A few years ago, the mainstream headlamps in the automotive lighting industry are nothing more than Xenon lamps and halogen lamps.
With the evolution of LED technology, LEDs now have been put into use in automotive lighting pervasively.
According to the market research, the global LED lighting market size was valued at USD 50.91 billion in 2020 and is expected to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% from 2021 to 2028. The major factors for the growth are that LED headlights are brighter, more efficient and government regulations in line with environmental norms.
LED Headlights Have A Good Perspectives
LED Headlight Technology Is Expected To Grow The Fastest
LED headlamps, despite lower penetration than LED tail-lamps, generated 60% of revenue for automotive lighting supplier. The automotive lighting is raising at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7%, from $25.7bn in 2016 to nearly $27.7bn in 2017 and $35.9bn in 2022, reported by Automotive Lighting Technology Market Search. The standardization of LED bulbs and their optimization are the two main factors behind the decreasing costs.
Since the first LED headlamp was introduced in 2007, LED headlight bulbs have witnessed an unexpectedly fast growth associate with a new LED technology revolution that will reshape the whole industry. The latest LED technology has allowed lighting to become high-intensity feature and enable innovative functions such as perfect light beam pattern without dark spot. LED headlight technology has been limited to high-end vehicles, thus 95% of the original vehicles are still contained with halogen bulbs which results a high demand for LED headlight bulbs.
Automotive Market Size 2016-2022
Lighting Technology Segment Overview
Itay Michaeli, director of automotive research at Citigroup, recently released a report that in the next 6 years, LED headlight technology has the most promising development prospects. Among automotive lighting accessories, the sales of LED headlight bulbs will grow the fastest, and it is expected that the average annual sales growth of LED headlights is 51%.
For the basis of headlight technology, the automotive lighting methods can be categorized into halogen, xenon, and LED.
Due to lower cost and standardization for high and low beams, halogen headlight has been dominating the headlight market. However, halogen bulbs consume much power and produce excessive heat which has increased awareness for energy efficiency leading to the reduce usage of halogen.
Regarding Xenon (HID) technology, the penetration rate of Xenon will slowly decrease and remain stable in the following years. Because the cost of LED headlight bulb drops a lot and enhanced design of LED headlight bulbs.
With the urgency to improve efficiency to see better at night, LED lighting is going to witness substantial growth in the following years. The penetration rate of LED headlight increases steadily, this can be credited to high-efficiency LED technology improvement, the transition from halogen and xenon to LED headlight has accelerated. As LED headlight bulbs have energy-saving performance, improved security, and sleek designs, they are much better than those conventional bulbs.
Why LED Headlights Become Popular in The Future?
Safety Is The First Factor
Headlights are one of the most important parts in a car, they help to see the obstacles clearly at night. According to data from federal highway administration, the risk of fatal accidents on U.S. roads is three times higher at night than during the day – and 76% of pedestrian deaths happen after dark.
About 22% of the traffic accidents occurred under poor visibility, which means due to the poor lighting condition, drivers are NOT able to see the obstacles ahead clearly and react quickly. Therefore, requirement for headlight bulbs that can produce brighter light has been an urgency.
LED Headlights Are More Efficient
Efficient lighting is the most important feature that attract many customers. Whereas halogens use 20% of the energy and emit 80% of the heat. (They create the glowing light by generating excessive heat) With advanced technology LED headlight convert 80% of the energy they use directly into light, wasting only 20% in the process. That’s absolutely more efficient, as this comparison of LED vs halogen lights explains.
This means you can benefit from stronger lighting, with less power consumption, less fuel consumption.
LED Headlight Has Better Lighting Quality
LED headlights consume less power to provide a brighter light. LED has greater lighting quality than halogen bulb. Rather than a weak, dim yellow light, LED emits a much more stronger, clearer, cool white light.
Neither dazzling blue as HID xenon bulbs nor dim as halogen. Most of the LED headlights offer 6500K, it is the most comfortable color temperature that contributed to clearer, wider visibility and safer road driving.
Highly Beneficial in the Long Run
LED headlights seem costly now, but they offer multiple advantages over their life. Most of the LED headlights on the market are equipped with excellent cooling methods, such as high-speed fan, aluminum body, copper substrate and copper heat pipes. Thus, the average lifespan of LED light bulbs is capable of lasting for over 30,000 hours, which is three times longer than the halogen bulbs. So even if halogen bulbs are affordable, LED bulbs turn out to be winner in the long run.
Quick Installation is Crucial
Another feature behind the recent prevalence of LED headlights is the simple of installing the LED bulbs. Most of the bulbs are plug-n-play designs with standard holder as halogen bulb. You don’t need a mechanic to help you install the bulbs. You can do it by yourself without any professional assistance. Before buying the headlight kits, it is advised to clarify your bulb size first. (Look for some bulb size finder tool or check out your car manual). Choosing a reliable headlight supplier are also important, since they provide quality product with longer warranty.
