Car lamps are among the best-selling replacement parts. And among the most vital, you have to see a hazard first before you can hit the brakes. That’s why AUTO BILD has been conducting lamp tests for 22 years. Always with a competent partner in accredited laboratories that are approved by the Federal Motor Transport Authority for the type testing of lamps and headlights. This year: DEKRA’s lighting technology laboratory in Arnhem. The most important aspect is safety. How far can you see with a lamp, how much does it blind oncoming traffic? AUTO BILD tested 20 pairs of the best-selling lamp type H7.
This is how AUTO BILD and DEKRA tested
The test was carried out by the accredited light laboratory of DEKRA Certification BV in Arnhem, Netherlands, under the direction of Dipl.-Ing. Gertjan Muda and was carried out in accordance with UN Regulation 112 for headlamps. This came from a VW T6 and was made available by Valeo. We bought the lamps in June 2019 at the indicated price in local car parts stores, hardware stores and on the internet. Before the actual tests began, each lamp was burned in for one hour in a precisely defined cycle of switching on and off. The test voltage during all measurements was 13.2 volt. The selection of the Valeo headlight was no coincidence: with its large reflector, the T6 not only offers generally good illumination, but also clearly depicts the faults of dubious lamps on the projection surface, thus facilitating an exact assessment.
H7 bulbs in the test (2019): safety – DEKRA – headlights – information
No-name lamps surprise
The test was carried out by the accredited light laboratory of DEKRA Certification BV in Arnhem, Netherlands, under the direction of Dipl.-Ing. Gertjan Muda and was carried out in accordance with UN Regulation 112 for headlamps. This came from a VW T6 and was made available by Valeo. We bought the lamps in June 2019 at the indicated price in local car parts stores, hardware stores and on the internet. Before the actual tests began, each lamp was burned in for one hour in a precisely defined cycle of switching on and off. The test voltage during all measurements was 13.2 volt. The selection of the Valeo headlight was no coincidence: with its large reflector, the T6 not only offers generally good illumination, but also clearly depicts the faults of dubious lamps on the projection surface, thus facilitating an exact assessment.
The test results at a glance
In our test, the brightness is determined in different measuring points. They have names like 75R, which simply means that this point is 75 meters in front of the car on the right-hand side of the road. 50L accordingly on the left and 50V in front of the car. The test point B50L is also quite important. The B stands for glare, this measuring point simulates the eyes of an oncoming driver. And messes up the result quite a bit. Because the test headlights borrowed from Valeo by a VW With its large free-form reflector, T6 gets the maximum out of every lamp, but at the same time amplifies their errors. A fully exhausted high-performance lamp such as the Osram Night Breaker exceeds the permissible limit of 350 cd (cd: candela, brightness of a candle) by 64 percent – zero points.
Good light: Sharp, exactly horizontal light-dark boundary (HDG) and a clearly defined 15-degree rise.
Speaking of high performance: Many manufacturers promise plus 30, 90, even up to 150 percent. What do you mean with that? Such statements definitely apply to the price. Some models are 150 percent more expensive than others… However much the manufacturers charge, they come up against legal limits when it comes to brightness. With the H7 lamp, the permitted amount of light is 1500 lumens (lm), plus or minus ten percent. This value is only exceeded by the JMP Naos and the non-approved LED conversion kit. The LED craft torches made the light disappear in an unknown direction – it could not be found on the street and did not blind them. In any case, you can’t drive it, so much as a warning to the unteachable tuning faction, even the parking lights are brighter. In addition, they are much too big, so that the cover at the back no longer fits on the headlight and dirt gets in.
Bad light: The whole light distribution is a single wishy-washy, no clear HDG can be seen on the left side.
In any case, the valley of darkness begins below 30 points. The fact that the Gread made it to 29 is due to the scoring – a lamp without a light does not dazzle either. And, as in the previous year, the Federal Motor Transport Authority will be interested in where the E1 approval comes from for the H4 lamps. Surprising, however, the very good perfomance the Aldi lamp. In general, four no-name products land in the top five. The explanation: Even in Asia, where these are mostly manufactured, you learn and now master the H7 production. So good that well-known brands also have their products manufactured there.
The conclusion of the H7 car lamp test
Upside down world: Only GE saves the honor of the big brands. Philips and Osram only follow in sixth and seventh place. The good news: There is now very decent light for less than ten euros per pair.
