There are several reasons why LEDs appeal to automakers and consumers. They are brighter than halogen headlights, last longer, use less energy, and have a whiter color.
In addition, many people think they look cool. Halogen headlights were the standard for the auto industry for years, but now LEDs are becoming more popular because they are cheaper to manufacture and simple to replace.
Halogen lights are incandescent lights that have a tungsten filament inside a bulb. When electric current passes through the filament, it heats up and generates light.
They are different from regular incandescent bulbs in that they have a dose of halogen gas instead of argon gas. Halogen bulbs are brighter than regular incandescent bulbs and tend to last longer.
With LEDs, an electric current passes through a semiconductor to produce light. It is brighter and doesn’t make as much heat. It is 90% more efficient than incandescent lights. This means that it lasts for a long time and stays bright longer too. But it costs more than other lights like halogens or HID headlights that use xenon gas.
But Do LEDs Make Headlights Better?
The design of the headlight assembly and the reflectors – the parts that shine light down the road – also affects how well your headlights work. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates headlights based on how far they can light up the road when you’re driving straight, and on curves.
IIHS says that good-rated headlights (the top rating) will light up the right side of the road at least 325 feet away. Poor-rated headlights (the lowest rating) will only light up 220 feet or less.
The IIHS says that LEDs do better in their tests. Some halogens have been rated higher than some LEDs. Some halogens are acceptable and some LED headlights are marginal and even poor. But only LEDs have earned a good rating.
LEDs have a few disadvantages. They cost more and they don’t work as well in cold weather because the temperature must be above 32°F for them to light up.
Halogen headlights weigh less than LEDs, which improve car handling and gas mileage. But automakers are switching to LEDs anyway because car buyers want better lighting systems even if it means giving up those advantages.
If you want better headlight performance, look at an LED or halogen that has earned a good rating from IIHS – the ones with curved shields rather than flat ones that provide uniform illumination over the road surface. You can check car bulbs reviewed by https://bulbsizechart.com/.