Choose for Aesthetic Reason
Many LED headlight bulbs have cool and stylish design, which makes them attractive to customers. The body of the bulbs come with different colors, you can choose whatever you want. Some LED headlight manufacturers also provide LED headlight customization service, you can design your own package, bulb appearance, even the color of the light.
The Rapid Development of Technology
The improvement of LED tech makes them meet the requirements of customers. Thanks to the LED lighting technology, the cost of LED headlights is much lower than before.
Some luxury vehicles such as Lexus, Mercedes Benz, now come with LED right out of the car makers but over 95% of cars still installed halogen bulbs.
Asian Suppliers Perform Brilliantly
It is estimated that Asia Pacific is the largest growing market in the global automotive lighting. That’s owing to customers’ satisfaction and high sales volume.
China and Japan generate the largest shares within the auto lighting market thanks to their high production and sales of vehicles.
In addition, headlight bulb manufacturers from these countries focus on LED technological improvement, application, and training, thus driving the demand for LED headlights.
LED Headlight Challenges And Opportunity
Manufacturer have successfully make the LED technology available for headlight rear lights, brake lights and daytime. As costs have fallen, LEDs are widely accepted by customers, however, headlamps have proven to be more difficult. The main hinders had been heat management and headlight installation, but recent advances have enabled the bulbs to have a better cooling method to enter production.
LEDs have many advantages over halogen bulbs. They provide cool white brightness, which is similar to daylight thus improving visibility. The illumination pattern can be adjusted to avoid glare to other drivers. In terms of durability, the body of LED headlight is made of anti-corrosive material, thus they are anti-shock and waterproof.
Main Automotive LED Player Revenue Performance
In the automotive LED player revenue ranking of 2020, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, Nicha, and Lumileds remained the top three largest automotive LED suppliers, with a combined market share of 71.9%. They provide quality LED to illuminate brighter light, thus they are favoured by many suppliers.
Top LED Headlight Supplier NAOEVO: We Know What You Need!
Established in 2006, from the first day of the company’s establishment, NAOEVO is dedicated to manufacturing quality automotive lighting products to the customers around the world. Beginning from nothing to gain the recognition of customers. We have been through a tough journey. Even if the market is unpredictable, we have the same goal – providing high quality products and first-class services with our customers.
As Raw Material Costs Rise Wildly, Manufacturers Still Good?
The price of the materials have increased fiercely due the impact of COVID-19, currency devaluation causing by over payment and overspending, and the increase in tax collection in many countries, etc.
It can be a big strike to many industries, LED headlights are not exception. With ever increase in raw materials, many factories and manufacturers are unable to accept it. Even Some auto headlight companies, which have the history of over 10 years, could not withstand the impact of the epidemic and have to close down.
In order to protect the interest of our customers, NAOEVO promptly upgrades the production lines with some advanced equipment to control the manufacturing costs.
NAOEVO Provides Various Products To Satisfy Different Needs
NAOEVO company provides a wide range of products such as LED headlight bulbs, LED light bar, LED motorcycle bulbs and LED signal bulb. All of them have different features and selling points.
We are also proud ourselves on offering some popular models in the market such as 100W SAGA, 90W Mr.Eagle,70W Noble You can also look for NAOEVO product collection to get detail information.
NAOEVO is Committed To Improving Product Lighting Efficiency
These days, the market is like a ‘lumen war’ – every brand is racing to push out LED bulbs with crazy numbers like 10,000LM or even 30,000LM per bulb, just to claim the title of ‘brightest headlight.’ But here’s the question: Do these products actually balance brightness with real-world performance and durability?
As we’ve explored in our blog of A 20,000 LM LED Headlight Bulb: Myth or Reality?, these extreme claims often don’t translate to better road visibility.
At NAOEVO, we’re taking a different approach. Instead of blindly chasing lumen numbers, we focus on smarter light efficiency – making sure every watt of power delivers the best possible visibility without wasting energy or overheating.
Take our GT6 LED headlight bulbs, for example. At 55W and 6,600LM, they outperform many 100W bulbs on the market. Why? Because we prioritize precision optics, efficient heat dissipation, and road-legal brightness—not just big numbers on the box.
NAOEVO Provides Fast Shipment
The factory of NAOEVO is located in Baiyun District, Guangzhou City, covered 10,000 square meters. Our factory has 6 production lines and comes with over 200 skillful workers. All of these are beneficial to mass production and fast shipment.
More Supports From NAOEVO
- High-Quality Products
- OEM/ODMCustom Service
- Exclusive Market Protection
- Fast Delivery
- Marketing Promotion
- Support From Professional Team
🔚Conclusion
As LED headlight technology continues to evolve—becoming smarter, more efficient, and more powerful—it’s clear that the future of automotive lighting is brighter than ever. From advanced beam patterns to adaptive lighting systems, LED headlights are setting new standards for safety and style on the road.
Whether you’re a car enthusiast, retailer, or just curious about what’s next, staying ahead of these trends is key. And if you’re ready to grow with this fast-moving industry, now’s the perfect time to become our distributor. Join us in leading the future of automotive lighting with high-performance, reliable LED solutions that drivers love.