Good quality driving lights are essential when you hit the open road, away from the big smoke – we all know that. What’s more difficult to know for sure is what lights are the best fit for your needs.  The best lights to help make your driving experience the safest – by alleviating driver fatigue and latent reaction times, may differ depending on your specific requirements.

 

Regardless of which brand you choose, there are still a number of options when it comes to the type of light you select.  With three types of lights on the market, available in a number of sizes and with options like Toptree, it can all become rather confusing. Today we’ll explain the different between halogen, HID and LED and the best applications for each.

 

Halogen:

 

Halogen lights can provide great performance without breaking the bank. Most consumers are familiar with halogen lights – they have been a fixture in the market for a number of years and are incredibly affordable. Halogen lighting, being an older technology however does not provide the efficiency of newer options. Halogens only produce light from around 5% of the electrical input to the bulb with the other 95% being lost in heat.

 

HID:

 

HID is extraordinarily efficient due to its high output and low current draw. Although more expensive than halogen lights, the benefits are clear – HID are at least 20% more efficient when it comes to producing light and can last well over 2000 hours.

 

 

LED:

 

LED is the newest product in the driving light market and has recently garnered a lot of attention. Initially used in lighting bars and more recently in spot lights, LED has some clear positive points, as well as some obvious negative ones. The most notable advantage of LED lights is their long life span and efficiency.  There are also a lot of cheap options on the market – however just like in all fields; you’ll get what you pay for. LEDs provide a good spread, however you won’t be able to get the distance you require for driving on the wide open road.