Geo Travel Blog

HID Xenon headlights were first created in the 1990′s. They were considered a sophisticated option which could change the appearance of a vehicle at night as well as the experience. Xenon is credited with 300 percent more light than the original halogen lights, and lasting 10 times longer. They are also cooler looking with the blue white tint. Thus the HID xenon lights became fashionable.

Cars that have regular halogen bulbs are boring when you view the HID xenon lights. This is why there are retro fit HID xenon kits that help you convert your headlights. Unfortunately the question arises as to whether they are really street legal for public roads.

The simple answer to the legality of HID kits is “No, they are not legal”, however as with most things, the real answer is not as simple as that. To get a clear understanding of these xenon conversion kits legality you need to look carefully into the legal requirements of HID kits.

To provide this answer a look at the Department of Transport’s statement regarding conversion HID kits is needed. The department stated that the headlights must have a self levelling suspension as well as a self cleaning option within the unit. These xenon HID lights must have the European standards E mark as well. A headlight is categorised as the bulb, reflector, and outer lens.

Furthermore, any retailer who supposedly sells “legal” HID kits with an E mark, self cleaning headlight, and self levelling option is not being truthful. Their claims are unfounded since the Department of Transport states any HID kits are not permitted when you are converting from halogen to HID bulbs. Therefore, it is an offence to sell, fit, or use vehicle parts which are not legal.

If you want HID xenon headlights in a car that has halogen headlight bulbs and you want to remain within the laws there is only one option. You must go to the manufacturer of your car to see if they have factory fitted xenon lights for your model car. You can then purchase the factory option and have them installed at a licensed factory. The Department of Transport does recognise these factory units as legal replacements and thus you can have HID bulbs on your vehicle.

Unfortunately a manufacturer factory fitted HID xenon upgrade is not cheap and will probably cost you around 3000. The only other option available, and considerably cheaper, is to upgrade your halogen headlight bulbs to xenon bulbs. These upgrade xenon bulbs are not like the HID xenon bulbs, which come with an HID kit, instead they are identical to your existing halogen headlight bulbs but instead of being filled with halogen they use xenon gas instead.

There are two top upgrades you can purchase called the Osram Night Braker and the Philips Extreme Power bulbs. These two options emit up to 90 percent more light and up to 35 metres more distance than halogen. They are also 10 percent whiter than halogen. The best part to this option is that they are street legal because no modification is necessary. You can install them without invalidating your insurance or getting stopped by the constabulary.

The xenon upgrade option is not going to be as brilliant as the HID kits, but they are within the law. They are also far better than halogen bulbs and cost about 20. If you want to stay legal then your option is to have xenon bulb upgrades or you can save for the factory fitted HID xenon light kits provided by the manufacturer of your car.

If you don’t want the hassle of installation and legality issues of fitting an HID kit, you should consider fitting xenon Headlight Bulbs instead. The very latest high performance Xenon Bulbs emit up to 90% more light than standard halogen, are completely road legal and simple to fit.