Charlotte Toyota Asks: Are Halogen Lights Worth the Higher Price?

Feb 7, 2013

There has been some discussion of halogen headlights for vehicles lately, with claims that the lights make it much easier for drivers to see while driving at night. The lights are quite a bit more expensive than traditional headlights, between $20 to $80 more than traditional lights, so Charlotte Toyota helps consumers decide whether halogen lamps are worth the higher price tag:

Can Drivers See Better With Halogen Lights?

Consumer Reports tested vehicles with halogen lights to determine whether or not it did make a difference with visibility. What they discovered was that Halogen lights do create a whiter light than the bulbs traditionally used in vehicle headlights, but that the whiter light did not improve visibility or the distance a driver could see in front of them.

Headlight Shape Has Greater Impact

Further testing of lights showed that the shape of the light bulb has more of an impact in the distance the light will travel on the road in front of the car than the type of light.

Impact on Other Drivers

Before buying halogen lights for your car, consider that many drivers say they are blinded when an oncoming car has halogen lights. You may decide against the halogen headlights simply to avoid blinding the drivers of oncoming traffic.

A Whiter Light Looks Better

For some drivers, the white light is preferred over the traditional headlight glow, but an appearance preference doesn’t equal improved visibility. For some people, it will be worth the extra money just to have the whiter light. On the positive side, the more expensive halogen lights do tend to outlast the traditional bulbs, so by changing the bulbs less frequently you may recover some of the extra costs.