All headlights have the same function, but they are different in terms of the specific bulb types that they use to produce light. The three main bulbs that are used are: Halogens, Xenon, and LED.
Halogen Headlight
- Popularly used in headlights.
- Each bulb has a thin tungsten filament and a glass filament capsule filled with halogen gas.
- Cheap, bright, long-lasting, small and easy to replace.
Xenon Headlight
- Also know as high intensity discharge or HID lights
- An HID bulb does not have a filament, and uses an arc of high-voltage current to produce light.
- The lights produced can travel farther and scatter less.
LED Headlight
- LEDs are semiconductors with no wear-and-tear parts. (practically last forever)
- LED requires less electricity, lesser CO2 emissions and battery drains compare to halogen lights.
- Light produced by LED is also closer to daylight, making it easier to the eye and reducing glare.
Laser Headlight
- First seen in BMW i8