The majority of modern trucks come equipped with halogen bulbs from the factory. Cars and trucks, produced before 2014, did not come equipped with LEDs for high and low beams, and usage of LEDs in headlights was illegal in the majority of states. That was due to poor quality of ray, formed by the first LEDs. Those bulbs were bright, yet did not have enough power to provide adequate lighting.
BMW was the first carmaker who introduced a vehicle with LED bulbs in hi/low beam. After that, manufacturing of LED bulbs completely changed, so appeared LED conversion kits for cars and trucks. They provide excellent visibility on road, do not consume a lot of power and last longer, than regular halogen bulbs. Today, it is absolutely legal to convert your factory halogen headlights to LEDs by installing such an upgrade. So, let us consider the best LED headlights for trucks that you can install on your truck to get better light output at night.
The best LED conversion kits
| # | MODEL | RATING | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kensun All-in-One LED Headlight Conversion Kit | (4.9 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
| 2 | OPT7 LED Headlight Bulbs | (4.8 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
| 3 | Ediors® Super Brights Three Sides 360 Degrees Emitting | (4.7 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
| 4 | SNGL® Super Bright 90W 9000lm | (4.6 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
| 5 | Xenon-Vision 80W 6400LM CREE | (4.5 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
| 6 | LED Import USA Cree Kit | (4.5 / 5) | CHECK PRICE |
The best LED bulbs for trucks: things to know
With the variety of LED conversion kits available on the market, it is crucial to know, what features are a must-have for quality lighting.
- LED bulbs produce excessive heat, so a quality kit has to feature a powerful cooling unit (in both fan and fanless bulb configurations).
- Modern trucks come equipped with CAN-bus modules. It is a sort of automotive computer software that monitors systems of your truck. LED bulbs may be not recognized by the system and you will keep getting that ‘bulb out’ error, unless the LED kit you get comes equipped with a built-in CAN-bus module.
- LED bulbs focus well in both projector and reflector headlights. Yet, if your truck has got factory HIDs, it is not recommended to upgrade such lights to LEDs. Yes, there are LED upgrades for such vehicles as well. but your headlights will remain unfocused due to the fact, that HID bulbs are longer, than LEDs.
- Quality LED bulbs feature a built-in load resistor. In general, LEDs feature lower resistance, than halogen bulbs. A resistor is required for adequate chain operation. If the resistor is not there, you will have to wire one into the chain manually, which means you will have to cut the wires to get 1 load resistor per 1 wire. This means extra expenses and extra work, so it’s better to buy bulbs that feature resistors in them.
- Make sure the LED kit you are about to buy says it is ‘plug-and-play’ installation. This will help you avoid extra installation hassle.
- It is always better to choose LEDs with slim housing, as these bulbs will definitely fit the headlight with no modifications required. Also, the slimmer bulbs are, the more space they leave for cooling, which is also important.
And now, here is a bonus tip. Check, what is the warranty term for the bulbs. If the term is short (up to 6 months), we recommend picking something different. Reliable LEDs are always backed up with 1+ year of warranty.
