Driving at night: This is how you legally switch to better headlights

If the days are short and the nights are short, it is less noticeable. It is only at the beginning of the dark season that many drivers (and motorcyclists) realize that the luminosity of the old H4 or H7 halogen lamps is actually not enough. The mostly warm -white light illuminates the road, but after a few meters the outside world sinks into the dark.

This is comparatively easy to change. Because since there have been LED lamps for retrofitting, every comparison test has come to the identical result. “The LED light […] is clearly white and the road continues to shine than the halogen light […]”, writes, for example,” objects or people on the edge of the road can be recognized more, better and more contrasting. “Furthermore, it says:” The LED lamp radiates the light more focused on the road and in particular continues to light up the right side of the road than the halogen light. The light width in the practical test for the LED retrofit lamp is 170 meters, the light width of the H7 lamp in the test is only 130 meters. “

Another advantage: While conventional halogen lamps according to ADAC give up the ghost after about 550 hours, the LED counterparts should last about five times as long. This relativizes the additional costs a little, because the price of the modern lamps is currently many times over the price for halogen replacement bulbs.

No wonder that online shops like Amazon or Ebay are full of LED lamps to retrofit. In terms of price, it starts at less than 20 euros per pear. The problem: Even if the products can show thousands of high-end ratings, most retrofitting kits in Germany are not legal. The ADAC writes: “If an LED lamp is installed in a vehicle that is not released, the operating permit can expire. In addition, the lamps with German approval may only be installed in cars that are also approved in Germany.”

It is possible that you can get through controls with any retrofit kit and actually have a better view, but at the latest in the event of accidents it can become problematic. He writes: “In the event of an accident, the insurance can refuse payments or make recourse claims if the accident is due to the tuning.” To make matters worse, a vehicle with inadmissible lights during the TÜV test can fail with a “considerable defect”-then you have to be presented again, only because of a set of lamps.

Two manufacturers have recognized the dilemma: Philips and Osram. With the product lines “” and ““There are legal ways to get rid of the old lights and benefit from the advantages of LED technology. However, this has a few hooks.

You have to take a look at the so-called compatibility lists of the manufacturers before buying and installing the lamps that theoretically fit in most H4 or H7 versions. Both Osram and Philips now offer approval for several hundred vehicles, but numerous models and brands are still missing. If your own vehicle – whether car, motorcycle, truck or motorhome – does not appear on these lists, you must not (yet) install these lamps. If you are interested, it is worth taking a regular look at the sides of the manufacturers, since the lists are not final and have always expanded since the market launch.

There is an exception: Osram and Philips now offer LED lamps with street approval for all vehicles for Glassockel. Such pears are used, for example, for parking light, position light or interior light.

If you also find your own vehicle on the manufacturer’s release list, you can replace the lamp without hesitation. But both manufacturers can be paid for it. One set of H7 LED lights is currently around 85 euros, H4 headlight lamps even up to 120 euros. It may be that – depending on the vehicle and pear – you need certain adapters. This also emerges from the compatibility lists and, if necessary, costs extra. The following applies: the lamps are only harmless if the installation was strictly based on the instructions.

The ADAC also advises that after buying via the QR code on the packaging, you should access the general type approval, print it out and always carry it with you. On top of that, the light setting should be checked by a specialist company after changing the pears.