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Bright headlights are an essential (and legally required) tool for night driving and effectively illuminating wildlife, debris and oncoming traffic as well as navigating inclement weather and storms. Having LED headlights installed in your vehicle is a good way to ensure that the road ahead of you is well lit. In fact, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) ratings heavily factor headlights in its safety evaluations. Super Bright Led Headlight
Three headlight types exist. Halogens are the basic system—the headlight bounces light off a mirror behind the bulb—and are standard on most vehicles. The color is warmer, yellowish and less illuminating than blue- or white-hued light. The lifespan is close to 1,000 hours, so they need to be replaced more frequently but are relatively inexpensive.
High-intensity discharge lights, or HID bulbs, have white beams that reach further and last longer than halogens but are costly and less durable. These discharge a gas to produce illumination.
The third style is LED, which stands for light-emitting diode. LED headlights are bright white and vastly improve nighttime visibility. They are the most efficient, run cooler and typically last 20,000 hours, or 2.3 years. LEDs are also the priciest option. For cars that don’t come with LED lights or for older vehicles, there are aftermarket conversions that require careful installation and adjustment to make sure there’s no glare for oncoming traffic.
Here are some of the best LED headlights you can install yourself, specifically focused on LED headlights for high and low beam plus fog lights across a range of vehicles and price points.
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Brighter than factory halogen lights
Plug-n-play wiring, Well-defined beam patterns, Impact-resistant housing
Hard-Coated impact resistant polycarbonate lens, 12-24 volts, DOT And TC compliant
No drilling, cutting, or special tools, needed, Impact-resistant housing, Plug-n-play wiring
Best Budget-to-Power Ratio for Headlights or Fog Lights
Best Budget-to-Power Ratio for Headlights or Fog Lights
Driving H11/H9/H8 LED Headlight Bulbs
These cool white LED bulbs deliver a powerful output: 60 watts and 10,000 lumens per kit. The headlight pattern has a 1.2-millimeter beam that’s laser focused, allowing light to carry wider and further (200 meters) than standard halogens. They also have a super-white 6500K color temperature. These bulbs function as headlights (low or high beam) or fog lights, as long as the size matches: H11, H8 or H9. A hollow-carved heat sink and 12,000 RPM turbofan is incorporated into the design for efficient cooling.
Best Economy Choice for Low Beams
Best Economy Choice for Low Beams
HONCS H11/H8/H9 LED Headlight Bulbs
Despite being one of the most budget options, these clear, bright headlights boast 6000K to 6500K whiteness. The beam pattern spreads wide and far on the road ahead of the headlights’ vehicle. The design is fanless for longevity and to eliminate noise. Rather, the headlights have an aluminum heat sink for cooling. The waterproof rating is IP67: at least 30 minutes of function while submerged under 5.9 inches to 3 feet of water. These lights are 50 watts.
These 50-watt bulbs provide 10,000 lumens per pair. The design’s high-speed cooling fan dissipates heat from the LED chips and is non-audible. The 6000K headlights produce a bright, cool white. These headlights have the highest waterproof rating available: IP68, meaning the device withstands long periods of immersion beneath pressure and these headlights are durable for storms. The setup also includes an aluminum adapter for the H7 LED bulb to lock into the headlight housing.
These 50-watt bulbs provide 10,000 lumens per pair. The design’s high-speed cooling fan dissipates heat from the LED chips and is non-audible. The 6000K headlights produce a bright, cool white. These headlights have the highest waterproof rating available: IP68, meaning the device withstands long periods of immersion beneath pressure and these headlights are durable for storms. The setup also includes an aluminum adapter for the H7 LED bulb to lock into the headlight housing.
There are three main choices for headlights (halogen, HID, which discharges gas, and LED): the longest-lasting is LED (light-emitting diode). So we specifically focused on LED headlights for high and low beam plus fog lights across a range of vehicles and price points. We considered the top-rated and most popular sets for low beam, high beam and fog lights. We evaluated LED headlight models based on ease of use and installation, light clarity and strength, durability and light color. We accounted for overall compatibility with a wide variety of vehicles as well as a spectrum of prices for both budget and high-end options. We also examined a full gamut of end-user ratings.
We evaluate all LED headlights based on these weighted metrics:
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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.
To choose LED headlights, consider color preference. Color temperature is measured in Kelvin (K). The lower the rating, the warmer, yellower the white light is. The higher the number, the cooler or bluer the white light is. Many LED headlights are 6000K or 6500K, about the same as daylight. Determine the requisite headlight size using the car owner’s manual or current bulb. Confirm the manufacturer’s recommended use—fog, low beam or high beam—before purchase.
Neither is brighter. The Kelvin scale (K) rates light as color temperature, not brightness. Both 6000K and 8000K are bright but their hue is different. Car headlights that are 6000K are a whiter tone; 8000K headlights are a bluer tone.
Check the motor vehicle laws in the state or states in which you drive. In the state of Colorado, for instance, green, blue and red headlights are all illegal to display on a civilian motor vehicle. LED headlights that are rated 8000K are blue-tinted.
HID headlights are brighter and cover a larger area than LED headlights. HIDs are the brightest option on the market. However, the lifespan of HIDs are only a quarter as long as LED headlights and are not as durable.
H11 Led Light Headlight Sasha Lekach is a San Francisco native who got her start covering breaking news in the Bay Area. Before joining Forbes Wheels, she was on the electric and autonomous vehicles beat as Mashable's transportation reporter. With a master's of journalism from UC Berkeley and an undergrad degree from UC Davis, she's both California and news obsessed. You can usually find her reading, surfing, eating and traveling or on Twitter at @sashajol.