If you’re driving on dark or dimly lit roads at night, the three best headlight options to illuminate your path are halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID), and light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. Some of the best bulbs on the market include Philips H7 Standard Halogen bulbs, SiriusLED S3 H11 LED bulbs, and Anzo Super White Halogen bulbs.

Driving at night can be pretty challenging—and if your vehicle’s headlights aren’t bright enough, your ability to drive safely is compromised. Properly fitting your car with sufficiently bright headlights is the best way to improve your field of vision and give you extra time to respond to continuously changing road conditions.

We don’t want you to feel like a deer in the headlights—so if you’re not sure where to start,

Jerry

the

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super app is here to explain everything you need to know about the best headlight bulbs for night driving. This guide will explain what halogen, HID, and LID bulbs are and how to choose the right type based on your needs. We’ll also shine a light on the best bulbs available for purchase!

What are halogen bulbs?

A halogen light bulb is essentially an enhanced incandescent bulb that uses halogen gas and a tungsten filament to produce a chemical reaction we perceive as visible light.

Halogen bulbs cast a warm, yellowish hue. Some bulbs come with a special blue coating to enhance the luminosity and temperature of the light. The vast majority of cars on the road today use halogen headlights, which makes them pretty easy to find, install, and repair.

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Can you replace halogen light bulbs with LED lights in a car?

The best halogen bulbs to buy

Philips H7 Standard Halogen Replacement Headlight Bulb

Available from

Amazon

, $11

You can’t go wrong with a classic! Philips has over 100 years of experience in offering reliable, high-quality bulbs with outstanding value.

Car manufacturers have trusted these DOT-compliant 12v bulbs for many years. They’re easy to install, cast plenty of light, and would be suitable for the car owner who is happy with a tried-and-true standard.

Philips H7 CrystalVision Ultra Upgraded Bright White Headlight Bulb

Available from

Amazon

, $50

If you have halogen bulbs that seem dim and yellow, try these bright white bulbs from Philips!

The 55-watt 12v halogen light bulbs cast a powerful, cool-tinted bright light. These are a great option if you want a more intense light but you don’t have the time or money to upgrade to LED or HID.

MORE: How to clear foggy headlight covers

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What are HID bulbs?

Two electrodes sit at the end of a quartz tube filled with xenon gas and metal salts—which is why High-Intensity Discharge (HID) bulbs are also known as xenon headlights. When voltage is applied to the electrodes, it excites the gas and salts and forms an electrical arc. This arc beams a light-emitting plasma, which we interpret as a very bright light.

HID lights are long-lasting and produce an intensely bright bluish-white light that’s capable of illuminating longer distances. They are typically installed on higher-end vehicles and replacing the bulbs tends to be a complex process—there are, however, aftermarket conversion kits for upgrading to HID/xenon headlight bulbs that are fairly simple to install.

MORE: HID vs. LED headlights: which is superior?

The best HID bulbs to buy

Anzo Super White Halogen Bulbs

Available from

Amazon

, $16

If your factory-issued headlight bulbs are making it hard to see the road in front of you, these super-white bulbs are a great replacement option. These bulbs emit 50% more light than your standard halogen bulbs.

If you want to upgrade your halogen bulbs to HID lighting without spending a fortune, look no further than Anzo Super White Bulbs.

DMEX D2S - 35W - 6000K Cool White Xenon Headlight HID Bulbs

Available from

Amazon

These will not fit if your car has standard Halogen or LED headlights. If your car is only HID-compatible, these bulbs are a fantastic deal and will freshen up your car’s look.

These come with a 24-month warranty and allow you to gain 4.5 more seconds in reaction time with ultra-bright and well-dispersed light.

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How to turn on headlights

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What are LED bulbs?

To keep things simple, a light-emitting diode (LED) is a superconductor that can conduct electricity under specific circumstances—in this case, when an electric current passes through the LED, it emits visible light.

LED light bulbs are extremely energy-efficient, long-lasting, and moderately easy to replace. They cast a pure, bright-white light beam over long distances.

The best LED bulbs to buy

SiriusLED S3 H11 LED Headlight Bulb Kit

Available from

Amazon

The LED bulbs included in this conversion kit cast 8,000 lumens of bright white light. If you frequently drive on exceptionally dark roads and have trouble seeing what’s ahead, you might want to try converting your headlights to house these LED bulbs. There’s even a built-in fan to prevent overheating.

They are fairly easy to install, but be sure to check for compatibility with your car before buying them, as they could cause your headlights to flicker. In case they don’t work out, they come with a one-year warranty.

9006/HB4 LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit

Available from

Amazon

, $50

If you want the appearance of HID bulbs without difficult installation, try this LED conversion light kit. It’s compatible with 99% of cars and only takes 10 minutes to install!

They’re four times brighter than halogen bulbs, so you can light the path in front of you. At the same time, they also provide a better light pattern than other LED brands so they won’t blind oncoming drivers.

MORE:

How do you avoid the glare from oncoming headlights?

Which headlights should I choose?

Use the chart below to easily compare and contrast the average features across all three bulb types.

Feature	Halogen	HID	LED
Longevity	450 - 2,000 hours	2,000 - 15,000 hours.	30,000 - 45,000 hours
Brightness, measured in lumens	700 - 1,200	8,000	9,000 - 10,000
Energy efficiency	Low	High (uses 75% less energy than halogen)	High (uses 85% less energy than halogen)
Distance	100 meters	300 meters	300 meters
Cost	Cheap	Average	Can be expensive
Installation difficulty	Easy	Can be difficult	Easy to medium

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Halogen vs. HID

Halogen bulbs are the most affordable and readily available headlight option. HID lights, however, are a little trickier to find, cost more on average, and can be fairly difficult to install.

That being said, HID light bulbs last longer, are brighter, and are more energy-efficient than Halogen bulbs. They also provide panoramic illumination so you can see the entire road and your surroundings more easily in low light.

If you’re willing to invest a little more time and money into a better-performing bulb in low visibility conditions, HIDs are the clear winner.

Halogen vs. LED

LED bulbs are significantly brighter, last longer, and are more energy-efficient than Halogen bulbs. Halogen bulbs, however, are much cheaper and incredibly simple to install, making them the best option for saving both time and money.

LED headlights can be overwhelmingly bright and might blind approaching drivers. If you frequently drive in the city or areas with plenty of street lighting, you may feel perfectly content with less-intense Halogen bulbs. If you are out driving dark and desolate country backroads, however, you’ll likely feel much safer and see the road much better with LEDs.

HID vs. LED

Both HID and LED bulbs are great options, but which is better depends on which technology is compatible with your vehicle.

Generally, LED bulbs emit a better and brighter light for reflector lenses, and HID bulbs are better suited for vehicles with projector lenses. Your car may even have a hybrid of the two, which may yield the best results.

LEDs can last twice as long as HID bulbs and can put out 15% more light. HID bulbs, on the other hand, produce a more focused and concentrated light and are almost a third cheaper than LEDs.

Ultimately, the best headlight bulb option for you depends on how much time and money you want to invest, your routine driving conditions, and your vehicle’s compatibility. Analyzing your unique needs will help you make a decision and maximize your headlights’ effectiveness when driving at night.

Key Takeaway When choosing the right bulb for your car, you’ll want to consider factors like price, brightness, longevity, driving conditions, energy efficiency, compatibility, and installation difficulty.

MORE:

Does car insurance cover busted headlights and tail lights?

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