LED bulbs were invented in the 1960s, but their use in car lighting is much more recent. LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are very small but powerful lights. They come in a variety of colours, which makes them extremely versatile. LEDs are used in everything from traffic lights to decorative holiday lights.
If you have an older vehicle that’s currently equipped with halogen headlights, switching to LED is much simpler than converting to HID headlights. LED bulbs use the same types of fittings as halogen bulbs, but you need some extra equipment to ensure LED bulbs work properly. Installing a CANbus Control Unit will prevent your vehicle’s computer system from triggering an error message when LED bulbs are installed.
There are other advantages to LED headlights. They use far less power and produce much brighter light than halogen bulbs. Even when compared to Xenon HID bulbs, LEDs come out on top in many ways. LED bulbs last longer than Xenon HID bulbs and use less power.
Xenon HID bulbsXenon HID bulbs get their name from the xenon gas inside the bulbs. Unlike halogen bulbs, which contain a filament that is heated and produces light, Xenon HID bulbs use xenon gas and electrical charge to create a bright, white light. Many drivers prefer Xenon HID bulbs because of the cooler colour temperature of the light they emit.
Xenon HID bulbs, like LED bulbs, are undoubtedly brighter and longer-lasting than halogen bulbs. Installing Xenon HID bulbs in older vehicles designed for halogen headlight bulbs can be tricky, however. You’ll need to purchase an HID conversion kit if you want to make the switch from halogen to HID. Still, for many drivers, this switch is worth it, thanks to the superior performance of Xenon HID bulbs.
In Conclusion, which Is Brighter?Now that we’ve discussed the advantages of both LED and Xenon HID bulbs, let’s get to the main point – which type of bulb is brighter? The answer, unfortunately, is not so straightforward.
First, brightness depends on the specific bulbs you choose. Within the wide range of LED bulbs available there are some bulbs brighter than others. The same is true for Xenon HID bulbs. So, some LED bulbs are brighter than some Xenon HID bulbs, but some Xenon HID bulbs are brighter than some LED bulbs.
There are also many factors that contribute to how bright a bulb appears. Brightness is typically measured in lumens, the amount of light output a bulb produces. But there are other factors to consider when shopping for the brightest bulbs.
One important element to consider is the colour temperature of the bulbs you choose. Bulbs with the right colour temperature will appear brighter. That’s because whiter light is closer to daylight and makes it easier to see obstacles in front of your vehicle. Bulbs that have too low a colour temperature and appear yellow or bulbs with too high a colour temperature, which will appear white with a blueish tint, can be very bright. However, to the human eye they will not look as bright as a white bulb.
If you’re looking for the brightest LED bulbs, check out some of our maximum performance bulbs. The Philips X-tremeUltinon gen2 LED bulbs, GT Ultra LED bulbs, and OSRAM LEDriving bulbs are all excellent bulbs that provide plenty of light. If you want the brightest HID bulbs, we also carry the best maximum performance Xenon HID bulbs, like the OSRAM Xenarc Night Breaker Laser and Philips Xenon X-tremeVision gen2.