Rating of the best car lamps for 2022

The light is remembered in the darkness. Interest in a car lamp arises a few seconds after it has burned out. The motivation for choosing a replacement is the main thing to burn. However, not all so simple. The quality of the vehicle lighting devices is one of the factors affecting road safety. And so serious that the "Regulations of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe" No. 37, which regulates the basic standards for the safety of road transport, devotes an entire section to the requirements for vehicle lighting devices and introduces a special marking for car lamps approved for use in the EU.

Car lamps operate in special operating conditions: sudden temperature changes, vibration of components and assemblies, shaking caused by the state of the roadway. These and other elements of influence influenced the formation of design features of this type of vehicle equipment components.

Classification of automotive lamps

Automotive lamps consist of three main parts

• plinth;
• flasks;
• heating coil or element performing its function.

The marking located on the base, and sometimes on the flask, is a complex characteristic of each part of the lamp. Knowledge of the meaning of the main marking symbols is necessary for the correct choice of replacement or selection of analogues for a failed light source.

Classification by type of base

• Flanged:

The most common modification for use in headlights, as a source of low beam and high beam radiation. Flange - a metal or plastic base for placing the bulb and fastening the lamp in the socket of the light fixture.

• pin:

They have a cylindrical base.The round pins are placed on the surface of the base symmetrically for single-filament lamps, or offset for double-filament lamps and colored turn signal lamps. This design of the base provides easy replacement and reliable fixation in the mounting sockets. The oldest and most common modification of automotive lamps to date.

Marking: misaligned pins found in P21/5W for two filament bulbs and PY21W with orange bulb for turn signal, making it impossible to put a colorless light bulb.

• reliability;
• simplicity;
• price.

• susceptibility to oxidative processes;
• relatively short service life.

Soffit:

• 2 socle

They are used on ceiling lamps for interior lighting and license plate lighting.

• design features allow them to be placed in flat devices in flat devices;
• two socles provide greater contact and resistance to adverse effects.

• limited functionality due to design features.

• without plinth

The base for these light sources is the body of the glass bulb. Initially designed as dashboard lamps, but due to their excellent functionality, they eventually spread throughout the car, displacing other types of lamps.

• compact dimensions;
• long service life provided by the absence of oxidative processes on the surface of the base.

• limited functionality related to the power range, from 1W to 21W.

According to the principle of action

The emergence of the following types of light sources at one time was a real technical revolution in the global automotive industry. In the struggle to increase the brightness of light, automotive engineers faced the problem of energy supply, conventional lighting lamps consumed too much of it, reducing the life of the units and increasing fuel consumption. As a result of an innovative approach, a line of automotive lamps with a completely new principle of operation has appeared.

Halogen lamps

They differ from their predecessors in that an inert gas is pumped into the flask, the spiral, which is in such an environment, heats up to a higher temperature, which makes it possible to achieve a high brightness of the glow, with a relatively small power consumption. The history of the prayer row begins with the H7 model. Differ in a brighter, concentrated and dense beam of light. The technology has been developed in models H8, H9, H11, power and brightness allows them to be used in vehicles equipped with compact lighting devices.

• affordable price.

• short service life;
• very high operating temperature allows use only on vehicles equipped with special optical instruments.

The best low beam halogen lamps - BOSCH H4 Gigalight +120

The xenon effect guaranteed by the manufacturer means a brighter light + 50% compared to analogues from other manufacturers, close in spectrum to daylight.

• price;
• longer service life than other representatives of the price segment.

• not available for this price range.

Best high beam halogen bulbs - Philips H7 3700K White Vision

The flasks are made of quartz glass patented by the manufacturer, which can withstand much higher pressure of the gas pumped inside. The result is: maximum brightness for a given type of light source and an optimal spectrum that causes minimal dazzle to oncoming drivers.

• brightness;
• long service life.

• price.

The best low and high beam halogen bulbs - Philips H1 3250K Vision Plus

Driver reaction time is the most important factor in preventing traffic accidents. It is hardly possible to influence the individual reaction rate, but it is quite possible to warn in advance. The Philips H1 3250K Vision Plus does the job perfectly. The brightness of light is 1.6 times higher than analogues, extending the illumination area by 25 m.

• excellent luminous flux data;
• long service life.

• price.

Discharge (xenon) lamps

The name was borrowed from the gas of the same name pumped into the flasks of the first models. Despite the external resemblance to halogen lamps, the principle of operation of xenon lamps is completely different. The light source is a gas under pressure and heated to a certain temperature. Physics of the process: an electric current causes an arc discharge between two electrodes, the gaseous medium, having warmed up to a certain temperature, begins to glow.

• The brightness of the glow of xenon is 100-200% higher than that of halogen.

• The temperature required to ensure maximum brightness occurs after a while;
• The need for special equipment to start the glow process.

The trendsetter for xenon lamps is Philips, which in the late 90s launched their production for some brands of European cars. You need to know that since then two modifications of xenon headlights have been preserved:

• D2S - equipped with a lens;
• D2R - equipped with a reflector.

