If it were not for car headlights, nobody would be able to use their cars when it is dark. That would have rendered them useless for the better half of a day. Besides, headlights are one of the striking features of a car’s exterior.

When cars started to replace horses, people could not drive when at night. Headlamps were not a thing back then because horses could see even in pitch dark, and there was no risk of horses ramming into each other at night. But this was not the case with cars. Also, cars could run much faster than horses, multiplying the risk of collision. Some smarty-pants came up with the idea of fixing acetylene lamps with reflectors in front of the cars. This had its own problems but was a great help at the time. Headlight technology took a leap in the early 1900s with the invention of electric bulbs. This article will tell you about the different types of headlights and the tips to follow when you are shopping for one.

Different types of car headlights

Car headlights have come a long way since the first acetylene lamps. Today there are different types of headlamps that are unique form each other in their features and design. There are newer technologies that are still in their nascent stages. Having a basic understanding of different types of headlights and their differences will help you make better choices when you are out shopping for one. Here is a list of the most common types of headlamps, including one that is not as common but might have a game-changing effect on the headlamp industry in the next decade.

Halogen headlights

Halogen bulbs have been an inevitable part of cars for over a century. Even to this day, this is the most common type of bulb in car headlights. The reasons for their popularity are quite a few. Because they have been around for such a long time, the technology is very mature. Halogen bulbs basically use a similar technology as that of a household incandescent bulb, but with halogen gas instead of air. These bulbs are quite cheap. But the downsides are that they generate a lot of heat, are not energy efficient, and have a shorter lifespan as compared to other types of headlamps.

LED headlights

These are becoming more and more common in newer car models and are very popular in the aftermarket car headlights segment. People are retrofitting their older cars with LED headlights these days. There are a number of benefits to justify the extra cost of installing LED lights. Firstly, they emit an unadulterated white light which is very bright. They are a hundred times more efficient than halogen lamps and can last for over 50000 hours. They have a colour temperature of 6000K, which is similar to daylight. So, if you don’t mind the initial cost, LED lights are a good investment.

Halo headlights

The Halo headlight is not a unique type of lighting technology. Rather, halo headlights feature an LED ring around the default projector headlights. This ring adds a unique design element to the overall aesthetic of the car and makes the car headlights appear like open eyes. Even though the LEDs in the ring do very less to increase the overall light output, they make the vehicle stand out and make it more visible to the oncoming drivers. These are not a common feature in cars, though. In fact, only very few luxury cars have halo headlights.

LASER headlights

Now this one has a sci-fi touch to it. If you are thinking about cars that emit powerful laser lights that burn everything in their way, you can dial down that fantasy a bit. But nonetheless, LASER headlights are expected to be the next big thing in headlight technology. Instead of directly emitting LASER beams onto the road, the light will be coming from a phosphorous lens that illuminates using the powerful laser beams. There are several advantages to this technology. Not only is it much more energy-efficient than LEDs, but they also enable the aesthetically pleasing and complex design of the car headlights.

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