Brightest & Whitest OE HID Headlight Bulbs 2019 (Xenon D range)

Headlight bulb technology has come on a long way since the original tungsten filament days. Halogen filament bulbs were the mainstay in car headlight technology for a good 20+ years as they were cheap to manufacture and gave an acceptable light output (just).

However in the early 2000’s, a new technology started to make its way onto the road either as an option or as standard. This was Xenon HID (High Intensity Discharge).

How Xenon Bulbs Work

Instead of a filament, an arc of light is created between two electrodes. This creates a much purer and more intense light, drastically improving night time visibility for drivers.

What Does OE Stand For?

OE stands for Original Equipment. Sometimes the term OEM is used instead which means Original Equipment Manufacturer.

The term is usually stated around Xenon bulbs to indicate a difference between HID Xenon bulbs fitted at the factory from new (either as standard or optional feature) and aftermarket HID kits that convert standard halogen bulbs to HID.

How Do I Know If My Headlights Are OE Xenon?

Some car owners might not know what headlight bulbs they have. As it’s often an option at time of vehicle purchase, it’s not always possible to use product finder tool as found on our website as you will simply be asked to choose whether you have them fitted or not. Don’t worry though, there are two ways to check which headlight bulbs you have.

The first way is to check your vehicles’ user manual. This will determine what bulb goes into your headlights. The reference number you are looking for will start with a ‘D’ if you have OE Xenon HID fitted and would be one of the following:

• D1R
• D1S
• D2R
• D2S
• D3R
• D3S
• D4R
• D4S
• D5S
• D8S

Another way is to remove the headlight bulb and inspect the markings that are printed or etched into the base of the bulb.

As with halogen bulb upgrades, you have the options to upgrade the brightness and/or the colour of the light output. And as with halogen technology, there is a compromise between colour and brightness.

The Standard Colour Temperature Of OE Xenon Bulbs

Standard OE HID bulbs have a colour rating of approximately 4300K. This is quite a white light, but still has a bit of that warm yellow tinge to it. However, changing the colour temperature has a detrimental effect to the overall light output. Therefore the bulbs that offer the most light output tend to remain in the 4300-4700K colour range.

If you are looking for that cool white light, you won’t get as much of an increased light output, but they will still be as bright or brighter than your standard bulb.

Options to Upgrade your OE Bulb Colour

For those that want to get rid of that yellow tinge, there are some decent products on the market.

There are a few options on the market that grant a whiter light for your vehicle.

Philips has a range called WhiteVision Gen 2 and those bulbs reach up to 5000k which gives out a clean, crisp white light.

OSRAM has a Cool Blue Boost range of OEM bulbs that reach up to 7000k giving you a more clinical white light.

At the time of writing this article, there have been some recent and significant improvements in the light output of upgrade OEM HID headlight bulbs. For a long time, the only option in this space was a colour change option. However brands such as OSRAM and Philips have led the way and produced upgrades that produce up to 200% more light than your standard HID bulb!

OEM Bulbs For Maximum Light Output:

1. Osram Night Breaker Laser +200% – Currently the brightest OEM upgrade bulb on the market. They’re not the cheapest, but probably the best!
2. Philips X-treme Vision Gen2 +150% – Philips flagship offering. Just a bit less light increase than the Osram bulb,  but the reality is there’s not a lot to choose. Similar in price to the Osram and you know you’re getting the highest quality with the Philips brand.

The Whitest OEM Bulbs:

1. Osram Cool Blue Boost Xenarc 7000K – The whitest light Osram have and at 7000K, it also has that slight blue tint. This is one of the most stylish upgrades on the market. However 7000K is not a road legal colour temperature in the UK so these are sold as off-road only.
2. Twenty20 Arc-5, Arc-6, Arc-8 – A trio of colour options from Twenty20 to suit your personal choice. 5000K is much whiter than your standard, but no blue tints. 6000K is still very white, but introduces that stylish tint of blue. 8000K is a pure styling choice as it has a rich blue hue to the light. A stand out option but, like the Osram Cool Blue Boost, is sold as an off road option only.

“Best Of Both” OEM Bulbs:

1. Philips White Vision Gen 2 5000K +120% – Philips are onto a winner with this one. They’ve got a great combination of that whiter 5000K light, while also putting 120% more light on the road. If you’re after the best of both, this is really the one to go with.
2. Osram Cool Blue Intense 5000K +20% – Osram’s best of both option is also very good, boasting the same 5000K colour temperature. However the increased light output is only rated at +20% which is significantly less than the Philips option. Where Osram win here though is the £40-£60 cheaper price tag! (per pair).

The majority of the bulbs listed above are available in all the common bulb sizes such as D1S, D2S, D2R and D3S.

If you’re unsure which bulb size your vehicle takes, use our handy car bulb finder which should tell you exactly which ones you need.

If you’re struggling to see which car bulb fits your car then our handy car bulb guide can help or you can call us on 0844 8842 888 and we can help you out over the phone.

Author: ABD.co.uk