EN / EUR EN flag
Price
EN / EUR EN flag
Price
Mitt konto Hjärta 0
Cart
×

Your basket is empty.

The Big Guide: How to choose the right lighting for your car and driving in 2025

October 14, 2025

Choosing new vehicle lighting can feel overwhelming. The choice is huge, and technical terms like lumen, kelvin and CANBUS don't make it any easier. What makes it even more difficult is that the 'best' lighting is not the same for everyone. It all depends on who you are as a driver, where you drive and what you want to achieve.

In this guide, we help you start with yourself. We've identified four common driver types based on thousands of customer calls and even more emails Recognise yourself in one of them, and you'll quickly understand which type of lighting is perfect for you.

Den Stora Guiden: Så väljer du rätt belysning för din bil och körning 2025

Related products

Who are you as a driver? Find your perfect match

  1. The Commuter: For those who want a safer and more comfortable everyday life

You drive to and from work every day, often on moderately lit country roads. Your priority is not the most extreme light, but to improve safety, see the edges of the road more clearly and have a more restful light for your eyes.

Your perfect solution:

LED conversion: the best first step. Replacing your tired halogen bulbs in the full and half light with modern LEDs makes a dramatic difference with a whiter, brighter light.

See LED conversion (https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/halvljus-helljus/led-konvertering/

A discreet 'Slim' LED bezel: A thin, recessed LED bezel enhances the high beam and gives a stylish look without changing the car's appearance.

See our slim best in test Led ramp Luxtar Twilight here (https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-twilight-300w-3/)   

  1. Rural dweller: For those whose main concern is wildlife accidents

You drive where street lighting is a rarity and where the danger of wildlife on the road is ever present. For you, a long and above all wide light is essential to illuminate the ditches.

Your perfect solution:

A "Combo" LED ramp: A ramp with a combined light pattern is customised for you. It throws the light far forward (spot) and spreads it wide to the sides (flood) for total visibility.

See the perennial test winner Luxtar X20: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-x20-black-edition-200w-utsedd-till-basta-led-rampen/?attribute_pa_ljusbild=driving   

Three Round Extra Light: The classic and still extremely efficient solution for an unbeatable length of light and a robust look.

See our popular Luxtar Stellar extra light here: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-stellar-dynamic-9-black-2/ 

  1. The professional driver: For those who have the road as their workplace

Your lamps are your most important work tools. You demand absolute reliability, maximum performance and durability. Function always comes before form.

Your perfect solution:

Powerful Work Lights: Indispensable when loading, unloading or working around the vehicle. Choose robust lamps with wide light distribution and high IP rating.

See our new Luxtar Noir work lights: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-pro-noir-wl90-curved/ 

High Performance Extra Light or LED Ramp: Invest in a "best in test" model that is guaranteed to deliver maximum light, hour after hour.

See our widest ramp, Luxtar X44: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-ledramp-x44-black-edition-440w/?attribute_pa_ljusbild=driving 

Warning lights and flashing lights: For your safety and the safety of others during roadworks.

See our new product, Luxtar Optiflux: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/luxtar-optiflux-warning-light-amber-6-led/ 

  1. The enthusiast - For those who only settle for the latest and greatest

You love the latest technology, the sharpest performance and a design that stands out. You want what's new, best and turns heads.

Your perfect solution:

News with the latest technology: keep an eye on our News category. Here you will find extreme range auxiliary lights or ramps with dynamic position light.

See Lazer's news for 2025: https://xenonkungen.com/produkt/lazer-linear-18-elite/ 

Understand the different types of supplementary lighting

To make an even better choice, it's good to know the basic types of lighting and what sets them apart.

