OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Wall Charger, 20W, Black
OtterBox USB-C Fast Charge Wall Charger, 20W, Black
69.-
License Plate Lights
About License Plate Lights
Let’s be honest. License plates are not the most glamorous part of a car. Often there are some strict legal regulations regarding how they should look and where they should be on the vehicle. License plate lights are one such compulsory item to have in the car.
What do you need license plate lights for? And why are they such a necessary requirement? Well, like you might have already guessed, they illuminate the license plate on your car. There will be two sets of them — one on the front bumper and another on the back. They are necessary so that the police and the people can spot the license plate when it is dark. Basically, these lights make sure that bad guys won’t get away with a crime in their car, say, after a bank heist. This law is serious so much so that driving a car without license plate lights or driving with a plate that is obscured with mud can get you a hefty fine.
Different types of license plate lights
Despite the fact that you cannot customise the license plate, you can legally do customisations to all the other things that are around it, as long as they don’t hinder the visibility of the plate. This includes the license plate lights. You can use some brighter and better-looking lights; you can mount a nice license plate frame with lights and so on. There are a few different options for you to choose from while buying a new set of license plate lights. They range from different types of bulbs to lights that come with heavy-duty mounts. Here are the most common types of them and their bells and whistles.
LED light
These have many advantages over a conventional halogen lamp. They can be much brighter than a typical halogen license plate bulb. Conveniently, you can install a new set of LED bulbs in the socket made for halogen bulbs. Brands like Philips offer LED bulbs that can last well over 12 years. They will probably outlast the car itself. Even though they might cost significantly more than a halogen bulb, you can have the peace of mind that the bulb won’t fail. And considering the traffic fine that you might incur with a blown-out license plate bulb, they are not that expensive.
License plate mounted light bar
Unlike a license plate illuminator, license plate mounted light bars are an extra set of lights that you can use to light the road (yep, not the plates). This comes in handy when it is too dark for you to see the door even with your headlights on. You can put them to use when you go off-roading as well. Even though you can use license plate light bars on cars. They are more popular among SUV owners. One reason for this is that it is mostly SUVs that people use for off-roading. Moreover, these light bars add a beefy and muscular look to the vehicle that better suits SUVs.
License plate bracket with light
A license plate bracket is what you mount the license plate on. If you have a bracket that comes with a light on it, you can save some time by looking for another set of lights. There is one more reason why people fit this on their cars. In bigger cars, a strong enough plate bracket can be used for other things as well. You can even install a large, super-bright LED light on them for off-road use. So, you can use a bracket with a small light to light the license plate or use one with a heavy-duty light for off-road use.
License plate frame light
As the name indicates, they go around the license plate mount. Depending on the model, they will have up to four lights on each side of the frame. Therefore, they provide more uniform illumination of the plate. Also, because the license plate itself is not very customisable, you can use frames like these to add more style to it. The downside of frame light is that you cannot connect them to the regular light socket near the plate. So, you will have to run the wires through the bumper and connect it to a socket inside the engine compartment.
Tips on how to buy License Plate Lights
Shopping for a good set of license plate lights is not rocket science. Primarily because there aren’t so many varieties of it to choose from. Furthermore, most people just want a set that works without much concern about the design or any other features. They want something that they could install and don’t have to think about for a long time. Here are some tips to help you choose the right one for your car.
- Even coverage on the license plate – Because one of the main reasons you want to install a good set of license plate lights is to comply with the legal regulations, it is imperative to ensure that the whole plate is well lit with the lights. So, you don’t want a part of the license plate to be dark with shadows.
- Method of installation – The method of installation varies from the type of the bulb you want to install and the socket type you have in your car. If you are installing a halogen bulb into a socket made for the same, you can just pull out the existing one and pop in the new ones. If the socket is not compatible with the lamp, you might get a new set of sockets as well from Shops.ae.
- Cost of the light – There are halogens lights you can get for rock bottom prices to lights that can cost a couple of hundred AEDs. Typically, LED lights cost more than the halogen bulbs but are long-lasting and brighter. You will find fancier license plate frames that have LED lights for around a hundred AEDs.
- Brightness – There is no legally mandated limit that specifies how bright the license plate lights should be. But practically, they should be bright enough even for a person standing ten or twenty meters away to make out the registration details.
After installing new bulbs, don’t forget to check if they are working. To do that, turn on the engine and headlights. If the license plate bulbs are halogen, you will have to wait a few seconds because some of them take a few seconds to warm up. But if they are LED bulbs, they should light up as soon as you turn the headlights on. Finally, don’t forget to check out all the other amazing products in the car supplies category.
Question & Answer
Are license plate lights necessary?
Yes, they are mandatory for you to drive on the public road. They are even part of vehicle safety inspection. So, if you don’t have a proper license plate light, you won’t get the permit to use the vehicle on public roads. If the light burns out after getting the permit and if you take your car out when it’s dark, you will get pulled over by the police. And they sure will ticket you a pretty heavy fine. Driving the vehicle without license plate lights is legally the same as obscuring the license plate. Even though no law specifically talks about the lights itself, it is understood that you should have proper lights for the license plate to be visible at night.
How to change license plate lights?
The stock license plate lights are usually above the license plate. So, when you look from below, you will see the glass globe that protects the bulb. Remove the globe by unfastening the screws. The bulbs you see will be tiny, and you can remove them by pulling them lightly. If your new bulbs are compatible with the same bracket as the old one, you can pop the new ones in the former bracket, and you will be good to go. Otherwise, you will have to buy a new bracket for the bulb and replace the old sockets. Some large lights will require more power than what a default socket. In that case, you will have to connect the light to a socket inside the engine compartment.
How much do license plate lights cost?
The cost can vary a lot depending on the type of bulb and the type of mounts you want. You can get a cheap halogen bulb for as cheap as 10 AED. If you want a good quality LED bulb, you will have to pay around 100 AED. But you can go a bit more costly as well. There are plate brackets with lights that will cost you around 1000 AED. The cost of these depends on the quality of the steel, design and finishing. And finally, accessories for luxury cars cost more than that of regular cars, something to keep in mind.
Where to buy a license plate light?
You should look online if you want a cheap license plate light. There will be several license plate lights for sale where you will be able to find a good quality yet affordable light. If you are looking to buy license plate lights, look no further, because you are in the right place. You can also use product comparison sites to compare the prices and features against each other and find the best license plate light that suits your budget.
Shops.ae will make the task of picking one a whole lot easier. You can explore more than 500+ shops offering car interior lights here on Shops.ae including brands like Yorkim, Sirius LED, Philips, Mars auto, and Rupse. You can use our shopping search engine to find all of these products.