HID Vs LED Headlights What’s the Difference?

Having bright headlights can help you see better at night while also helping other drivers see you better.  To get the best headlight performance automakers have increasingly used HID and LED headlight bulbs on new vehicles because of their better performance over Halogen headlight bulbs.

You may be interested in upgrading your headlight bulbs to HID or LED headlight bulbs but aren’t sure if it’s possible on your vehicle. This article will explain the differences between HID and LED headlight bulbs and explain which type is best for you and your specific situation.

So which is brighter HID vs LED headlights?  HID xenon headlights are brighter than LED headlights because they are equipped with a ballast that allows the xenon headlights to output a brighter light than LED headlights.  LED headlights are still brighter than halogen headlights but won’t be able to put out as many lumens when compared to HID xenon headlight bulbs.

But what if you don’t have HID xenon bulbs?  Should you install LED bulbs in your headlights?  Should you install HID headlights if your car didn’t come with them?  Are super bright headlights illegal?

What’s the Difference Between HID and LED Headlights?

HID headlights use xenon bulbs to produce their light while LED headlights use LED bulbs to produce their light.  Xenon bulbs are a type of gas that is injected inside of a bulb that is then equipped with an HID ballast to provide increased voltage to the xenon bulb.  LED bulbs, by contrast, use less energy than both xenon and halogen bulbs and don’t require a ballast to provide a high voltage connection.

HID headlights will be able to put out a brighter light than LED headlights but LED headlights will typically cost less.

Which Headlight Bulb is the Brightest HID or LED?

LED headlights will be able to produce a brighter light when compared to halogen headlights but HID headlights bulbs will be much brighter than LED headlight bulbs.  LED headlight bulbs will be brighter than Halogen headlight bulbs but won’t be able to output as many lumens as an HID xenon headlight bulb.

What Last Longer HID or LED Headlight Bulbs?

LED headlight bulbs will last longer than HID headlight bulbs.  This comes down to the fact that HID xenon bulbs are filled with xenon gas that can break over time.  While LED headlight bulbs use a light emitting diode (LED) which does not contain gas and lasts a lot longer than any bulb containing a gas including halogen bulbs.

LED bulbs, in fact, aren’t bulbs, they have light emitting diodes implanted on them to make them imitate the light that a bulb would put off. Which is why if you plan to replace your headlights with LEDs you should

How Long Do HID Headlights Last?

After doing some research online HID headlight bulbs should last anywhere from 2,000-3,000 hours. Most commutes to work can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes, which totals up to about an hour a day.  So HID xenon headlight bulbs should last about 5 years (2,000 hours/365 days equals about 5 years) for the normal person that drives about an hour a day.

Obviously how long HID headlight bulbs will last will be dependent on how many hours the car is driven each day.  So if you drive your car more than an hour a day with your HID headlights on you can expect your HID headlights to last less than 5 years.  If you drive less than an hour a day with your HID headlights on then they may last longer than 5 years.

How Long Do LED Headlights Last?

LED headlights are the longest lasting headlights when it comes to the sheer amount of hours they are designed to last.  A properly manufactured LED headlight should last 20,000-30,000 hours.  If we use our same estimate from above this means that an LED headlight should last 54 years.  So, in theory, LED headlights should last way longer than the life of the vehicle

Based on my own experiences this is not always the case.  I’ve bought LED tail light bulbs that have lasted just over a year.  I’ve also had LED floodlights for use inside of my house that was supposed to last 20,000 hours burn out after only a few years.

While I use the lights inside of my house for more hours of a day than I drive, the LED floodlights were supposed to last 20 years which they did not come close to.  So your experience and longevity with LED headlights may vary.

How Long Do Halogen Headlights Last?

Halogen headlight bulbs are the oldest headlight bulb technology and have the shortest lifespan out of all the headlight bulbs listed here.  Halogen headlight bulbs are only rated to last from 450-1,000 hours according to howstuffworks.com.

If we are using our same time estimate of driving about an hour a day this means halogen bulbs should last about 1- 3 years.  How long the halogen headlight bulbs will be dependent on how many hours the car is driven each day and the environment that it is driven in.

Are HID or LED Better For Projector Headlights?

When talking about projector headlights you should first know the difference between projector headlights and reflector headlights.  Projector headlights use a lens to project the light source in a specific beam pattern that is less likely to blind other drivers.

Reflector headlights like their name suggest reflect the light source over an area and are more likely to reflect that light in the eyes of oncoming drivers.

While projector headlights will typically be brighter than reflector headlights they projector headlights will be aimed downward as to not blind oncoming drivers.

With all that said HID headlight bulbs will be better than LED headlight bulbs because xenon bulbs used in the HID headlights are brighter than what a comparable LED headlight bulb can output.

Are LED or Halogen Better for Reflector Headlights?

However, in the case of reflector headlights LED headlight bulbs will be much brighter than halogen headlight bulbs and will be able to output a brighter whiter light than halogen headlights.

Are Super Bright Headlights Illegal?

