IIHS Study Reveals Poor Quality In Most Vehicle Headlights

2016 Toyota Prius V headlight (Credit: Toyota)

Fact: your car headlights probably suck, and you might not even know it. That’s what the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has concluded after testing midsize car headlights.

Never before has IIHS tested headlights like this. The results of this first round was interesting, to say the least. A third of the tested midsize cars did poor. About a third were marginal, and a third were acceptable. One got a good rating, the Prius V, but only with an optional LED upgrade.

The tests involved measuring how well headlights illuminate the road. IIHS also examined what kind of glare they create for drivers in incoming cars. Surely the Escalade would fail that part of the exam.

The government says those headlights are good enough, but what does that even mean? IIHS thinks that going with a higher standard would save lives and make it so people don’t crash into each other as much.

One of the big problems IIHS found was that some car headlights weren’t aimed properly straight out of the factory. That’s a shocking quality control issue. Fortunately, there are some good guides out there to check your own headlights, which is a good idea.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that driving at night is more dangerous. You can’t see as well, and having crappy headlights sure doesn’t help. Maybe with IIHS illuminating the situation, automakers will start to up their game. Besides, nice headlights look great on any car.