The Best 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs in 2023

This is our buying guide on the best LED headlight bulbs in 2023. Below is a quick summary of our top recommendations. Scroll further down to read our in depth, hands on reviews, for each headlight brand.

BEST BUDGET

AUXITO 9005 LED
Headlight Bulbs

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• Latest double sided ZES LED chips
• 12,000 lumens brightness
• Beam stretches further down the road
• Wider field of view
• 6500K color profile
• Improved visibility
• Noticeably easier to differentiate between obstacles
• High quality aviation-grade aluminum body
• High speed cooling fan
• Last around 30,000 hours

Best Overall

Fahren 9005 LED
Headlight Bulbs

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• 20,000 lumens
• 6500K color profile
• Wider angle of projection
• Uniform beam pattern
• Adjustable ring
• Bream won’t blind oncoming drivers
• Aviation grade aluminum
• 12,000 RPM turbo fan
• Hollow carved heat sink
• IP68 water and dust proof rating
• 50,000 hour lifespan
• Intelligent IC driver
• Less prone to causing issues with your car’s onboard systems

PREMIUM CHOICE

SEALIGHT 9005 LED
Headlight Bulbs

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• Up to 400% brighter than stock
• Beam stretches further down the road
• Pure white 6000K color temperature
• More modern look
• Better reflectivity
• Easier to pick out bumps and potholes in the road
• No dark spots or blurriness
• Copper substrate and 12,000 RPM fan
• Better heat management
• Aviation-grade aluminum
• 50,000 hour lifespan
• No error codes, flickering, or interference with the stereo /radio

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This is my buying guide for the best 9005 LED headlight bulbs.

9005 LEDs are some of the most commonly used headlight bulbs in modern vehicles. But when you need to get some replacements, the number of available options can be overwhelming.

One standout from the pack is Fahren’s 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs. Here, you get a bright and powerful bulb that doesn’t compromise on build quality or longevity. And despite the powerful lighting, these bulbs are still pretty energy-efficient.

We’ve been testing and reviewing headlight bulbs for over a decade. As such, there are few bulbs on the market that I haven’t tried out. So if you need help choosing the right one for your vehicle, allow us to give you an informed opinion.

Keep reading for more of our thoughts on the best 9005 LED headlight bulbs.

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It’s evident that Fahren chose the ‘kitchen sink’ approach when designing these 9005 LED headlight bulbs. Slap a set of these bulbs on your vehicle and you’re treated to powerful lighting, an aesthetically pleasing look, and best-in-class longevity.

Fahren’s claim to fame is the sheer power and performance you get with these bulbs. When it comes to overall brightness, Fahren’s bulbs blow the competition out of the water. Later in this review we’ll get to testing the bulbs. However if you want brightness. Fahren is our #1 recommendation.

Specifically, these bulbs generate an eye-watering 14,000 lumens of brightness. The obvious benefit is a clearer line of sight. There are other bulbs with more lumens. However in my testing they can be exaggerated.

But what good is high brightness if it’s not backed up by an equally impressive color profile. These particular bulbs come in at a cool 6500K color temperature. That’s ultra-pure white for the uninitiated. I personally prefer white light over yellow but most stock halogen bulbs use it. However, it’s my personal preference.

Besides giving your vehicle’s front end a more modern look, this color profile also offers better reflectivity off surfaces. This in turn makes it a lot easier to spot bumps and potholes, road signs, and obstacles in the road.

But these bulbs are about more than just raw power. They sport a wider angle of projection, bringing more of the road into view. This means you can notice pedestrians, other vehicles merging into your lane, and animals running into your path earlier.

The bulbs are well-calibrated. The beam is uniform and there are no dark spots to deal with. The same is true for blurriness in the beam. Again, this makes the driving experience safer, but also improves the look of your vehicle.

When it comes to LED headlight bulbs, it is imperative that you consider the build quality of the bulb as well. That’s another area where the Fahrens didn’t give us any cause for concern, thanks to the use of aviation grade aluminum. They also use a far more effective heat sink than most bulbs. It’s uniquely hollow carved which keeps temperatures much lower which helps the bulbs longevity.

Besides making the bulbs more resistant to damage, this also helps with heat transfer and management. Of course, the 12,000 RPM fan and hollow-carved heat sink design do most of the heavy lifting. In terms of the actual size of the heatsink. It’s very similar to halogen bulbs, and not nearly as big as other LED’s. So I can guarantee Fahren bulbs will fit your vehicle.

The bulbs are fully IP68 dust and water proof. That’s good news for those of us that like to take our vehicles off the beaten path into dirt, mud, and snow. IP68 is nothing special, every LED brand has it, but it’s worth noting as you don’t want your bulbs breaking on you.