Headlight brightness on its own isn’t illegal, it comes down to what color the headlights are and how they are aimed.  If your headlights are pointed upwards and blinding other drivers you can be pulled over and issued a fix it ticket to have your headlights either adjusted or replaced.  Most headlights can be adjusted up and down so that they are not blinding people from behind and oncoming traffic.

Can I Put LED Bulbs In My Headlights?

Yes, you replace your halogen headlight bulbs with LED bulbs, it’s relatively easy to do if you know how to replace a headlight bulb.  First,you would need to find out what type of halogen headlight bulb is currently installed in your headlight housing. In my car, my halogen headlight bulbs are called 9005 which refers to the size and shape of the headlight bulb.

Once you know what type of headlight bulb you are looking for you can then search online for LED headlight bulbs that are compatible with that headlight bulb type.  I’d recommend searching on Amazon as they have a tool that will verify that the new LED headlight bulb is compatible with your car and which beam high or low it will replace.

Can HID Headlights be Replaced with LED?

Yes, Xenon HID headlight bulbs can be replaced with LED bulbs but I would recommend against doing so.  Xenon HID headlight bulbs will be much brighter than LED headlight bulbs in a projector housing. This is because xenon headlight bulbs are able to produce a much brighter and whiter light than comparable LED headlight bulbs.

Xenon HID headlight bulbs are equipped with a ballast which provides higher voltage to the xenon headlight bulb than you would get from just the cars battery alone.  With LED headlight bulbs there is no such ballast equipped so they will be getting the same voltage output from your car’s battery as halogen headlight bulbs would get.

Can You Replace Normal Halogen Headlights with Xenon?

While you can replace normal halogen headlight bulbs with xenon bulbs the type of headlight housing that you have will determine if you should proceed with the replacement.

If you have halogen headlights in a projector housing then replacing those halogen headlights with xenon headlight bulbs is fine, but may require fitting a HID ballast to make the xenon bulbs work properly.  You should not replace halogen headlight in reflector housings with xenon bulbs unless you want to blind oncoming drivers.

Xenon bulbs are designed to be used in projector housings that are able to concentrate the light in a specific beam pattern.  If you put xenon bulbs in a reflector housing that light pattern will be scattered all around (both up and down) and will definitely blind oncoming drivers.

I have a buddy that installed a xenon HID kit in his mustang with a  reflector headlight housing and he said that he had oncoming drivers regularly flashing their brights at him because his lights were too bright and they could not see.

Why Are LED Headlights Better Than Halogen?

LED headlights are better than halogen headlights because LED bulbs are able to put out a brighter whiter light than halogen bulbs.  Halogen bulbs can put out an acceptable amount of light but it is typically yellowish in color.

LED headlight bulbs will put out a light that is much closer to while than comparable halogen headlight bulbs.  LED lights will also be able to produce more lumens than halogen headlight bulbs, which if you don’t know is a general indicator of how much light a bulb can output.

The color of the LED headlight bulb comes down to the temperature that you select when purchasing the LED headlight bulbs.  When I bought new LED headlight bulbs for my car to replace my halogen headlight bulbs I went with 6000-6500K LED bulbs. They were able to put out a brighter and whiter output than my stock halogen headlight bulbs.

Related Questions

Will LED Bulbs Melt My Headlights?  Can LED bulbs melt your headlights?  The answer is it depends on the type of LED bulb you decide to go with.  If you plan to replace your headlight bulbs with LED bulbs then I would recommend going with a set of LED bulbs that have fans with coolers on the back of them to dissipate heat.  Otherwise, you run the risk of the LED bulbs overheating in your headlight housing and melting the plastic headlight housing.

LED headlight bulbs without the fan and heat sink will still work for fog lights but typically fog lights are not as bright as headlights and won’t require as much voltage, therefore less heat will be generated.

How Do I Convert My Headlights to LED?  Converting your HID headlights to LED lights is not recommended.  However, converting your halogen headlights to LED headlights fairly easily.  Regardless of if you have reflector headlight housings or projector headlight housings upgrading from Halogen headlights to LED headlight bulbs will be an improvement.

Really all you need to do is find LED bulbs that you are sure will be direct replacements for your Halogen headlight bulbs. Once you have the new LED headlight bulbs you can install them just as you would replace a burnt-out headlight bulb.

How Do I Know if my Headlights are Xenon?

Xenon headlight bulbs use a ballast to be able to provide the increased voltage to be able to produce the light that is emitted from xenon headlights.  However, that ballast is typically enclosed in the headlight to prevent it from getting wet and shorting out. The easiest way to tell is to look at the pattern of light created by your headlights if the light is being reflected of a reflector at the back of the headlight housing you likely have halogen headlights.

If the light is focused as a specific beam pattern from a projector lens then you likely have xenon or LED headlights.  Xenon bulbs are brighter than LED bulbs but the only way to tell for sure is to look your car up online with the specific options equipped or take apart the headlight assembly to inspect for a xenon headlight ballast.