Nine Best Headlight Bulbs: LEDs, Halogens, and Replacement
Buying new headlight bulbs can be tricky. Especially if you want the best bulb for driving at night, and you have to replace your old ones.
Driving with LEDs is the best on the road, as you can see the most clearly and feel the safest! However, there are good features in halogens too, if you don’t need intense bright lights.
1. SEALIGHT H8/H9/H11 LED Headlight Bulbs
2. SYLVANIA 9008 SilverStar GOLD Halogen Headlight Bulbs
3. BEAM TECH H11 Bulb, Halogen Replacement
In this review, we highlight the best-led headlight bulbs, the best halogens, and replacement bulbs.
Fortunately, this headlight review will break down the best LED, halogen, and replacement bulb headlight features. Most importantly, how they will benefit you on your next road trip or night drive for optimal safety.
Best LED Headlight Bulbs: Side By Side
Nine Best LED Headlight Bulbs
#1 SEALIGHT H8/H9/H11 LED Headlight Bulbs: Best For Fog Lights
No products found.The LED headlight bulbs are 400% brighter with an ultra-thin design. They come in a pack of 2 and shine a 6500k white light that is great for seeing in fog.
Pros
Perfect beam pattern. The beam pattern shines without any dark spots or shadows providing a visible distance on the road.
Brighter than halogens. 400% brighter than halogens as they emit a white light rather than a halogen yellow dim light.
Easy installation. 10-minute installation with a similar design to halogen bulb housing to fit nicely in any vehicle’s headlights. 99% fitting of vehicles.
Long life. Over 50,000 hours of light life. The aviation aluminum heat sink uses a turbofan to cool the lights for optimal durability and functioning.
Cons
Temperature. The 6500k temperature may be too bright for some users.
Non-adjustable. It May is not fit sensitive cars as it may need more CAN-bus decoders.
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#2 HONCS 9006/ 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs Pack: Best For Long-Distance Light
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These LED headlight bulbs are 300% more bright than standard halogen bulbs for optimal brightness on the road. The no-glare component helps other drivers not get blinded by the lights.
Pros
Easy installation. Takes only 10 minutes to install with compact 900 and 9006 LED bulbs to place in your headlight’s housing.
Higher brightness. These headlight bulbs give off 300% more light than standard with 6500k white light for optimal nighttime vision.
Excellent beam pattern. The LED bulbs provide a wide and long-distance of light on the road to see any road threats ahead. No glare to opposing drivers for safety.
Long life. 50,000 hours of long lifespan with a heat sink for heat dissipation on the light bulbs to conserve energy.
Cons
Non Distinguishable. Hard to tell which beam is high or low as they don’t label them so it may be easy to misplace.
No difference. Not much difference in light between the low and high beam brightness.
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#3 RAM HORN LED Headlight Bulbs: Best For Sporty Cars
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These LED light bulbs are 6500k temperature and emit cool white light best for sporty cars. The very bright light looks best on race cars for style.
Pros
White light. These bulbs are equipped with a cool white light that is bright enough to use as efficient fog lights without any shadows.
Cooling system. The built-in cooling system allows the bulbs to last longer with heat dissipation.
Efficient lifespan. Up to 30,000 hours with aluminum aviation, fast cooling fan to lower the heat on the light bulbs to conserve energy.
Easy to install. Takes 15 minutes to install the light bulbs into the headlight housing. Fits 95% of vehicles.
Cons
Less lifespan. In comparison to other bulbs, they have less lifespan than a typical 50,000-hour light life.
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Best Halogen Headlight Bulbs
#1 SYLVANIA 9008 SilverStar GOLD Halogen Headlight Bulb: Best For Night Vision
One of the brighter and modern-looking halogen headlight bulbs on the market. Similar to HIDs but are 100% legal on the roads. Equipped with advanced technology other halogens are missing.
Pros
Xenon halogen gas. Equipped with Xenon gas technology for style and effective functioning.
Excellent light transmission. The laser coating technology emits bright light for far and wide distances.
HID alternative. A similar level of brightness to an HID bulb but is DOT compliant and 100% legal to use on the roads.
Style. The sleek design is gold and gives off white light emission that looks like HIDs.
Cons
Not too bright. It may be too dim than what drivers are expecting.
Have a yellow tint. It may not be ideal for those looking for a halogen white light.
You might also like to check our review of Sylvania ZXE Gold: Halogen Headlight Bulb here
#2 SYLVANIA 9005 SilverStar Ultra Halogen Headlight Bulb: Best For Clarity
These headlights are some of the brightest, halogen headlights on the market. As this brand is certified with road-legal use, they entail clear, and white-colored lights for efficient brightness.
Pros
White light. Emits 1700 lumen for any vehicle’s headlights output.
Night visibility. Is very bright for downroad clarity at night. 100% legal for street use. More side road visibility in wide distances.
Halogen gas technology. This gas technology has a blue nano-coating, and tri-band coating for protection and to emit bright light.
Color vibrancy. The white light is clear enough for long distances and doesn’t have a yellow or blue tint.
Cons
The color is the same. Although it’s advertised as a very bright white light, it doesn’t have much difference from a standard halogen.
It may not be as sustainable. Not fully evident whether how long these lights will live for.
#3 VEXONEYE Halogen Headlight Bulbs: Best For Sustainability
These halogen headlight bulbs are 5000k to 6000k white headlights that last longer. They provide just enough white neutral light for safe night driving.
Pros
Very bright. Uses 30% xenon that produces 80% more white light than typical halogens.
Easy to install. Standard 9006 socket and a 12v, 55W light bulb. Simply plug and play but use gloves for installation protection.
High quality. Guaranteed high-quality 9006 halogen headlight bulbs that are DOT compliant and legal on the street. 1-year warranty for confidence in your purchase.
Resistant. The silver top coating and blue coating enable the 9006 bulbs to live longer.
Cons
May be too dim. With a light emission of 5000k minimum may not be bright enough to the user’s liking.
Less lighting depth. The distance of the light may be less long than other halogen headlight light bulbs.
Best Replacement Headlights
#1 BEAMTECH LED Bulb, Halogen Replacement
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These halogen replacement headlights are perfect to shine at night for safety. Equipped with light emission of 6500k for optimal LED bulb brightness.
Pros
Longer life. Uses a 6063-aluminum material that is equipped with aviation as the functioning of bulbs are significantly increased for sustainability.
Heat lowering. The cooling system is advanced enough to entail a more efficient bulb for driving safety.
High visibility. The bulb provides a double-sided chip for strong output for optimal visibility.
Fanless. The LED bulbs will ensure a silent drive as there is no extra driver to make noise while on the road.
Cons
Temperature. The color temperature is at a higher frequency of 6500kwhich may be too bright for some drivers.
Fanless. It may be a con if people prefer a turbofan included in the cooling system.
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#2 Leppein 9006 LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit, Halogen Replacement
No products found.These replacement headlights shine brighter, wider, and further than conventional halogen headlights. Shining at 6000 lumens, you’ll never worry you won’t see on your way home.
Pros
Easy installation. Install in only 10 minutes. The 9006 LED headlight replacement is equipped to fit the same size LED as the halogens fit.
Beam pattern. Similar beam pattern to halogen bulbs to not blind oncoming traffic.
Long lifespan. Over 30000 hours of light life. The turbofan enables aluminum aviation to cool down when heated to make the lights live longer.
Bright but safe. These headlights are 6000LM are bright enough to see, but not blind traffic.
Cons
Too bright. May be too bright for some drivers if they are used to halogens since LEDs are typically brighter.
Color. The cool white may differ from drivers’ preferences.
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#3 LASFIT LAplus H8/ H9/ H11 LED Headlight Bulbs
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These replacement headlight bulbs are equipped with an advanced cooling system that enables a longer bulb life from extensive heat dissipation.
Pros
Brighter than halogen. Wider and father light emission, which is double the brightness of standard halogen bulbs.
Perfect beam. The beam pattern is an excellent match for a halogen beam pattern, but only brighter.
Easy installation. Built with a shorter size with no additional driver for quick installation.
One-year warranty. 45 days to get your money back guaranteed.
Cons
Too bright. Since they are 6000LM it is in the higher brightness range of cool white light that may deviate from drivers’ preferences of color.
Too focused. The intense beam pattern may slightly affect oncoming drivers from farther distances.
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Best LED Headlight Bulbs: What To Look For?
Lumens
A typical LED headlight bulb should have 2,000 to 4,000 lumens per headlight bulb for enough brightness to create visibility at night.
A standard halogen headlight bulb should have at least 700 lumens in low beam, and 12,000 lumens in high beam. LEDs are brighter than halogens.
Higher quality headlight bulbs will usually have a higher amount of lumen output that is brighter than bulbs with fewer lumens.
Watts
Per halogen headlight bulb, it should have at least 35 watts, and 55 watts for replacement bulbs.
A standard LED headlight bulb, should have double the number of watts as halogens. On average, 60 watts is ideal for a good LED headlight bulb.
The more wattage a bulb provides, the brighter the light will emit. Always follow your country’s rules and regulations as to how much wattage is legal to safely drive on the streets.
Life Expectancy
For a LED headlight bulb, it’s safe to say the majority on the market have up to 50,000 hours of light life.
Since halogens are less energy-efficient than LEDs, they usually last less for about 500 to 1,000 hours of light life.
Bulb Color
LEDs can range from neutral white light to dim yellow light to cool white light. The higher the temperature (6,000-6,500) the cooler white light (blue-ish tint) they give off.
Halogens are typically a white-yellow color and are less bright than LEDs. This is why they don’t have a blue tint as they are designed with a more solid white emission color tone.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Brightest Headlight Bulbs You Can Buy?
Xenon Pro LED headlights are one of the brightest headlight bulbs because they have a higher light output. Lights with a large percentage higher than halogens are a good sign of how bright they will emit.
What Are The Best Bulbs For Headlights?
The best bulbs for headlights are the SEALIGHT H11/H8/H9 LED Headlight Bulbs in our opinion. These headlights last longer and are energy efficient with a 6,000k range of light for perfect visibility at night.
Which Is A Better HID or LED Headlight Bulb?
LEDs are better than HIDs. In some areas, HIDs are illegal to use on the road. Although LEDs can mimic HID’s in brightness intensity, they emit a legal range of temperature (in the 6,000 range) without glare to blind oncoming traffic.
What Are The Best Headlight Bulbs For Night Driving?
The best headlight bulbs for night driving are LEDs. Halogens may be too dim, and HIDs may be too bright for obtaining the ultimate safety and visibility at night. We recommend HONCS LED Headlight Bulbs as there is no glare and is great for in-depth long-distance light.
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Conclusion
Buying headlight bulbs are more convenient with these top suggestions. Our top three recommendations are SEALIGHT H8/H9/H11 LED Headlight bulbs, SYLVANIA (9008) SilverStar GOLD and Replacement Halogen Headlight Bulbs, and BEAM TECH H11 Bulb Halogen Replacement.
You don’t have to worry about buying too dim of light bulbs, as these light bulbs are brighter and sustain their long life over time as discussed in this review.
Night driving doesn’t have to be a scare but rather a worry-free route when you need to drive home on the highway for long hours. By checking out these recommendations on Amazon.com, your nighttime drive will make for a lot more enjoyable, relaxing ride for you and your passengers.