Whats the deal with headlights? Halogen vs LED vs Matrix vs Laser - Which is best?

Headlight types explained

Before the advent of electric bulb headlamps, many of the first cars to drive used oil-burning or acetylene gas-burning headlamps. These were not ideal, as an open flame on a moving vehicle powered by a flammable liquid was a recipe for disaster. During the early 1900s, filament-style bulbs powered by a battery became the industry standard for vehicle illumination, but once again, these systems were more to be seen than to see through the dark.

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The quality of light emitted from headlamps has gotten progressively better over time. Still, in the last two decades, we have seen the biggest jump in technology surrounding vehicle lighting. there has been much advancement, with some tech being phased out and new tech taking its place as a standard, with each manufacturer preferring its style. There are four main types of vehicle illumination, each with its pros and cons, so let's break it down.

Halogen

Halogen headlamps have been the go-to light fittings for most vehicles since the 1960s.  In this arrangement, a conductive filament sits within a glass enclosure filled with halogen gas. That filament then has a current passed through it, causing it to emit light and generate heat. In older cars, that light sat within a reflective prism and was shot through a plastic or glass headlight cover. Still, in modern cars, the halogen light sits within a projector cover, passing through the (normally glass) projector cover and dispersing the light onto the road in front of the car.

These bulb systems had a limited life span, and headlight globes had to be replaced frequently. Halogen lighting systems have now become the fitment norm in budget-oriented cars.

Another lighting system that enjoyed some popularity for a few years was Xenon or HID systems, which operated on much the same premise but used Xenon gas with igniters for filament. These did prove to be rather effective, emitting a bright, almost blue light beam that was much better than plain halogens. Still, they also proved expensive to maintain and replace and disappeared quickly after cost-effective and efficient LED technology made its way onto cars.

What are xenon car headlights?

LED

LED lighting tech is almost the standard for most modern cars in 2024. It's cheap and cost-effective, uses minimal power, and emits a bright white light onto the road. LED headlights are often fitted within a cluster that may look similar to a halogen headlight, but that’s where the similarities end. Some LEDs have a life span of almost 20,000 hours, and you may never need to replace a bulb for the entire lifespan of the car.

Depending on the car, some vehicles will have one or many LEDs bundled into a headlight cluster. The more LEDs in the cluster, the more light can be produced. Some cars will have an LED low beam and a halogen high beam, while others will run LEDs for the low and high beams.

What are dipped headlights and when should you use them?

Matrix HD

Matrix LED headlights are a massive leap forward in automotive lighting. These smart headlights can light sections of the road, the whole road and corners at different intensities and lighting conditions.

This is accomplished by mounting a series of micro LEDs in a rectangular matrix inside the headlamp housing. A computer chip tells each LED how bright to shine, in what direction, and when, essentially controlling the beam of light emitted from the headlight housing. Once these matrix headlights are interconnected with sensors or cameras on the car, the vehicle's ECU can control the headlights.

If that camera detects a car in front, a car approaching, or even a pedestrian, the LEDs within the matrix can almost instantly be dimmed or switched off so as not to blind other drivers. That means you can have a high beam operating all the time and variably adjust its intensity when an object enters or approaches the beam.

What are adaptive headlights?

Laser

This is the latest headlight tech appearing on luxury German models. Laser headlights are built on top of Matrix HD systems, making them even better.

Inside the headlight cluster, three blue laser beams fire through mirrors. The light produced by the three lasers then passes through an element filled with yellow phosphorus. At this point, the light is around 10 times brighter than an equivalent LED headlight, which is far too bright to project directly onto the road and could potentially blind people.

Before exiting the module, this light passes through a diffuser before being shot out onto the road to minimise the blinding effect. The laser module activates above 60km/h when there are no obstacles ahead of the car. When active, it uses 30% less energy than an equivalent LED module and projects up to 600m down the road, offering superior visibility in the dark.

Verdict

So, at the end of the day, one may think that the laser system is the best, but it isn't. Unless you live in a busy rural area without other lighting prone to stray animals and pedestrians, it isn't needed and is a costly addition to the vehicle. Currently, the best tech that is finding its way onto more and more vehicle models every month is the Matrix HD system, which makes LED the backup while Halogen needs to be retired from the pages of history.