The lighting system of your overland vehicle serves as your pair of eyes during your nighttime exploration, so it is really important that you choose the highest quality of offroad lights.
These are our top 10 choices for brightest Off-Road LED Lights for your next overlanding expedition.
- Hella Value Fit Design 500 LED Driving Lights Kit
- Baja Designs S1 LED Pod Lights
- Rigid Industries SR-Series Pro 30″ Light Bar
- ARB Intensity Solis Driving Light
- Auxbeam 4″ LED Pods 18W Flood LED Light Bar
- Nilight LED Light Bar
- Baja Designs Squadron Pro Driving/Combo LED Lights
- Nilight 7″ Spot Light LED Pod
- KC Hilites Cyclone Under Hood LED Lighting Kit
- KC HiLites Gravity LED Pro6 Light Bar
But with the popularity of LED lights come hundreds, even thousands, of products to choose from. If you have questions like “What are the brightest LED offroad lights?” and “What is the best lighting system for overlanding?” Let me offer you some help. This article will talk about everything you need to know about offroad lights and the brightest LED light for a great overlanding experience.
The Top 10 Brightest Off-Road LED Lights
There are lots of brands out there with a great reputation for LED offroad lights. You can choose from KC HILITES, RIGID, BAJA DESIGNS, and ARB. Here are specific items to help you decide easily.
1. Hella Value Fit Design 500 LED Driving Lights Kit
The Hella Value Fit Design 500 LED Driving Lights Kit includes 2 LED driving lights, 2 mounting brackets, 2 stone shields, 1 relay, 1 wiring harness, and a manual for instructions. This is a complete package for your truck’s lighting system. The aluminum die-cast housing has cooling ribs on the back, so heat can easily escape. This lighting system gives you a low power consumption of only 22.5 watts.
2. Baja Designs S1 Pod LED Lights
This lighting system gives you two pod lights that have an amber-colored lens. The Baja Designs S1 LED Pod Lights’ small size makes them easy to install anywhere you want in your vehicle. One pod light weighs 0.4 pounds and is 2.1 inches in length, width, and height. You may think that these pairs of LED lights are too small to illuminate the road, but one pod light can already give you 2,375 lumens. They are also waterproof. One downside to this product is that it only offers a 30-day warranty.
3. Rigid Industries SR-Series Pro 30″ Light Bar
Rigid is a well-known brand when it comes to 4×4 lighting systems. They offer the highest quality LED lights, but they come at a much higher cost. This 30-inch long and 2-inch tall light bar can give you 18,810 lumens and its beam can reach up to 545 meters. The Rigid LED SR-Series Pro 30″ Light Bar is very efficient and it only takes up a small space in your vehicle.
4. ARB Intensity Solis Driving Light
The ARB Intensity Solid Driving Light comes with a dimmer switch, so you can control how bright you want it to be. When it’s in full power mode, it can produce light up to 9,546 lumens. This lighting system will give you 1 spotlight and 1 floodlight. You also get red and black die-cast side bezels that you can interchange according to your style.
5. Auxbeam 4″ LED Pods 18W Flood LED Lights Bar
The 2 LED light bars in this kit have 50,000 hours of life and each gives a light of 1,800 lumens. What’s great about the Auxbeam 4″ LED Pods 18W Flood LED lights is that they are waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, and corrosion-resistant.
6. Nilight LED Light Bar
The Nilight LED Light Bars are available in 20-inch and 26-inch lengths. Its excellent visual effect, spot beam for long-distance illumination, and flood beam for a broad view area make it the perfect lighting system for any type of vehicle. The light bar can also be adjusted up to 45 degrees.
7. Baja Designs Squadron Pro Driving/Combo LED Lights
One Baja Designs Squadron Pro light can produce 4,900 lumens to light up your way. It is waterproof, and the optics and lenses are all replaceable. Its 5,000K light temperature is closer to daylight and can awaken sleepy drivers on the road. One downside to this product is that it only gives you a 30-day warranty.
8. Nilight 7″ Spot Light LED Pod
The Nilight LED Pod can give you a bright white ray of light that can illuminate even foggy road paths. Its tough aluminum cover makes it durable even in extreme weather conditions. It has a life of 50,000 hours. With this kit, you’ll have 2 pods guaranteed by a 2-year warranty card.
9. KC Hilites Cyclone Under Hood LED Lighting Kit
One cyclone can produce enough light (516 lumens) to light up your camping site at night. The KC Hilites Cyclone Under Hood LED Light can be mounted under your vehicle to guide you during your nighttime driving. The package includes wiring, a waterproof switch, and mounting hardware for easy installation.
