Best ATV LED Headlights  | Hunt or Shred

Are you looking for the best ATV LED headlights? You’ve come to the right place! Read on as I take you through some of the best options in the market today.

Whether your ATV came from the factory with LED headlights or a halogen lamp, there are several options at your disposal when you’re looking for new options. Unlike the halogen lamp market, the LED headlight market has several players. The top three are SEALIGHT, BeamTech and XenonPro.

How bright an LED bulb can get depends on its lumens. This is an essential factor to consider when you’re purchasing an LED headlight for your ATV. You’d also want to test out the operational life that has been advertised and whether you’re going to use your ATV during nighttime a lot. An LED headlight on an ATV can last a lot longer than a halogen bulb.

Most LED headlights have an advertised life of 30,000 hours, which means they can stay up for approximately 20 years (depends mainly on usage, though). That’s also why people prefer switching out halogen bulbs with LED headlights since they’re considerably brighter and have a long life. Several manufacturers (and some on this list) give a plug-and-play option, which means you won’t have to modify your ATV. But first, let me take you through a basic LED headlight buying guide.

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Buying LED Headlights for Your ATV – The Basics

Before you purchase an aftermarket LED headlight, you must first understand the different kinds of bulbs that you can buy and the ones that are compatible with your ATV. Beyond a typical headlight that you can buy for your ATV, you can also get an LED bulb that aims to make you a safer rider. Even though these LED headlights can make a huge difference on those darker days, few ATVs are shipped with them. Let’s go over the basics first.

The Different Kinds of LED Headlights

There are two kinds of LED bulbs that you can buy. What sets them apart is the number of chips installed in them and how they operate. Depending on your product, a daytime LED lamp and a fog lamp can have vastly different results. However, they sometimes tend to look exactly like a normal headlight. Knowing the difference between the two is imperative so that you don’t get an LED bulb that isn’t intended to do what you want it to do.

A Single Beam LED Headlight

This type of LED headlight has a single strip full of different chips. This means that it can perform only one function at one time: it can either be at a high beam or at a low beam – nothing else. An ATV that comes with a single beam bulb is going to have the same housing. That means that its going to have two different insertion points. One is going to be for the high beam light, and the other will be for the low beam functionality.

Either way, you’re going to have the option to buy two different LED bulbs for two varying scenarios. For instance, if the standard ATV bulb (the one you got from the factory) works great but the high beam bulbs are subpar, there’s no need to replace the whole set. However, if you want to convert your headlights to the LED layout or if both of your bulbs have failed to achieve what they were intended to, you will need a four-pack. This is a pack that has both a low beam bulb and a high beam bulb.

A Dual Beam Headlight

These kinds of headlights have strips of LED lights. Each strip serves a distinct purpose. This means that the LED bulb is going to be capable of both high and low settings. A vehicle that has dual-beam LED headlights is only going to have a single casing. That means when you have to replace them, you’re only going to need a set of two bulbs.

A Fog Light

While many people may already know this, but a fog light is closer to the ground level and is installed beneath an ATV’s headlights. Not every ATV (rarely any) is going to have the housing for a fog light but the ones that do, do a good job of improving the rider’s vision. Be it heavy rain, or a foggy night, a fog light can ensure you see just right!

A DRL

The same bulb that is used as a fog light can also be used as a daytime running light (DRL). Just like a fog light, a DRL isn’t a standard in the ATV industry and finding one installed on a vehicle is rare. That is also because these lights don’t perform too well in low lighting conditions. This also means that other cars or bikes on the road or the trail won’t be able to see you too well. In most cases, they’re going to turn on automatically. Since they’re dim, you’re not going to need as a necessity to illuminate the area in front of your ATV. All in all, I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on a DRL – it’s pretty dimly lit.

Some Other Considerations You Should Make

Apart from understanding the different kinds of lights you can get for your ATV and the ones that should work with your ATV, you should know a lot more about LED lights before you think of buying them. Certain specifications and features are going to set some models and brands apart. This can also help buyers make a decision a lot more easily.

The Fit

It’s imperative to understand that not all LED headlights are going to work with your ATV. When you’re going through the buying process, you must always look for the part number on the stock headlights you’ve just removed or the ones associated with your ATV.

You can go to the manufacturer’s website to know more about your ATV and the headlights you can install on it.

The Efficiency of the Headlight

Even though LED headlight bulbs are a lot more efficient than halogen bulbs, efficiency amongst LED headlights can also differ. The most energy efficient LED bulb is the one that has a low wattage but can still produce a high number of lumens. That way, it’s going to use up a lot less energy and still produce significant light.

Unlike most bulbs that are inefficient, a good LED light is going to use almost all of its energy to produce light and not a lot of heat. This is also necessary because an LED headlight that produces a lot of heat and not a lot of light isn’t going to last you a long time. The life of an LED headlight for your ATV can range between 30,000 hours to 50,000 hours.

Another factor that can increase the lifespan of your LED headlight is a fan or a heat sink. Since they’re going to cool the light, they’re going to improve heat dissipation. This is going to reduce those chances of a bulb dying just because it got overheated.