Power consumption is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, these bulbs need more juice to generate all of that awesome brightness. But compared to offerings from other brands, these Fahrens still consume less power.

The durability and efficiency combine to give you an industry leading 50,000 hour lifespan. So even with regular nighttime driving, you won’t have to change these bulbs out too often. While these bulbs state a 50,000 lifespan. It doesn’t mean their brightness and strength of beam won’t deteriorate, but still function. I never tested them until 50,000 so it’s a really important point to note.

And lastly, these bulbs come with an intelligent IC driver, which prevents issues with your vehicle’s onboard systems. I didn’t have to put up with any distortion, error codes, and the like.

Now my test rig consists of a 2017 Toyota Camry H11 headlight projector, and for reflector testing, I use an H11 headlight from a 2018 ford f-150. I use these specifically because they are among the best-selling vehicles in America. I’m powering the bulbs using a benchtop power supply, and I positioned the light’s hot spot onto a lux meter that is 20 feet away mounted on my garage door.

I’ll record the initial brightness and then again after 27 minutes to document how well the light manages heat over 27 minutes. My tests aren’t for lux number ac

So I tested the output and the light pattern, and the results were impressive. Fahren’s bulbs scored 1472 lux, which is 747 over the halogen 725 lux. That’s over twice as bright, and after 27 minutes of runtime, (the average drive time in the United States), The bulbs retained most of that light output. Resulting in 313 lux after 27 minutes of driving, Which is 588 over halogen.

In terms of the projector light pattern compared to halogen bulbs. Fahren pretty well as you can see it has a pretty clean cutoff. We’ve got some standard blurry areas in the top middle that isn’t anything above average for my testing system, and there were some weak spots in the lower middle which is normal.

So overall I am very pleased with Fahren’s performance in terms of their brightness.

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If you’re looking for something even more powerful than our top pick, these 9005 LED headlight bulbs from Sealight might be more your speed. These bulbs tick all of the boxes, and provide enhanced visibility for nighttime driving. Just note these are more premium LED Headlight Bulbs, and naturally they cost quite a bit more than the mid tier range.

Sealight’s bulbs are some of the brightest we’ve ever seen. They offer over 800% brighter light output than stock bulbs, and the beam stretches further down the road. This means you’ll have a much easier time noticing motorists and obstacles.

Sealights new generation of LED Headlight Bulbs come with a whopping 28,000 Lumens. This means they’re one of the brightest bulbs available. And I would check the legality of these puppies in your state first.

In addition to the higher light output, you also get an improved color profile.

The 6000K color temperature doesn’t quite stack up to the 6500K of our top pick, but it still makes the beam pure white. Expect to have an easier time picking out road features, as well as pedestrians and stray animals.

It’s clear that Sealight put a lot of time and effort into perfecting the beam. It is exceptionally well-calibrated, so you don’t get a more uniform look, unadulterated by dark spots. You are also treated to precise focus, which reduces blurriness.

Sealight’s bulbs also give you the option of adjusting the angle of projection, so you can get the perfect beam to fit your driving style.

You get a 12,000 RPM turbo fan for cooling. The copper substrate further improves heat management, so you don’t have to worry about all that power and performance causing any issues. And another improvement of the design is that they’ve added a double copper tube which most of the competition is not doing.

I also have to commend Sealight for making one of the quietest cooling fans of any bulb on the market. Even at full send, it doesn’t make so much as a peep.

The bulb body is constructed from high-grade aluminum. Besides making the bulb more durable, this also prevents accidental damage during installation.

Longevity is in line with, if not a cut above other high-end 9005 LED headlight bulbs. You can expect Sealight’s bulbs to last around 50,000 hours, even with heavier usage.

And if you were worried about the bulbs causing errors with your car’s stereo or radio systems, you can put your fears to rest; I never had any issues of that sort in testing.

Since this is a more premium Bulb Sealight included premium features like the dimmable snap ring. Which means you can align your bulbs to nine different positions. The snap ring also ensures far better alignment than most bulbs while still not blinding oncoming drivers.

In terms of downsides. It’s hard to find a premium bulb, however Sealights new heatsinks are rather large. Much larger than say Auxito and other alternatives. Because of that, there’s a small chance of fitment issues. Potentially the bulbs won’t fit your headlight housing.

In terms of real work testing. These bulbs performed phenomenally.

Now let’s get to the testing of Sealights newest LED Bulbs. Starting with the projector 1303 Lux, which is 578 more lux than the halogens I tested. These lux measurements are way brighter than the previous Sealight kits and any halogen bulb on the market.

