Study: Most Car Headlights Just Aren’t Very Good

Earlier this month, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) came out with results of its first-ever headlight ratings for vehicles. The results?

Not so bright.

“Unfortunately, the vast majority of vehicles we’ve tested so far have inadequate lighting,” said David Zuby, Chief Research Officer at IIHS. “The average driver is probably struggling to see what he needs to see to drive safely on the roads at night.”

The Institute tested a wide range of new model SUVs, sedans, and pickup trucks, many of which failed to achieve even “acceptable” status, according to the research standards. Some of the worst headlight performances came from the Jeep Wrangler, the Nissan Altima, and the Ford F-150. Even some high-end luxury models such as the Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3 series scored woefully low on the ratings score.

Among the better headlight models were the Honda Ridgeline pickup and the Toyota Prius, the only vehicles of their size class to even receive a “good” rating.

Though the study mostly focused on brand new cars, the importance of headlight renewal for older vehicles should not be underestimated. Just as our own eyesight tends to decline with age, so does the brightness of our headlights. In fact, a 50-year-old driver may require twice as much light as a 30-year-old to drive safely at night, and driving in the dark after age 60 can become even more difficult. Moreover, vehicles older than five years tend to accumulate dust and debris on their headlights, which leads to reduced brightness. Compound deteriorating night vision with poor headlights, and you have a recipe for road disaster.

However, the American Auto Club in Southern California emphasized along with the study findings that a simple headlight restorer can often double the brightness of old beams. That means a DIY headlight lens restoration kit can have a huge impact on safety. These kits usually only take about 30 minutes to treat each light and cost less than $30, but can put years of life back into your headlight.

“Now that a lot of these cleaning products have come up with these kits, it made it a lot easier for people at home to do this,” said Ivan Ceja of the American Auto Club.

To make your beams shine their brightest and protect you on the road, get a headlight restorer kit today.