The Color Temperature and the Luminosity

Lumens are usually the first-factor people talk about when they start talking about lighting. That’s because they’re the unit for measuring the brightness and effectiveness of a light. If you want a bright light just so you could see more than what you already do at night, then you should consider buying an LED headlight lamp that has a high lumen quantity.

The color temperature of an LED bulb is also imperative since it will measure in kelvins how cool or warm a light actually is. The color of the ATV LED headlight is going to decide how clear and crisp objects are going to appear at night. Many LED headlight bulbs have a color temperature range that falls between 6,000 kelvins to 6,500 kelvins.

The Beam

An LED light’s beam can also vary greatly depending on the bulb you get. While some are very sharp and they can project lights that go far into the distance. Some others can also have a sharp cut-off line that can save drivers from crashing into each other. If you want a light to cover a wider surface area, then there are bulbs available that have the least possible dark spots. Depending on your preference, beam patterns can tend to meet varying needs.

SEALIGHT LED

After careful research, I’ve decided to include this LED light bulb into my list. People usually get this LED bulb when they’re upgrading from a factory halogen lamp to a more efficient option. I was convinced because it had a 90% positive review and several four or five-star ratings from over 10,000 people. It has a huge feature set that you can use in different settings and the light’s quality is amazing.

The one that I got had the H11/H8 form factor and it needed both the low beam and the high beam modules. You’re going to need a bulb with the identical form factor, too. There are several entry-level bulbs that you can fit in the socket and you can find them on several ecommerce websites.

An entry-level bulb can have close 6,500 lumens and a color temperature of 6,000 kelvins. Even though you can go all the way up and get a bulb that has 15,000 lumens I would still consider that an enormous upgrade which you may only need if you’re riding your ATV only in the dark. Trust me, even the entry-level bulb is considerably brighter than a halogen lamp and your ATV expeditions in the night are still going to be a lot more fun.

It also has a fanless design and a heatsink made out of aluminum. This is going to ensure that your LED lamp does not heat up even if it has been on for an excessive period of time. However, LED lamps are pretty efficient at transforming electricity into light so you shouldn’t expect a lot of energy being wasted through heat. Installation is an easy process and the manufacturer also says that this LED bulb is dust and waterproof. It has a lifespan of over 30,000 hours and it also comes with a warranty of three years.

BeamTech LED Bulbs

This option is a lot more affordable than most option in the market today. Even though you’re going to find LED bulbs that are cheaper, they’re not going to last for a long time. That is also because many LED bulb manufacturers pair 8,000 lumens with a color temperature of 6,500 kelvins. This bulb has an advertised lifespan of over 30,000 hours which means it can stay on for 3.5 years consistently. However, other brands also advertise a lifespan of 50,000 hours.

What makes this manufacturer’s LED bulbs different from most of the competitors in the market is that it doesn’t have a fan. This makes it quieter than other LED bulbs. Rather than a fan, the manufacturer has used a passive system of cooling that has an aluminum body which has been optimized for heat dissipation. The manufacturer has also claimed that the bulbs on this LED headlight have the same filament length as a halogen lamp.

This is going to result in a pattern that you’d normally expect from a halogen lamp. Moreover, these bulbs are also dust resistant and are IP65 rated.

XenonPro Headlights

This is perhaps the most premium option I’ve included in this list. They’re the priciest headlight to make the cut but they’re well worth the price you’re going to get them at. They have a lifetime warranty, covers for the drivers and the bulbs, and every other accessory, too. If a part of it fails, the company is going to replace it for you and you’ll just have to pay the postage fee.

I’m not saying this just because I think you’ll have to use the warranty, but knowing you have a backup if something goes wrong is reassuring. The LED headlight is well-built. It has a an aluminum casing that soaks up the excess heat and it is also equipped with a micro fan which does a good job of bringing the temperature down. This headlight has been made to withstand the harsh conditions of ATV usage. That is also why it is 100% rumble, water, dust, and shock-proof. It has been rated for a use of 45,000 hours which means it’s not failing on you anytime soon.

As an upgrade over most of the lamps that you can get in the market today, it is 300% more bright than the previous option I listed and it can put out a whopping 9,000 lumens in a dark environment. It is also built with an anti-glare technology which will avoid blinding other drivers on the road. You can easily install this into your ATV in less than 30 minutes and it’s available in four distinct colors. The options you have are:

  1. 3,000 kelvins (yellow)
  2. 6,000 kelvins (white)
  3. 8,000 kelvins (blue)
  4. 12,000 kelvins (purple)

There’s also a bus-ready option which ensure that the bulb can communicate properly even with your ATV’s computer system.  

If the bulbs that you have currently on your ATV are about the same age, then they’re likely going to die on you at the same time (there can be a difference of a week). If you’re trying to be frugal, don’t fix something that isn’t broken. When it does die on you, look for other options.

Check out the best LED headlights for your specific ATV below:

Can-Am Outlander

Honda Rancher

Arctic Cat Alterra

Yamaha Grizzly

About THE AUTHOR

Gary

Gary

45 years old. I'm in business marketing. I write for Hunt or Shred on the side. I love hiking, camping, and everything outdoors with my family. I have 6 years of experience working at an ATV shop selling, fixing, and test driving all brands and models.

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