  • LED-Ramp: An oblong unit with several diodes in a row. Provides an incredibly wide and even light. Available as straight, curved to follow the front of the car and extra slim for discreet mounting. The most popular solution today.
  • Round Extra Lights: The classic solution. Often optimised to cast light extremely far. Gives a robust and timeless look. Usually sold in pairs or as a pack of three.
  • LED Conversion: This involves replacing the car's existing halogen main and dipped beam lamps with modern, much brighter LEDs with the same base (e.g. H7 or H4).
  • Work lights: durable lamps designed to provide a wide and bright light in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle. Used on work vehicles, tractors and transport trucks.
  • Warning lights / Flashing lights: Brightly flashing, usually orange lights (flashing beacons or pucks) used on commercial vehicles to warn other road users during roadworks, for example.
  • Lighting lexicon: Important concepts to know
  • Lumen (lm): The total luminous flux produced by a lamp, measured directly at the light source. A high lumen number is good, but doesn't tell you everything about how the lamp performs in real life.
  • Lux: Measures the intensity of light on a specific surface (1 Lux = 1 lumen per m²). When we say "1 Lux at X metres", it means that the light is bright enough for you to read a newspaper at that distance. This is a much better measure of real performance than just lumens.
  • Kelvin (K): The colour temperature of light. A low number gives a warm, yellowish light (e.g. 3000K), while a high number gives a cold, bluish light. Around 6000K gives a 'daylight white' glow that is popular and pleasing to the eye.
  • Beam Pattern: Describes how the light is scattered.
  • Spot/Pencil: A very narrow and focused beam of light for maximum reach.
  • Flood/Wide: An extremely wide beam of light to illuminate the neighbourhood and ditches.
  • Combo/Driving: The most popular light pattern on LED ramps. Combines spot and flood lenses to provide both good length and width.
  • IP rating: Indicates how well the lamp is protected against dust and water. IP67 means dustproof and can withstand brief immersion in water. IP68 is even higher and can withstand continuous immersion. For Nordic conditions, IP67 or higher is recommended.
  • CANbus: The car's light monitoring system on modern cars (ca 2005+). Can give error codes when converting LEDs if a resistor is not used.
  • E-marking: a marking indicating that the product is authorised for use on public roads within the EU.

Closing questions and answers (FAQ)

Now that you have a better idea of which lighting is right for you, let's quickly answer the last few FAQs in one coherent text.

A common question is how to know what fits physically on the car? The easiest way is to use our digital Vehicle Guide or look in your car's owner's manual to find the right lamp base (e.g. H7 or H4). For ramps and auxiliary lights, it's a matter of measuring the space where they will sit.

Many people also worry about their car's electronics. "Do I need to think about CANbus?" Yes, if your car is from around 2005 or newer and you change the original lights to LED, you will most likely need a CANbus resistor to prevent error codes and flicker. It is a simple adapter that solves the problem. For auxiliary lights on new cars, a product like the XBB Dongle is the safest solution, as it reads the high beam signal wirelessly without you having to cut the car's wiring.

Another important question is whether stronger lights are always legal? Here it's simple: upgrading the high beam with auxiliary lights, LED beams or stronger lamps is always legal. For dipped beam, the rules are stricter and we recommend approved LED kits, which are available for an increasing number of car models.

Finally, what's more important: a wide or long light image? It all depends on who you are as a driver. The rural driver needs a wide 'combo' beam to see wildlife in the ditches, while the driver on big, straight roads might prioritise an extremely long 'spot' beam. The most important thing is to choose the light that makes your driving safer.

Now you know everything you need to know, so get out there and browse our wide range and see what suits you best!

 

For maximum visibility on dark roads: Take me to LED Ramps https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/led-ramper-ljusramper/ 

For a classic and powerful high beam: Take me to Extra Light https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/extraljus/ 

To upgrade your car's original lights: Take me to LED Conversion https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/halvljus-helljus/led-konvertering/ 

For those looking for the classic Xenon light: Take me to Xenon products https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/xenonkonventering/xenonkit/ 

For work vehicles and machines: Take me to Work Lighting https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/arbetsbelysning/ 

To be seen and warned on the road: Take me to Warning Lights https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/varningsljus/ 

For safe reversing and manoeuvring: Take me to reversing lights https://xenonkungen.com/produkt-kategori/slap/backljus-slap/ 

Team Xenonkungen