How to increase car headlight brightness for nighttime driving. Key tips

Nighttime driving can be a stressful experience, especially if your car's headlights don't emit the brightest light possible. Bright and properly functional and well-aligned car headlights are crucial to ensure safe driving at night. The car headlights not only ensure an illuminated road ahead for you helping in driving but they also ensure the other drivers can see you and correct their course of driving.

While the roads in cities and national highways across the country have witnessed a major improvement over the last few decades in terms of illumination, car headlights still act as the primary source of illumination for drivers. Hence, the importance of car headlamps is really high. Car headlights' performance can be impacted negatively for various reasons and they can be fixed as well.

Here are a couple of useful tips to follow to boost visibility by improving the performance of the car headlights and ensuring you can drive safely at night.

Clean headlights

Over time, headlights accumulate dirt, grime and debris that impact their performance by reducing the brightness of the lights. Hence, clean the headlamps regularly using a mild detergent and water or a headlight cleaning solution. This will ensure the headlights remain shiny and offer optimum illumination.

Replace old headlights

Old headlights that have become cloudy may not emit as much light as they should. In such cases, try replacing the old and cloudy headlights with new and high-quality ones. This would ensure improvement in brightness.

Upgrade headlights to LED or HID

LED and HID headlights are known for their brightness and longevity. LEDs consume lesser power as well, putting less pressure on the battery of the car. The LED and HID headlights offer brighter and whiter illumination compared to traditional halogen headlights. However, make sure to check if the local laws permit installing a high illumination light like LED or HID. Installation of higher wattage bulbs too can be useful. However, make sure the wattage of the bulbs don't exceed the recommended wattage of your vehicle's electrical system, as that may cause damage.

Ensure proper alignment of headlights

Misaligned headlights can reduce illumination and cause glare for other drivers. Hence, it is better to check if the headlights are properly aligned as per the specification of the manufacturer. You can refer to the vehicle's manual for instructions on how to properly align your headlights.

Use auxiliary lighting

If you have to drive on poorly lit roads and feel the illumination from your car's existing headlights are inadequate, you can try installing auxiliary lights, which can be found in aftermarket. These additional lights can supplement your headlights and improve visibility ensuring safer driving.

Maintain car's electric system

A faulty or weak electrical system of the car affect the overall brightness of the headlights. Hence, inspect the electrical systems like battery, wiring, alternator periodically for any faults. If you see any fault, it is better to fix immediately.

How to increase car headlight brightness

Step 1 :

Clean the headlights regularly

Step 2 :

Replace old headlights with new ones

Step 3 :

Upgrade halogen headlights to LED or HIDs

Step 4 :

Ensure proper alignment of headlights

Step 5 :

Use auxiliary lighting if necessary

Step 6 :

Maintain car's electrical system