Imagine a road full of cars with gleaming bright lights in front of all of them. That would be the worst and most dangerous place to drive a car. Dipped lights make driving much safer by directing the headlights away from drivers’ eyes and towards the road.

Dipped lights were a default part of all cars that came out after 1915, just two years after the invention of the first electric headlights. In those earliest car models, people had to get out of the car to change from high beam to low beam. As you can imagine, this was a pain in the neck. But today, we can easily switch between the two with just a click on the steering wheel control. The need to replace the headlamps comes when the bulb has burned out or if you have broken it. Having at least a basic understanding will you make a good purchase decision when shopping for headlamps. This guide will help you with the basics of dipped lights and how to select the right one for your car.

Introduction to dipped lights and different types of them

While discussing car headlamps, you might come across many different terms. If you are wondering what low beam, high beam, dipped lights, and the main beam is, this article will help you. In fact, there are only two modes to headlamps; one that points straight ahead and the other mode that illuminates the road right ahead of you. Low beam or dipped lights are the names for the latter, and high beam or main beam refers to the former. Here are the most important things you should know about the low beam lamps on your car. On this page, you will also come across some tips that will help you pick the best options.

Dipped beam light vs high beam lights

Knowing the difference between dipped lights and high beam headlights will make you a better driver. And you should also know how and when to use each of them. Dipped lights are what turn on first when you switch on the headlamps. They point downwards towards the road rather than straight ahead. This means they will only illuminate a distance up to 50 meters ahead of you. In the case of high beam lights, you have to turn them on intentionally. And when you do, there will be an indication to let you know that the high beam is on. They point straight ahead and can illuminate more than a hundred meters in front of you.

Pros and cons of dipped headlamps and high beam headlamps

There are pros and cons for each of them. But as a general rule, you should use dipped lights most of the time. On regular roads in and near the cities, there is always enough light from other vehicles and the streetlights. You should not use high beams in such cases as they don’t make your visibility any better but dazzle the drivers in the cars approaching from your opposite. On the other hand, driving without high beams is a big safety risk on dark country roads as you won’t be able to spot pedestrians fast enough with only the dipped lights.

Dipped headlight bulbs

Different cars have different headlight configurations. In cars that use single filament bulbs for the headlamps, it is not possible for one bulb to function as both high beam and low beam lights. So they use two separate bulbs for each purpose. But there are more advanced halogen bulbs that have two filaments. One of these filaments will have a small mirror that reflects the light down towards the road. These twin filament bulbs are called H4 lamps, and they are slightly more expensive than single filament bulbs. Dipped headlights bulbs are highly useful when you require increased visibility.

Auto-levelling headlights

Sometimes you can still dazzle the oncoming drivers even if you are using the low beam lights. This can be because of any one of the few possible reasons. When the road you are driving on has ups and downs, this will change the angle of the illumination and can glare straight onto the windshield of the opposite vehicle. The height and balance of the vehicle also vary with the load, thus changing the level of headlamps as well. In cars that have auto, levelling dipped lights; the light will adjust itself. The good news is that you can get aftermarket auto levelling lamps if you don’t mind the high cost.

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