Comparing Hid And Led Car Headlights – Let's Burn Out The Confusion

By Author: Osram
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Comparing HID and LED car headlights – Let's burn out the confusion
Car headlights are one of the most important requirements while driving especially at night. It's quite surprising how people do not want to change their car lights before they go out. In fact, regular inspection of headlights is a must and should be a regular part of your vehicle's overall maintenance.
When choosing the perfect headlight for cars, people get confused between HID or LED car headlights. Even when upgrading the car headlight bulbs, you are confronted with these two choices. The question is how do you decide which one is better and which car light best suits your requirements.
Let's dig deeper into the comparison between HID and LED bulbs for cars while explaining the various pros and cons of each type of car light and which is the best for you.
Halogen car lights are used by many automakers for their low to medium-segment vehicles. The halogen headlights use a filament that heats and glows to show the road ahead. These lights consist of argon and nitrogen that are present in the bulb by a filament known as tungsten. ...
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This filament is heated up by up to 4500 degrees Fahrenheit through an electrical charge that results in the glowing of the bulb. However, tungsten eventually dies around 800 hours of its usage and you are in for the replacement of your car headlights. Though replacing Halogen lights can be a part of your DIY project, only if you are changing it with another Halogen car bulb. A special piece of advice from us to you – don’t leave any fingerprint of the bulb as the oil from your palms will make the bulb die out prematurely.
HID car headlights
Also known as Xenon car bulbs, High-Intensity Discharge (HID) lights work on xenon gas and not on neon gas. A tube equipped with electrodes causes the xenon and halide salts to react with each other by passing through a strong current on both ends. The salts vaporize, xenon gas ionizes while the current is flowing, and decreases the resistance among the two electrodes. The vehicle's power supply maintains the output of the light.
One of the biggest disadvantages of HID car headlights is that the entire above process takes a bit more time to ignite. In a case of emergency, HIDs can not be trusted upon as they can get faulty. The cost of their replacement can be a bit on a higher side when compared to halogens. There are various HID conversion kits available in the market for a switch from Halogen to HID car lights. Much more energy-efficient than Halogens, HID headlights for cars are now available for almost all vehicles across the globe.
Owners of vehicles with HID headlights often complain about their too brightness feature for the oncoming drivers. Many drivers mistakenly take these car lights as too bright or on high beam.
If you want to upgrade to HID car bulbs, consider them buying from a reputable source or brand and should be installed by professionals. There are many different HID conversion kits available in the market also that will make the transition from Halogen to HID easy and smooth.
LED car headlights
Light-emitting diode (LED) lights do not work on the filament model. Unlike HID lights, they transfer current through a semi-conductor, that emits photons and lights emits. Becoming the new favorite among the various automakers, LED headlights are enjoying the spotlights due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, and style.
As these car bulbs require extra heat sinks and fans to make them stay cooler, this adds up the extra space involved in installing these lights in HID headlight sockets. However, there are LED conversion kits available too and when the upgrading is done by a professional, there is no need to worry!!
These lights are eco-friendly, they can be the best buds for your vehicle by running for a longer period or almost indefinitely.
Factors that differentiate HID and LED car headlights
Size of light
It does not depend on the type of light, you will eventually need a conversion kit to upgrade to LED or HID headlights. Neither of them can fit in your traditional bulb socket without the kit. As far as the size of these car lights is concerned, LEDs are more compact while HID lights tend to be a bit bulkier and hence more demand for LED car bulbs.
Headlight colors
LED car headlights generally come in four shades – Blue, White, Purple, and Yellow. LED headlights and LED fog light conversion kits are available mostly in white color while HIDs are available in seven colors – White, Purple, Golden yellow (works well in fog), and blue. White color is the brightest among both these types of car lights.
Brightness
Both LED and HID car headlights are brighter than the halogens and cover a wider range of roads. However, if HID lights are not properly installed in the headlight socket, they provide an intense glare onto the oncoming drivers. LED car lights provide a seamless beam of natural light and are best suitable for low visibility roads or conditions. LED fog lights are much in demand for the very same reason.
Durability and lifespan
One of the biggest advantages of LEDs is that they can burn for up to 30,000 hours to 50,000 hours. There is almost no need for their replacement. As there is no breakable or loose part present in the bulb, these car lights are more durable than their other counterparts. HID car bulbs can burn up to only 5,000 hours and thus you might need to replace them once or twice within the present car life.
Cost
Cost is one of the most critical parts when choosing the type of car headlights. It is important to understand the benefits from long-term investments you will achieve after upgrading your car headlight. As LED headlights use low energy and function at a low temperature – they can run indefinitely and thus, no cost of replacement of car lights with better car battery life too. HID car headlights are quite expensive from the start and require more maintenance in the future like our traditional car bulbs.
If you want a more durable, brighter, and more energy-efficient headlight for the car that provides you clearer visibility, then it's time to stop your research here and go with the points explained above. Remember, the car headlights should suit your pocket, your requirements, and your vehicle.