How Many Lumens Is a Car Headlight?

Most people are more familiar with the measurement of watts to determine bulb brightness. However, it’s also important to understand what lumens refers to in your car’s headlights, too. So, how many lumens is a car headlight, and why does it matter?

The lumen rate determines a measured space that a headlight illuminates. Most halogen headlights fall between 700 and 1,200 lumens. While high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights will range between 3,000-5,500 lumens. LED headlights produce the most lumens out of all headlight styles – between 3,000-6,000 per light.

If you’re a car owner, chances are you’ve given your headlights some thought. You may have even noticed that the common language for measuring them is “lumens.”

But what does that number mean, and why does it matter when buying a new set of headlights?

Truth is, knowing the lumens of your headlights is important if you ever want to upgrade to an aftermarket part or replace your stock headlights bulbs.

In this guide, we’ll cover why lumens should be at the top of your checklist as you shop around for a type of bulb with a brighter light.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know everything you need to know about the lumens and how it affects headlight brightness. Let’s dive into this!

What Is a Lumen?

A lumen is a measure of how much light is provided over a surrounding area. One lumen is roughly equal to the light source provided by a single candle.

As such, cars with lower lumen rating provide light to a smaller area. Cars with a higher lumen output provide light over a longer distance.

Simply stated, lumens is the measurement of a headlight bulb’s total brightness and ability to project that light over a certain distance. Higher lumens a bulb produces, the greater amount of distance the light can be projected.

How Many Lumens do Car Headlights Have?

The amount of lumens a car headlight has is dependent on what type of headlights are being used.

As an example, standard halogen bulbs have the lowest level, generally having about 700 lumens on the low beam and 1200 on high beam. But generally speaking, is enough light for the average driver.

High-intensity discharge lights are significantly brighter, capable of 2000-4000 lumens.

Light-Emitting Diode, or commonly refereed to as LED headlight bulbs, as you might expect, have the highest average lumens at 5,000 to 12,000. This type of bulb produces a very white light. In fact, car manufacturers are increasingly making LED bulbs a standard on many models.

Of course, such bright headlights aren’t available in every state, and several have restrictions on the lumens headlights can emit.

Of course, regardless of what type of headlights you’re using, remember it’s a good idea to turn off your high beams when a car is oncoming in the other lane. Both HID and LED headlights have the capability to blind oncoming traffic.

How Many Lumens Are Legal For Headlights?

The United States Code of Federal Regulations specifies that the luminous intensity of headlights must be between 500 and 3,000 lumens. It’s worth noting for reference that, 1 candelas = 12.57 lumens.

Whether your vehicle has halogen lights, HID or LED headlights won’t affect this either way – what sets them apart will come down to their lumen rates.

In short, drivers who want to install upgraded headlights shouldn’t choose lights that measure over 3,000 lumens. Easiest way to ensure a set of headlights are legal, is to look for the label “DOT Approved” or “DOT Compliant”.

It’s best to avoid purchasing new bulbs that are not labeled DOT Approved or DOT Compliant. Or, the candela measures beyond the legal limits of 3,000 level.

Also, avoid purchasing replacement bulbs with strange colors or produce blue light. Most federal and state laws prohibit the use of headlight bulbs that are not white or amber in color.

State Laws

State laws in the United States often regulate the brightness of vehicle headlights. These regulations are in place to ensure road safety and prevent headlights from being so bright that they blind other drivers.

Final Thoughts: How Many Lumens Is a Car Headlight

The lumens in a car headlight determine, quite simply, how bright the headlights are. Lower lumens indicates that the headlights aren’t as bright, while high lumens will allow you to see farther.

A halogen headlight system is the cheapest and has the lowest lumens – 700 to 1200. While HIDs vary greatly from 3,500 to 8,000 lumens – much brighter than a standard halogen headlight.

Lastly, LED lights can be the brightest on the market at upwards of 10,000-12,00 lumens per pair.

So hopefully if you are in the market for brighter headlights, this guide has helped shed some ‘light’ of what to look for when choosing replacement headlight bulbs.