Low beam / High beam

When it comes to different light settings and terms, it is easy to get lost in all the information. With a deeper understanding of how a vehicle's light settings work, there is a greater awareness of its functions and needs. To help you understand what the different light settings mean and what they are called, here is a list of the names and their meanings:

Bright light lamp:
The most powerful and brightest light in the vehicle. Used when driving at night or at dusk to illuminate the road with maximum power and provide good visibility.

Half-light lamp:
The front lights are those used to illuminate the road in front of the vehicle and to make the vehicle visible to other road users, but which, unlike the main beam, do not dazzle other road users.

Warning light:
To make the vehicle visible to other road users. The lights are fitted to the front of the vehicle and are bright enough to illuminate the vehicle but not the road ahead. In good conditions and daylight, it is allowed to use the daytime running light instead of the dipped beam.

Fog lights:
Front headlamps which, like their name, are designed to improve visibility in fog and during heavy rain or snowfall.

Parking lights:
Can be located in several places on vehicles and are lights with a dimmer light that indicate to other road users that the vehicle has stopped or is parked. For the safety of the vehicle and other road users, it is important to regularly check the different light settings and the condition of the lights.

LED as low & high beam

LED stands for "Light Emitting Diode" and is an alternative to Halogen lamps and Xenon lights. LEDs provide a much brighter light than ordinary incandescent lamps and are designed to be easily replaced with their favourable socket design. The advantage of LED lamps is that they have a very long lifetime, which is very different from the lifetime of other headlamps. A lamp with LED has a lifetime of approximately 10 000h to 30 000h compared to Xenon lamps which have an approximate lifetime of 2 000h to 3 000h.

What determines how long the lamp lasts is the amount of heat it is exposed to. High heat consumes the LED lamp faster and it is important that the lamp is mounted correctly and that the lamp type matches the vehicle to prevent accelerated consumption.
LED lamps are designed to last a long time while delivering a powerful light. At the heart of this longevity is the diode in the LED lamp, which is designed to require less power. An LED lamp consumes on average 10 times less power compared to its predecessor the incandescent lamp and has a noticeably faster ignition frequency compared to the incandescent lamp.

This feature really comes into its own if you use LED lamps for your brake light, where it can be a life-changing factor in how quickly your brake light ignites.

A simple way to do your part on the road and protect both yourself and the road users around you. LED low beam or LED high beam is considered the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option.

Xenon low beam & Xenon high beam

Xenon light is designed to create a powerful light with a short ignition frequency. The name Xenon light comes from the noble gas Xenon that fills the discharge tube where the light source in Xenon light comes from. Xenon gas is used to create a large amount of light with minimal heating time for lamp ignition.

Xenon lights are not powered by car batteries like traditional halogen headlights. Xenon lights need an electronic drive in the form of a ballast that regulates the power supply and igniter to ignite the discharge that occurs in the lamp to create light.

Due to the high brightness of Xenon light, the dipped beam needs to be adjusted in height to avoid dazzling other road users. To convert your halogen lamps to Xenon lights, you need to review the type of lamp your vehicle has in order for the conversion to give the best effect and results.

Xenon light comes in different colour temperatures with different brightness and is expressed in Kelvin (K). The Kelvin scale is a unit of measurement that is measured in degrees to give a measure of the colour of light. The Kelvin scale has nothing to do with the intensity of light, but is only used to measure the colour of light.

Original Xenon lights are generally in the temperature range of 4300-4600 K according to the Kelvin scale and this is a temperature that produces a clear, white light. To get a better overview of the Kelvin scale, we list the different temperatures below:

Kelvin & Kelvin scale (K)


3000 K- Yellow light
4300 K- Clear white light
6000 K- White light with blue tones
8000 K- White light with blue tones
10000 K- Blue light with white tones
12000 K- White light that almost turns into blue/purple tones

When converting from Halogen to Xenon lamps, you need to use a so-called Xenon kit. These kits look different depending on what your needs are and what you need to optimise your vehicle with. Read more about our xenon kit

Halogen low beam & Halogen high beam

Halogen lamps contain the gas halogen, which gives the lamp its name. Inside the halogen lamp is a filament that has a high temperature when ignited, creating a bright light and a longer life compared to an incandescent lamp. The halogen lamp is energy efficient and has a lower power consumption than a standard incandescent lamp.The halogen lamp has a clear light source that produces a bright, warm, white light with a fast ignition rate.

The halogen lamp is a good alternative if the need is to get the similar colour effect of a Xenon light. To get the most and best possible amount of light from a halogen lamp, emphasis has been placed on the positioning of the filament in manufacturing.

The positioning of the filament that is in the lamp is the most vital factor in getting an even and good luminous flux on the road. If the filament in the halogen lamp is angled incorrectly, it results in a poorer luminous flux and poorer visibility of the road conditions.

