Guide to car headlight technology - ConsumerReports.org
But our tests have found that in the real world, high-tech headlights don’t necessarily let you see any further. They’re often brighter than current halogen lights, but they don’t necessarily throw light farther down the road. Here’s a look at some of the latest trends in headlight design to watch for the next time you’re in the market for a new car. Adaptive headlights. High-intensity discharge headlights do away with the heated filament of ordinary bulbs and instead use gas. But HID headlights cost hundreds of dollars to replace, and they require a transformer that can run more than $500 if it goes bad. In our tests, HID headlights generally haven’t performed any better than basic halogen lights overall. Light-emitting diode headlights have several advantages over conventional bulbs, including compact size, reduced energy consumption, and longer life. The downside is the replacement cost can run to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The next big thing in headlights combines some of the technologies listed above. Adaptive LED systems use a matrix of individual LEDs that automatically turn on and off based on where the car is headed and other vehicles that the. Source: www.consumerreports.org
