Car headlights are typically between 1,000 and 4,000 lumens. However, the light output of car headlamps has evolved over time, with halogen bulbs being the most popular type of bulb up until recently, when high-intensity discharge and particularly LED bulbs and integrated units became available and radically changed brightness levels and how a car lights up the road.
Table of Contents
Lumens measure the amount of light visible to the human eye. The higher the lumen rating, the brighter the light will be.
For comparison, a standard 60-watt light bulb emits about 800 lumens of light. So, a car headlight is significantly brighter than a standard household light bulb!
The color of the light is different to lumens and measured in degrees of kelvin on what is called the color temperature scale.
Car headlights typically have a color temperature between 3,000 and 6,000 Kelvin. This range of color temperatures is considered “cool” or “daylight” on the color spectrum.
Cooler color temperatures (closer to 6,000 Kelvin) appear brighter to the human eye, while warmer color temperatures (closer to 3,000 Kelvin) appear dimmer.
More traditional sources of light for headlights like halogen, have inherent color temperatures that are on the warmer side. Newer LED headlights, however, can produce light with very cool color temperatures that are chosen by the car manufacturer.
Lumens measure the amount of light that is emitted from a source, while watts measure the amount of energy that is used by the source. A car headlight with a higher lumen rating will be brighter than a headlight with a lower lumen rating and it may also use more energy.
However lumens and watts are not directly linked with LED headlamps, the efficiency of the source (lumen per watt) is a more accurate measure of brightness than watts alone.
![]() |
Confused When Choosing Where Light Should Be? |
Anyone can improve their lit spaces with our simplified online lighting design course that uses the 5 key ingredients of interior lighting to quickly equip you to create wonderful interiors. |
Click Here to Learn More |
Lighting Design Course #1 |
Traditionally the 3 types of headlight setting of side lights, dipped and full beam require their own light sources of increasing lumen output. So the amount of lumens your car headlights have will depend on what type of headlight setting you are using.
Side lights: These are the small bulbs at the front of your car that stay on all the time when you are driving. They do not provide much light, but they help other drivers to see your car in low-light conditions. Most side lights have a lumen rating of between 20 and 50 lumens.
Dipped headlights: These are the main headlights that you use when driving in low-light conditions, such as at dawn or dusk. They provide more light than side lights, but not as much light as full beam headlights. Most dipped headlights have a lumen rating of between 500 and 1,000 lumens.
Full beam headlights: These are the brightest headlights and are used when driving in complete darkness, such as on a country road at night. Full beam headlights have a lumen rating of between 1,000 and 4,000 lumens.
Car manufacturers take into account factors such as average daytime and nighttime driving speeds, as well as the amount of time spent driving in different types of light conditions when choosing a lumen rating for headlights.
The legal minimum in the USA for a car headlight is 1,000 lumens, but most car headlights have a lumen rating that is significantly higher than this.
For example, the headlights on a 2020 Toyota Corolla have a lumen rating of 1,600 lumens. This is bright enough for most car driving situations but may not be ideal if you frequently drive in at night in unlit areas that would benefit from more specialised sources of light.
If you want a headlight with a higher lumen rating, you may want to consider upgrading to an HID or LED headlight. These types of headlights can have lumen ratings that are 2-3 times higher than traditional halogen headlights.
The average halogen headlight has a lumen rating between 700 lumens (lm) and 1500 lm. Halogen light sources in cars offer the lowest lumen outputs.
The have been popular for over fifty years as halogens are low cost and easily replaced, but just do not last as long as more modern sources, and are less efficient so can be prone to drain the battery of a car if left on too long without the engine running.
HID or Xenon headlights are high-intensity discharge lighting systems and can create approximately 3000 lumens of light.
The brightness of HID headlamps will feel more intense as they are not only brighter in lumens but benefit from the option to select the color temperature at set up.
With HID lights, you can choose between the range from 3000K warm whites to extreme blue white daylight colors of up to 10,000K, creating a piercing streak of white light across the road.
Xenon, Arc and HID headlights and also more efficient than halogen, offering around 80 lm per watts of power used to generate that light. For example, a 50W HID headlight will generate around 4000 lumens.
Light-emitting diodes or LEDs are the most efficient light source for headlights, with a lumen to watt ratio of around 100 lumens per watt.
This means that an LED that uses 10 watts can generate 1000 lumens of light, which is the same amount of light as a traditional 100-watt incandescent light bulb.
LED headlights are available in a range of intensities, but the average LED headlight has a lumen rating of between 2000 lm and 3000 lm.
Some of the newer luxury cars on the market have even higher brightness ratings for their LED headlights. For example, the Audi R8 has headlights that produce up to 4500 lm of light.
LED light begins as a blue source of light that is adjusted into the chosen color temperature as it passes through a phoshor coating. This differs from HID light that is naturally white and only tinted by the different color temperatures available.
LED allows for creative shapes in car headlights, and some manufacturers are now experimenting with different ways to use this technology to create unique effects.
For example, the Hyundai ICONIC car has a headlight system that uses 72 individual LEDs to create a ‘pixel-like’ effect. This allows the headlights to be used for functions such as displaying turn signals and alerts to other drivers.
The BMW i8 Laserlight system is another example of how LED technology is being used in creative ways. This headlight system uses laser diodes to produce a beam of light that is up to 600 m long.
While this may seem like overkill for a car headlight, the BMW i8 Laserlight system is designed for use in conjunction with other lights, such as the LED daytime running lights, to create a headlight system that is both highly visible and stylish.
LED light bars supplement headlights on some cars and trucks. They are often used in off-road conditions to provide extra light for spotting obstacles and animals on the road ahead.
LED light bars can have lumen ratings of up to 30,000 lumens, which is significantly higher than any other type of headlight.
![]() |
FREE Cheat Sheet to Discover How Bright Your Light Should Be |
Download this FREE printable cheat sheet to pin-point the amount of lumens you need for your lighting choices. |
Click Here for FREE Cheat Sheet |
BEST BUY |
In therory there is no such thing as too many lumens when it comes to car headlights. The more light that is produced, the better you will be able to see while driving at night within reason.
However, it does depend on when and where that light is delivered and what state of the USA you are driving in, as vehicle regulations vary across the country. For example, in California, the legal limit at the time of writing for headlights is 2513 lumens each side (this is not legal advice, please check with your local authority).
There are some downsides to having very bright headlights. One is that they can produce a lot of glare, making it difficult for oncoming drivers to see you properly, becoming dangerous as they head towards you!
Modern LED headlights can use full beam high lumen outputs whilst driving in dark unlit roads, even amongst other traffic with the clever use of radar. The taillights and headlights of the cars in front pinpoint the other road users and allow the LED headlight system to track and mask multiple moving vehicles, removing high glare to other drivers caught whilst retaining maximum beam width and brightness.
Explaining what SELV is – the Safety Extra Low Voltage safety standard particularly for LED lighting, reviewing benefits, restrictions & key characteristics.
White light contains a mixture of colors blending to make white in differing hues, resulting in pros and cons for using them when studying – with our recommendation.
LED lights are safe to use all night, we explore why, looking at the pros and cons of all night illumination with tips on using LED as the source of light.
Troubleshoot your LED light fixture with 15 reasons why your LED light is not working but still has power, checking bulb components, fixtures and conditions.
Comparing the key projector brightness measurement differences, where 1 ANSI lumen = 0.8 ISO lumens, we explain which one is more important.