Halogen or halogens work in the same way as a traditional light bulb used in the home. It got its name because of the 'halogen' gas used in ignition. It was discovered that Halogen worked in a way that the bulb no longer turned black after use.
The halogen lamp is the oldest technology that is still widely used around the world in the automotive industry and looks set to continue to be used for a long time to come. The filament of a halogen lamp is thinner and shorter than that of an incandescent lamp, resulting in a higher light output.

However, with a thinner and shorter filament, the life of the halogen lamp is reduced. Halogen lamps are sensitive to overvoltage, which can occur in many vehicles, and in the event of an overvoltage, the life of the halogen lamp can be halved in the worst case. In cold winter conditions, overvoltages often occur between the halogen lamp and the vehicle, as more energy is needed and the ignition pressure is higher. It is therefore important to review which halogen lamp is suitable for the right vehicle to avoid these reductions and to get the best results in light output and lifetime. The voltage between the lamp and the vehicle can vary enormously between, for example, car brands, different models and the lamps themselves.

A good dipped beam is characterised by a clear, high-output light pattern and a 'clean' cut-off line. There are different makes and models that give different low beam results and depending on the model of your vehicle, there are low beam options that are suitable for your vehicle with a result that you are happy with.

Dipped headlights can be bought with Halogen, Xenon or LED. However, only the light source your car is registered with is legal to use.

It depends on what you choose, what model you have and what your needs are. Xenon kits cost from £895, LED from £595 and Halogen from £125.

The most important thing to consider when buying dipped beam lamps is that they should fit your car. There are many different lamp models and vehicle models. You can usually find this information in your car's owner's manual, which will tell you more about your car lights.

Depending on the model of dipped beam light and the car model, there are mostly dipped beam lights that fit all car models with the exception of some models. This also depends on what your car's original lights were and what your criteria are in the dark.

This depends on the type of vehicle you have and how the light is built. The dipped beam can be adjusted and positioned for best results. Usually the range is between 45-80 metres, but obviously differs depending on the model.

In Sweden, a motorcycle may have either one or two dipped beam headlights. If there are two dipped headlights, they must be mounted side by side. This is in accordance with the Swedish traffic regulations and aims to make the motorbike visible and safe in traffic.

Along with dipped headlights, so-called DRL is authorised and warning/position lights.

In most cases, we mean that you can do this yourself. It's not something you have to go to a workshop to do. If you're unsure about how to do it, we obviously recommend that you contact a workshop so that they can help you with your lamp replacement.

It depends on what the car is approved for. A good Halogen lamp is around 12-1500 lumens. A xenon lamp is around 3200 lumens. LED lamps vary according to design. VW tiguan has around 800 lumens.

Low beam should always be used, unless you have other characterising lighting, e.g. daytime running lights/DRL. You can also use fog lights and position lights during the day.

The light source, how far the light reaches and the temperature of the colour depend entirely on the model of the low beam. There is a range of different models with different features and appearances that differentiate the dipped beam lights. To compare the different models, you are welcome to visit us at Xenon King.

Dipped beam may be combined with DRL/warning light, but it should be automatically dimmed when used together. Other light settings are high beam which may be used together with the dipped beam.

Low beam should be used during daylight, dusk and precipitation.

The cost of changing the dipped beam is different. It all depends on how difficult it is to access. If you can change it yourself, it is only the cost of the product itself. If you are unable or unwilling to change it yourself, we recommend that you contact an authorised repairer who will be able to give you a quote and help you with your dipped beam replacement.

It depends on what you are interested in changing to, as well as what the original lamp type is on your vehicle. Please check the owner's manual to see what type of original lamp is in your car and to see information that will help you find a suitable lamp for your vehicle.

A good high beam means that you have a lot of light, in the right place. The width of the light is the most important thing as you have good dispersion and good length.

The most important thing to remember is to choose lamps that are right for your car. The right high beam will give you a good light pattern and the highest possible light output. Incorrect lamps can be harmful to your car and require position adjustment.

Together with main beam, you may use position and dipped beam.

It is not advisable to use high beams where the road is already illuminated, in cities or when meeting traffic. If you have traffic in front of you, it is also not advisable to use high beams as you may dazzle the driver in front of you.

There are several brands with excellent quality and depending on the type of vehicle and model, we can start from which top quality products we can offer you. The Xenon King and Luxtar are our premium models and the ones we recommend first out of our wide range.

The law says that you cannot combine dipped and main beams, as this can create glare for your fellow road users. The following combinations are illegal to use in traffic: Dipped and main beam, Dipped and main beam, Dipped and auxiliary, Dipped and main beam.

With more lights in vehicles often comes more possibilities. With some vehicles it is possible to combine and switch between different light combinations, what many people fail to realise is that it is not allowed to use certain light settings together at the same time.

The light combinations that are illegal to use in all driving are as follows: