Are you thinking about buying an HID kit for your car? If you’ve ever seen those bright, cool-looking (and sometimes colored) headlights on other cars and wished for a pair of your own, you’re not alone. We talk about the best hid kit for your car in this article.
The days of the classic halogen headlight bulb are coming to an end— at least for those of us who follow aesthetic car trends and like to have the best vision possible while driving at night.
HID kits aren’t just for aesthetics, either. Old-school halogen bulbs simply aren’t as bright, and LED bulbs, though bright and long-lasting, can get incredibly expensive. HID bulbs are the perfect middle ground, being both affordable and bright enough to make a significant difference in your overall driving experience.
HID bulbs rival the brightness of LED options while also producing the brightest legal light available for the road, so there’s really nothing to lose when purchasing an HID kit. There are, however, certain characteristics and pitfalls of certain brands we feel consumers should be aware of, so we’ve created this guide to help you get started on choosing the perfect kit for your car.
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The 10 Best HID Kit for 2018
Kensun New-Tech HID Xenon Conversion Kit
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This option is a number-one seller for HID kits on Amazon, offered by a company hailed by reviewers as one of the best car light replacement brands out there.
When taking a closer look at this hardware, we see why: Kensun, a brand that specializes in automotive equipment, focuses its production on aftermarket lighting exclusively, making it one of the most trusted sources for aftermarket automotive headlight upgrades. Kensun also offers an affordable HID kit that doesn’t skimp on quality just because of the price point.
At around $40 and built to last up to three years, this upgrade is a difficult deal to pass up. Additionally, Kensun products are reportedly easy to install compared to the majority of HID kits on the market today.
Innovited AC 55W HID Kit
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Affordably priced at around $40 and built to last 5,500 hours (or about one year) on average, Innovited AC 55W kits also feature slim ballasts that are rubber-sealed for water resistance and a one-year warranty that would take care of any dysfunctional bulbs or ballasts.
Be sure to check if this option is compatible with your car— it’s possible you may need to purchase vehicle modifications to make this style of HID kit work for you.
Aukee 55W H7
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Built to be shockproof, waterproof and all-around weather-resistant, the Aukee 55W H7
kit is a solid choice for a wide range of vehicles, especially due to the slim ballasts creating an easy installation process.
These headlights are nearly three times brighter and generally longer-lasting than the average halogen bulb. One downside, however, is that extreme weather conditions, such as heavy wind, rain, or snow, can cause these bulbs to flicker
OPT7 Bullet-R 9006 Conversion Kit
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Thanks to its affordable price point, easy installation and brightness of up to 3,500 lumens, the XENTEC HID kit finds itself near the top of our best-of list for HID upgrades.One downside of this brand is that the bulbs are susceptible to flickering. However, if this happens, make sure to check the bulb connection and power supply.
These HID bulbs are also designed with a specific car compatibility range, which means you are responsible for confirming that the HID kit you choose is compatible with your vehicle. Beware of the sensitivity of the bulbs offered by this brand, however, as numerous customers have reported quick bulb burnout.
OPT7 Blitz Bullet
Don’t be fooled by the tiny bulbs and ballasts featured in this option. The OPT7 Blitz Bullet HID kit is more than 350 percent brighter than the average set of halogen bulbs.
Additionally, the small sizes of the bulbs and ballasts make this upgrade fit a wide range of vehicles. A two-year warranty is also included with the Blitz Bullet, making it a difficult deal to pass up. One significant downside, however, is the lifespan of these bulbs, which is reported to be less than average for a standard HID kit.
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OPT7 Bolt AC 55w
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Apex enjoys a status of being one of the most highly recommended HID kit brands on the market today. The reason for this is OPT7 Bolt AC 55w undeniable commitment to customer satisfaction and fair warranty terms.
This HID upgrade also comes in seven different colors, ranging in temperature from 3,000K to 30,000K (Kelvin is the unit of measurement used for HID kit brightness; see our Buyer’s Guide below for a detailed explanation). These bulbs are also known to last up to ten times longer than standard HID lights. This makes them an excellent choice as far as bang for your buck.
SDX S/SDX-H11-6K Xenon DC Slim Conversion Kit
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Recognized for its easy installation process and customer satisfaction ratings, the SDS/SDX HID kit is largely appreciated by auto lovers. It is also weather-resistant, high-performance slim ballasts and massive size availability.
Despite its extensive range of options, however, these upgrades are still known to not fit certain cars, so shop carefully if you’re considering this brand. The SDX brand is also based entirely online, with availability largely coming from Amazon, which sometimes makes contacting the company for assistance difficult.
AbleVision Xenon
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Available in five colors and numerous single- and double-beam sizes, the AbleVision Xenon HID kit runs on an AC ballast type and a wattage of 55w. The recommended light penetration for this upgrade is 4,300K, but available color temperatures go up to 10,000K.
One downside of this brand is that installation can sometimes fall to a professional due to reported consumer difficulty. Additionally, these bulbs have been known to flicker despite perfect installation, which sometimes requires the separate purchase of anti-flicker capacitors. Tread carefully with these products, as you may end up having to spend more than originally planned.
ZEEZ HID – 9007 HID Conversion Kit
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This brand enjoys the benefit of having a 100 percent plug-and-play installation process. It is also fully shockproof, waterproof and weather-resistant.
XtremeVision HID kits are also compatible with 35w and 55w wattage, as well as either AC or DC ballasts. There’s also an included two-year warranty for parts, making this a generally safe purchase. Beware of the fact that reviewers claim these HID lights have short lifespans. Having to replace this kit even once would make the worthiness of the purchase questionable overall.
OPT7 Boltzen
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This brand enjoys the privilege of being one of the oldest automotive lighting companies around today.
Designed to handle extensive voltage power at 55w, the OPT7 Boltzen HID kit boasts easy installation. Also, it has over 6,000 continuous hours of life, incredibly durable AC ballasts and availability in five different colors. The negatives of this brand include that it’s one of the most expensive HID kit options on this list. Additionally, this company offers less of a variety of colors compared to other popular brands.
How We Choose Our Ratings
Trust us when we say we didn’t just come up with this list on a whim. Accuracy and honesty embody everything we stand for. This is why our ratings are largely based upon feedback and testimonials from customers, as well as overall brand reputation and available consumer data on each kit.
We pored over every detail and available review of each of these ten best hid kit on our list because we want to make sure that only the very best products available make it onto your radar.
Buyer’s Guide For The Best HID Kit
We have provided you with what we believe are the best HID kits out there today. Now it’s your turn to narrow everything down to exactly which option you want and need for your car.
All drivers have different opinions and preferences on every aspect of their cars. Naturally, you’ll still want to form your own conclusions when looking for aftermarket HID headlight upgrade packages.
Below are some of the qualities we strongly recommend you look for when making your best HID kit purchase:
Affordability
This one may be a no-brainer to some, but many people still fall into the trap of thinking price always correlates with quality and cheap products aren’t as good.
If you’re seeing excessively high prices, do as much research possible on the brand to find out exactly why they’re charging so much, and if the price is really worth it. On the other end of the spectrum, if you’re seeing HID kits that are insanely affordable, double-check to make sure it isn’t a knockoff or a badly made product. Poor-quality HID kits are a dangerous driving hazard, so doing your homework on price points is essential.
Lumens
In terms of lumens, more is better when it comes to HID bulb brightness. Contrary to the popular belief of lumens being an indicator of illumination intensity, they’re actually a measure of the number of light particles (photons) the bulb emits.
In other words, a less-intense bulb with more lumens will shine brighter than a high-intensity bulb with fewer lumens. An HID bulb can be advertised as being brighter than a halogen bulb. However, bulb intensity doesn’t always translate directly to bulb brightness, which some companies will skip out on telling you.
Wattage
HID bulbs generally come in two wattage forms: 35w or 55w. In the past, bulb wattage was fiercely disputed due to some manufacturers taking advantage of misleading advertising. They were selling bulbs that weren’t as powerful as the companies made them seem.
Fortunately, more reputable manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and made it their mission to only produce bulbs that function exactly as advertised. Make sure to confirm which wattage is most appropriate for your car headlights.
Ballasts
The two primary types of ballasts you can find in HID kits are AC and DC ballasts. AC ballasts produce a consistent current, whereas DC options operate on a consistent voltage and use more energy in the process.
DC hardware is generally cheaper, but the money you save on DC versus AC ballasts doesn’t rule out AC alternatives still being the more ideal choice. Because DC ballasts use more energy, they tend to burn out quicker. This makes the amount of money saved rather debatable when it comes time for a replacement.
Color Options
Although the color of the bulbs doesn’t indicate the light intensity or the number of lumens, it can tell you at which frequency the light is being emitted.
For example, light from an HID kit featuring golden yellow bulbs is typically measured at about 3,000 kelvins, or 3,000K. Conversely, bulbs with blue and purple hues range between 8,000K and 12,000K. Kelvin units are normally used to measure temperature.
However, in the case of HID kit bulbs, kelvins correlate with the temperature that would be required to maintain a specific hue if the bulbs weren’t already being powered by the electric charge that passes through the xenon gas.
Customer Service
Our final category boils down to the reputation and overall quality of the company you choose to purchase from. Pay attention to what consumers are saying about each brand. This includes the quality of customer service when it comes to things such as troubleshooting and warranties offered.
Once you’ve done your research, it should be easy to narrow down the option that most identifies with your values as a consumer.
Finally, if you’ve recently purchased an HID kit of your own, don’t hesitate to let us know what you think. We greatly value receiving additional feedback on our best of lists. We also won’t hesitate to update our ratings if one of our top-rated products turns out to be something of a one-hit wonder according to honest, thoughtful reviewers.
Happy driving!
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Last update on 2023-04-15 at 07:41 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API