While many new cars come equipped with LED headlight clusters that can’t be upgraded, the majority of the vehicles on the road today still have replaceable halogen headlight bulbs. While these OE bulbs do the job, motorists do have the option to upgrade their standard halogen headlight bulbs for greater safety and style. Interestingly, while a surprising number of motorists believe that halogen bulbs are an upgrade, they have actually been standard equipment on most cars since the late 1970s.

Headlight upgrade options

Halogen upgrade headlights generally fall into one of two types. The first are bulbs that provide greater light output for improved nighttime driving safety. The second type are bulbs that have a whiter colour temperature, and these are intended to emulate the bright white look of Xenon HID and LED headlamps. Standard halogen bulbs can also be upgraded to LEDs on most vehicles. LED lights offer both greatly increased light output as well as an extremely bright white, high-tech style. Philips offers motorists a full range of headlight upgrades including both halogen and LED options. All are compliant with the Canada Highway Traffic Act and are direct replacements for standard halogen bulbs.

Philips LED headlight upgrades

Philips offers two choices for drivers who want to upgrade their standard halogen headlights to LEDs, Philips X-tremeUltinon LEDs and Philips Ultinon Essential LEDs.

Philips X-tremeUltinon LEDs deliver a colour temperature of up to 5800 K** for an ‘arctic white’ light that provides high-end styling and a beam that is noticeably whiter than standard halogens. Equipped with automotive-quality Lumileds LED chips, these LEDs provide consistent light output, and feature a sharp, accurate beam pattern that illuminates the roadway while keeping light out of the eyes of oncoming drivers. Philips X-tremeUltinon LEDs were engineered to generate minimal heat for enhanced bulb service life.

Philips Ultinon Essential LED headlights provide a colour temperature of up to 6,000 K** for a modern, white light that lets drivers stand out from the crowd. An excellent value for the  money, they feature a compact all-in-one design for easy installation and are compatible with both 12V and 24V applications. For extended service life and reliability, Ultinon Essential LED use dual heat dissipation technology—a small fan built into the light’s base draws heat away, while the aluminum base acts as a heat sink to further reduce heat to the electronics.

Philips halogen headlight upgrades

Philips offers five halogen upgrade bulb types, one for style and four for greater visibility.

CrystalVision platinum headlight bulbs are the Philips halogen upgrade for style enthusiasts. They feature an ultra-white gradient coating that creates up to a 4000 K colour temperature** for a brilliant white light that LED and Xenon HID headlights produce. While they were designed primarily as a style upgrade, they do provide up to 60% more vision* compared to standard halogen bulbs. This makes them the perfect choice for those who want to drive with style, without compromising on safety.

Philips NightGuide platinum upgrade headlight bulbs offers up to 130% more vision* for safer driving, compared to standard halogen bulbs. Their innovative, high precision filament design improves visibility at night and enhances driver comfort by reducing fatigue. They also feature an advanced glass technology for long-life reliability and a patented double coating that produces a comfortable cool beam colour, greater contrast, and enhanced visibility. By projecting light farther ahead, NightGuide platinum upgrade headlight bulbs give drivers more time to react for safer driving. These upgrade headlight bulbs are excellent for driving in rural areas or dimly lit streets. While NightGuide platinum was designed for increased driving safety, their chrome top coating provides an appealing, sporty look to headlamps. 

For drivers who want high-performance and an excellent value, Philips VisionPlus halogen upgrade bulbs provide enhanced visibility with up to 60% more vision on the road.* Like all Philips upgrades, they provide the same quality and reliability as the original equipment lighting products that Philips provides to carmakers the world over. 

Philips Vision upgrade halogen headlights are a 1st step in upgrade lighting. They provide up to 30% more vision on the road* and excellent beam performance at a price point that is highly competitive with standard halogen bulbs.

A word about sealed beam headlights

While sealed beams haven’t been used on most passenger vehicles over the past 25 years, Philips does offer upgrade options for the vehicles that use sealed beams.

Philips LED Integral beam lamps are available as replacements for H6024, H6054, H4651, and H4656 sealed beam applications. These lamps provide up to 6000 K powerful cool white light, for a high-tech look that is brighter and whiter than conventional halogen lighting. While much brighter than standard sealed beams, they provide a sharp beam cut-off to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic. Compatible with 12V and 24V systems, Philips LED Integral beam headlights provide an easy plug-and-play installation, and their durable plastic lens stands up well in tough environments and applications.

A note about compliance

The halogen headlight bulbs that are in the majority of vehicles on the road today were engineered to meet standard minimum legal requirements as established by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and in Canada, the Highway Traffic Act states that headlights must be properly installed, aligned, and maintained so as not to cause glare or dazzle oncoming traffic. There are upgrade bulbs available online that do not meet these requirements, so shops and motorists are advised to ‘know before you buy’. All Philips headlights meet the requirements of both the SAE requirements and the Highway Traffic Act.

From high performance lighting that improves driver safety, to lighting designed to enhance the look of the vehicle, Philips offers upgrades that help make the most of the driving experience.

* Compared to standard minimum legal requirements in low beam headlamp test results.

**Color temperature differs by headlight bulb type.