LED headlights are energy-efficient, durable and promise a significantly better light output than classic alternatives. LEDs are almost standard in new cars. But even with older models, an H7 LED bulb can usually be retrofitted – and quite legally.
LED headlights are brighter than conventional alternatives – and thus indirectly promise more safety when driving. In addition, LEDs are also more durable and develop significantly less heat. Many modern cars are already equipped with LED headlights, but LEDs can now also be retrofitted legally – at least some. Osram, for example, advertises on its product “Night Breaker H7-LED” that it has brought the first LED low beam approved in Germany onto the market (view at Amazon).
In the meantime, however, Osram has competition from the also approved LED bulb “Philips Ultinon Pro6000 H7-LED” (view at Amazon). In some vehicles, the LEDs can only be used with an adapter ring. You can find a corresponding selection at Amazon (view at Amazon).
Retrofit LED headlights
Whether or not you can retrofit one of the LED bulbs above varies from car to car. Both Osram and Philips offer a compatibility list to check if your car is supported (see table below). Check the number with your vehicle’s Headlight Approval Number on the appropriate page. You will find the number in the vehicle registration document and on the headlight.
On the other hand, you would have to check how easy or difficult it is to access the bulb directly on the car. If you don’t feel confident doing the conversion yourself, a workshop can also do the work.
After installation, you still have to download the approval (ABG) from the LED manufacturer and take it with you in the car.
H7 car LED bulbs
| Osram Night Breaker | Philips Ultinon Pro6000 | |
 |  | |
street legal in | ||
street legal in | Germany, Austria | Germany, Austria |
Type | ||
Type | H7, low beam | H7, low beam |
volts/watts | ||
volts/watts | 12 volts / 19 watts | 12 volts / 15 watts |
ABG certificate | ||
ABG certificate | download it from the manufacturer, print it out and take it with you in the car | download it from the manufacturer, print it out and take it with you in the car |
Customer rating (Amazon) | ||
Customer rating (Amazon) | 4.6 out of 5 stars (approx. 4,770 votes) | 4.5 out of 5 stars (approx. 1,030 votes) |
View at Amazon | ||
View at Amazon | approx. 109 euros TO THE SHOP | approx. 103 euros TO THE SHOP |
check compatibility | ||
check compatibility | To check at Osram | To check at Philips |
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Comparison instead of test: What’s the difference?
For this comparison, a CHIP specialist editor examined test reports from other publications as well as the most popular offers (“best sellers”) and customer opinions from online retailers. Based on this we made the product selection. When selecting the top devices, we focus on models with more than four stars and a reasonably high number of reviews. We have read a selection of customer reviews and selected devices that, based on our professional assessment, meet the needs of the users. The products have not been tested in the CHIP test center.
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Car & bike: Discover more topics
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Bicycle:
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