When you're looking for a new headlight bulb for your car, it can be confusing to figure out which one you need. This guide will teach you about the different types of bulbs, so you can choose the right one for your car.
There are three main types of headlight bulbs: halogen, LED, and HID. Halogen bulbs are the most common type; they use a gas-filled globe to create light. LED bulbs are becoming more popular because they use less energy and last longer than halogen bulbs. HID bulbs produce the brightest light of all three types, but they require a special ballast to work properly.
Your car probably uses a halogen bulb, but it's important to check the owner's manual or ask a mechanic to be sure. Once you know which type of bulb you need, you can decide whether you want to upgrade to an LED or HID bulb.
Finding The Right Bulbs
It can sometimes be hard to find the right headlight bulb for your car. That's headlight bulb chart on bulbsizechart.com. We have a huge database of information about different types of cars and their headlights.
If you can't find the information you need in our database, check your vehicle manual. The manual will usually have information about what type of bulb to use for each application.
The Difference In Bulb Types
People use three kinds of lights for headlights. One is called halogen, another is called xenon and the last one is called LED. It can be hard to know which one is best because they all do different things. Halogen makes a yellow light and it doesn’t need a lot of gas to work but it also isn't very bright.
Xenon bulbs make white or blue light and they don't use a lot of electricity either but they aren't as bright as some other types of lights. The last kind we talked about was LED which has many uses but it's expensive and not everyone can afford them so people might not be able to buy them right away.
Different Bulb Purposes Explained
- Maximum Vision
These bulbs are designed to produce a lot of light while still being road legal. They are usually between 10% and 50% whiter and 60% to 200% brighter than regular halogen bulbs. They have the highest bulb performance, but this also means they have the shortest life (except for high wattage bulbs). You can typically expect to get between 1 and 3 years of use before you need to replace them.
- Off Road
Off road headlight bulbs have one purpose: to give you the most light possible. They do this by increasing the amount of power they use. This makes them less economical, but they provide the highest light intensity of any legal option. Since they have such a high wattage, they usually only last for 6 months to 2 years, depending on how often you use them.
- Standard Bulb
When one of your car's light bulbs goes out, you might want to replace it with a bulb that is very similar to the original. This is called a "simple bulb replacement." It is a like-for-like replacement for your old bulbs, and it is usually a great value.