Marking xenon lamps by groups

• xenon for socles H1-H27 HB3-HB5 can be installed in optical devices of vehicles designed for halogen lamps;
• bi-xenon, with the designation H4M; HB1M; H13M and some others that include the letter M in the marking can also replace the H4 halogen, high and low beam;
• xenon D1S, D1R-D4S, D4R, models with which cars leave the container, are not interchangeable.

Best low beam xenon lamps - Clearlinght Xenon Premium +150%

The night turned into day, this is not when the "white nights", but the impression after installing this xenon. The brightness of the glow, increased by 1.5 times, lengthens the light cone by 50 m. The spectral composition of the radiation is very comfortable for the eyes and does not tire when driving for a long time at night. It is recommended for installation on vehicles operated mainly in the dark.

• brightness;
• range;
• two year warranty.

• price.

Best high beam xenon lamps - Philips X-Treme Vision +50%

And without that, one of the brightest high beam lamps, released in the form of a model = 50%, remained out of competition. A beam of snow-white color, extended, bright, saturated and uniform.

• high efficiency in the dark and at dusk.

• poor visibility in bad weather conditions.

Best xenon bulbs for low and high beams - Philips Blue Vision

Universal lamps have special requirements, and Philips Blue Vision fits them perfectly. A snow-white beam of light with a slight bluish tint not only illuminates the space, but seems to make it a little cleaner. And, of course, there is the homogeneity of the light flux characteristic of this manufacturer both in the near and in the far mode.

LED lamp

Before moving into car headlights, LEDs, as a light source, have come a long way in development and improvement in computers, televisions and phones. At the beginning of the journey, they were used, both inside salons, to illuminate the dashboard, buttons and displays. And after the compactness and brightness provided them with a place among the sources of head light and taillights. Statistics say: the use of LEDs in the rear brake lights, by 30% increases the reaction speed of the driver moving after the vehicle.

LED lamps are equipped with various sockets that allow them to be installed on xenon and halogen headlight models. But when purchasing LED lamps, it must be taken into account that the LED can only demonstrate its advantages on certain optics.

• instant warm-up and maximum brightness;
• low glow temperature;
• the highest utilization rate of consumed energy;
• the length of the lighting zone is 300 m.

• higher cost than halogen and xenon counterparts.

Best Low Beam LED Bulbs - Clearliqht H7

Clearliqht H7 -2800 lumens of luminous flux brightness speak for themselves, while there is no cut-off line (one of the blinding factors for oncoming traffic).

• excellent brightness and beam length;

• not detected

Best High Beam LED Bulbs - Optima LED i-ZOOM

Optima LED i-ZOOM, excellent LED lamp with bright light, compact heatsink that does not require alteration of the rear cover of the headlight, original LED design in the form of a halogen lamp filament.

• the possibility of using in trucks, cars, special equipment and motorcycles.

• price.

The lamps listed above can be combined by installing one modification on the low beam and another modification on the high beam.

fog lamps

Unforeseen changes in road conditions are one of the most common causes of accidents. Weather conditions rightly fall into this category, and fog is especially dangerous because it deprives the driver of precious seconds needed to make a decision and react accordingly. Fog lights designed to level such situations must meet the following requirements:

• the parameters of the light beam should not create a water-air wall that masks the luminous flux;
• the characteristics of the brightness, range and color of the light flux must ensure its penetration through the water-air cushion of fog that absorbs ordinary light radiation.

Leaders in the production of "foglights": Hella, Osram, PIAA, Wesem Morimoto.

• Hella, Osra - both companies from Germany and both with more than a hundred years of history, have production facilities around the world;
• PIAA, a Japanese company - the world leader in the production of halogen lamps;
• Wesem, a Polish company founded in the middle of the last century;
• Morimoto, despite the Japanese sound, is an American company, the production is in China, but the quality of the products is very decent.

Best PIAA 50XT fog lights

PIAA 50XT is a rectangular reflex model, it is fixed to the car body using a stationary bracket included in the package. Simple beam adjustment with fixation with a conventional M8 bolt.

Good waterproofing is achieved by rubber seals in the power input and by sealing the protective glass. The kit includes a repair kit and spare bulbs. The light spot is characterized by a wide coverage and a length of 25-30 m.

• Quick and easy lamp replacement without adjustment;
• The ability to use lamps with almost all base modifications;
• Good penetration of the beam through the water-air cushion.

• High price.

laser headlights

The principle of operation of this innovative device is as follows: when passing through phosphorus gas, the laser beam creates a very bright glow, which, reflected from the lens, is evenly scattered without creating a beam. Experimental tests have shown that laser headlights illuminate the highway at a distance of 600 m, without blinding oncoming traffic at all. Unfortunately, laser lamps do not yet exist, only headlights for promising cars. This section is for informational purposes only.

When choosing a lamp for any light source, it is necessary to take into account a lot of nuances. Before you put a newfangled product, you need to make sure that it does not melt the optics of the car. If there is a burnt sample, you can pick up a light bulb by analogy.When ordering online, you will have to carefully study and fill out the labeling. When purchasing a product, it is also important to read the label carefully. Non-standard marking or its absence may indicate counterfeit products.