10. KC HiLites Gravity LED Pro6 Light Bar
If you’re looking for a lighting system that is flexible enough to suit your vehicle’s needs, then the KC HiLites Pro6 is for you. The Infinity Ring system lets you adjust your light bar, whether you want it in a straight row or a curved one. The light bar is also customizable to give you your desired beam patterns.
What Is The Best LED Lights System For Overlanding?
The LED lighting system from KC HILITES is the best lighting system for overlanding, because it offers LED lights that are durable, emits the brightest light, and are the easiest to install. You can get all of these perks at an affordable price (some are even under $100). You can visit overlander.com for a wider selection of KC HiLites products.
Benefits of Off-Road LED Lights
First, let me talk about the benefits of upgrading your vehicle’s lighting system. Installation of LED offroad lights would mean taking out money of your pockets, but this investment has high pay-offs.
The benefits you will get from upgrading your truck’s lighting system with LED lights. LED lights consume less electricity, are safer, and are more durable as compared to traditional lights. Although the truck’s headlights are already bright enough to see clearly in dark, foggy, and dusty conditions, overlanders still choose to upgrade the lighting system of their vehicles. They use LED lights for a much more enjoyable and safer journey.
No wonder they are installed almost everywhere, especially in vehicles.
Increase Visibility
Do not let the darkness, dust, and fog stop you from exploring. Your LED lights can offer reinforcement to your headlights by increasing road visibility, so you can discover hidden camping sites even in the dark. You don’t have to worry about the dark taking away your main source of light because LED lights will be your main resource when the moon refuses to give light during the night. It is harder to navigate at night, especially in remote places where streetlights are not a thing. Your LED lights mounted above the windshield or on the front bumper will let you see road obstacles ahead of you clearly.
Don’t Drain the Battery Easily
LED lights are known for being energy-efficient as they consume less energy from your batteries. By all means, try to save the battery life of your 4×4, especially in remote places where help is a thousand miles away.
Last Longer than Halogen Lights
LED lights last 30 times longer than halogen lights. LED lights last for 30,000 hours, while halogen lights only last for 1,000 hours. In overlanding you’ll need a lighting system you can use all throughout your journey, and lights can give you that.
What To Look For In LED Off-Road Lights?
There are just some things to consider when finding the best LED lights for overlanding. Here are things you need to know to find the perfect lighting system for your 4×4.
Performance
In your offroad driving, you’ll need lights that are bright enough to illuminate your paths, like above 500 lumens. If you want the brightest, you can go with 5,000 lumens.
Durability
In overlanding, you’ll go through extreme adventures, and you need offroad lights that can withstand vibration, impact, and severe weather conditions. It has to be strong enough to not be affected by sudden bumps in the road. Oftentimes, the dirt roads send pebbles flying around when you drive on them. Your lights must be made from high-quality materials to be able to withstand these impacts. It also has to be waterproof for sudden precipitation like rain.
Installation
LED lights come in different shapes and sizes. Think about where you want to place them on your vehicle and then decide on what type of lights you’ll purchase. Check if the kit comes with detailed instructions on how to install the lights, so you avoid damaging the lights while mounting them on your vehicle.
Price
The lighting system is just one investment you will make to prepare your 4×4 for adventures. You also have to consider the price, if it works for your budget. An offroad light that costs from $100 to $350 can already give you increased visibility to navigate at night.
Warranty
Check if there is a warranty, just like how you do with your other overland gears.
Different Types
You have three types of LED light to choose from: floodlights, spotlights, and light bars. Each type has a unique beam pattern. Floodlights are square in shape and much larger in size. They are often used for campsites as they can illuminate even a wide area. Spotlights produce a concentrated beam of light that can illuminate a specific object, even at a greater distance. Because lightbars are rectangular in shape because of the LED lights are arranged in a single row on them. They can illuminate over a wide area even at a greater distance. Choose one that suits your needs.
Legal Requirements
The brightness of your offroad lights must be road legal. It must be in the colors of white and yellow only and not too bright to block traffic on the road.
Final Thoughts On Off-Road LED Lights
It is necessary that you upgrade the lighting system of your overland vehicle for a much safer and greater adventure trip. However, there are lots of LED lights available, and the different types are overwhelming for newbie overlanders, but knowing the basics is enough to find the perfect lights for your vehicle.
For more about overlanding, check out our article on the Best Solar Power options for overlanding here.