I also tested the bulbs when running for 27 minutes straight. Which is the average commute time in the U.S. This time, they retained an excellent 88 per cent of that light output resulting in 1147 Lux over time. 422 more lux than the halogen alternative.

So Sealight wasn’t kidding when they said 800% brighter than standard Halogen bulbs.

Now I will test the bulbs in a projector instead of a halogen. The cutoff is good and it does well with the pattern being full, but I have some concerns over how high I had to aim the light to get the hot spot on the Lux meter.

Your projector housing might be different, and while you should always aim your headlights carefully, this one will need some extra attention to ensure that your beam is traveling far ahead of you while the cutoff is not blinding oncoming traffic.

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Auxito’s 9005 LED headlight bulbs are another excellent choice in the mid tier range. they may lack a little bit of performance compared to our other picks, but it still gives most other options a run for their money.

Auxito chose to go with the latest double sided ZES LED chips. That means you get significantly higher brightness than stock halogens. In fact, you get 12,000 lumens of total output. Which is pretty good, however there’s a lot more brighter alternatives out there.

I found the beam stretches further down the road, and there was also a much wider field of view. These features combine to give you much better spatial awareness for nighttime driving and oncoming objects much easier to see.

These bulbs manage to beat the pricier Sealights in terms of color temperature! The color profile comes in at the 6500K mark. The cooler beam allows for better visibility and makes it noticeably easier to differentiate between obstacles on the road. And I much prefer a cool white color compared to yellow or blue.

You also get the same high quality aviation-grade aluminum body as with our other picks. However Auxito has a unique design that most other brands are lacking in. I found it actually does a much better job of maintaining cool temperatures. Thanks to it’s turbo ban, but more importantly the unique design.

A high speed cooling fan keeps the whole setup running smoothly. This fan does tend to be a bit louder than our other picks, but it’s still nothing too intrusive.

I was disappointed to find that these bulbs don’t have nearly as long of a lifespan compared to the competition. They’re rated to last around 30,000 hours, which is a drastic improvement over stock bulbs, but lags behind our other picks.

I did get some slight distortion with the stereo and radio systems on some vehicles. The manufacturer warns that this might happen, and that an additional decoder will fix the problem. After installing one, I was treated to an interference-free experience.

Another minor issue is I found these bulbs a touch too large. They just fit in my headlight housing, and I’m sure in other car models. Fitment could potentially be an issue.

While this bulb is mid range, Auxito really makes the effort in how the product is delivered. You get a premium box with excellent packaging. Plus a pair of anti-static gloves. An in depth user manual plus zip ties and an allen wrench.

So now let’s see how the newest Oxito LED light upgrade performs using the projector. The initial output is 1573 Lux, which is 848 lux over the halogen 725 Baseline lux measurement. This is slightly above average for the initial light output of the bulbs I’ve tested. And after 27 minutes, being the average commute time in the United States. it did a good job of retaining that light output keeping 82 percent of it. This results in 1290 Lux or 565 Lux over the halogen Baseline, once again slightly higher than my average tests.

So now let’s see how the newest Oxito LED light upgrade performs using the projector. The initial output is 1573 Lux, which is 848 lux over the halogen 725 Baseline lux measurement. This is slightly above average for the initial light output of the bulbs I’ve tested. And after 27 minutes, being the average commute time in the United States. it did a good job of retaining that light output keeping 82 percent of it. This results in 1290 Lux or 565 Lux over the halogen Baseline, once again slightly higher than my average tests.

Compared to stock bulbs, because it has an excellent clear cutoff, but the cutoff is higher than the hot spot. So you will have to aim these a little more carefully to ensure they project a useful distance without blinding oncoming drivers. Again aiming your headlights is very important, the common weak spot fills in quite a bit which is good, especially if your vehicle doesn’t have fog lights.

In terms of the reflector output. It’s pretty bright, 3160 Lux which is 2250 Lux over the halogen Baseline of 910 Lux. After 27 minutes of run time, keeping that 82 percent light output, it is reduced to 2591 Lux or 1681 lux over halogen. Once again, both numbers were slightly above the average of my testing.

For the reflector light pattern compared to halogen, it does pretty well for a brighter bulb. But I also began noticing a pattern in my testing with the Auxito bulbs. They publish a rating of 60 watts per light, but I observed 52.4 and for heat management after 27 minutes of run time. My thermal camera recorded it right around the average 219 degrees Fahrenheit or 104 degrees Celsius for the main unit and slightly above average 154 degrees Fahrenheit or 68 degrees Celsius for the driver. Which means it runs a little hotter than most bulbs.

All said and done though, the Auxito bulbs are definitely worth considering. They provide powerful lighting and improved visibility for night time driving, in addition to an efficient and durable design.

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