lights.
White Light
White light mimics sunlight, improving road visibility. White headlights offer unfiltered light, which makes them brighter and better at illuminating low-light areas. In some countries, white light is the only acceptable headlight color.
If you’re in the market for white headlights, take note of color temperature. The whitest and brightest ratings are often 4,000 for halogen bulbs and 5,000 to 6,000 for LED and xenon bulbs.
Blue Light
Some vehicles look like they have blue headlight bulbs, but that’s not always the case. Usually, they just have bright headlights with a faint blue tint. These “blue headlights” are usually LEDs, HIDs, or xenon gas headlights.
Using your headlights correctly
It’s important to understand how your lights work and when they might need replacing. If you know that you will be driving in the dark, check your lights before the journey to ensure that all the bulbs are working. If they are not, you will need to replace the bulb before your journey. You can be stopped and fined by the police if your lights are not working.
Dipped headlights
These are the most commonly used headlights. They are angled downwards, towards the road, meaning that there is little risk of dazzling oncoming drivers. To turn them on, twist the indicator stalk or use a dial on your dashboard. In newer cars, the lights may come on automatically.
Full beam headlights
These are the brightest type of headlight on normal vehicles. They are angled higher, which allows you, the driver, to see more of the road. They may use a different set of bulbs than the dipped headlights. You should only use full beams on unlit stretches of road and you should switch to dipped headlights to avoid dazzling other drivers, when you meet oncoming traffic.
Sidelights
Sidelights, also known as parking lights, aren’t as bright as headlights, so can be used when it’s not dark enough to use dipped lights but when visibility may be lower than what is ideal. You can also use sidelights for prolonged amounts of time – if you are legally parked on a high-speed limit road overnight, for example.
Fog lights
Fog lights can improve visibility when poor weather makes it difficult to see the road ahead.
The rear fog lights are designed to cut through adverse weather conditions to make other drivers aware of your presence on the road.
Tips for Choosing Headlights
- Avoid those cheap knock-off replacement headlights that may promise the world but don’t deliver. Stick with quality, brand-name lights.
- Make sure to aim and adjust the headlights properly after installing new ones. You don’t want to be “that guy” blinding other drivers.
- Match the headlight technology basis your driving pattern – example, if you do a lot of night/rural driving, splurge on those LEDs or HIDs for maximum vision.
- Advanced options like adaptive beams may cost more, but they can be worthwhile for frequent night drivers.
- Don’t neglect the high beams! Having powerful high beams complement the low beams for night driving.