Your best bet is to check our new-car ratings —and to be wary of paying extra for a headlight upgrade. The key takeaway is not to assume one technology is superior to another.
This is especially important when considering a model whose headlights are part of a pricey package. Before being drawn to the bright, white light that HID, LED, and xenon lamps produce, check our ratings, available on the models pages for all tested vehicles. See CR's new car ratings. Properly functioning headlights are a vital part of car safety. I never anticipated that engineering, the auto industry, and a few hundred tire changes and child seat installations would have brought me here: director of day-to-day operations at Consumer Report's fabulous acre Auto Test Center.
The bonus is that the track's location in rural Connecticut leaves me close enough to home to also enjoy my children and husband while still squeezing in time for gardening, riding horses, and hunting for antiques. Sign In. Become a Member. Remember Me. Forgot username or password? Not a member? Need further assistance? Please call Member Services at This process is known as electroluminescence. This process happens thousands of times per second, creating light.
LEDs are compact and energy efficient. The disadvantage of LEDs, however, is although the light themselves do not get hot, they do cause heat in surrounding assemblies and wiring harnesses. A cooling system, as part of the LED assembly, is supposed to help alleviate the heat, but it is not as effective as it could be. Some halogen equipped vehicles can be upgraded to LED headlights, however, the cooling system must be installed in the engine compartment, an unfavorable area, as the engine is the hottest place within the vehicle.
Like the HID headlight, they shine very brightly and are often mistaken as hi-beams as well. For drivers who live in rural areas with limited street lights, night owls, and frequent nighttime drivers, HID or LED lights are a better option for you. Both HID and LED lights have their advantages and disadvantages; choosing which is best for your vehicle comes down to personal preference. Enter your email address and we'll email you a digital version of this coupon that you can present on your mobile device at your Sun Auto Service Shop.
Skip to content. Find a Location Locations. Make An Appointment Appointments. Email me this coupon. These, like HIDs, may suffer from excessive driver feedback. Just because LEDs are currently non-traditional bulbs does not mean that businesses should not expand into new markets.
LED headlamps are, like halogens, relatively easy to produce and cheap to acquire, at least based on its reliability and duration of service. Drivers must compare the cost against the duration of service when pricing components. For an HID headlamp which will last times longer, the additional price may not be worthwhile, though an LED bulb which may last times longer is generally expected to be a worthwhile investment. The overall sight distance review ended negligibly whereas investors began associating halogen bulbs as equivalent range, cost-effective options for short-medium term usage.
CR recommends that drivers keep their headlights focused and properly aligned. They note that HID and LED bulbs can improve visibility within the same range due to higher light output levels, but that the visibility range does not change substantially.
Using LEDs can enable drivers to get the most time out of their headlamps, but lens covers and headlamp assemblies wear out and discolor before the LED headlamps finally burn out.
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