HID Xenon Kits: Legal or Not Legal for the UK

By Ethan Melandri

When HID Xenon headlights were first offered as a factory fitted option by prestige manufacturers in the 1990's they really transformed the night driving experience. Producing over 300% more light than standard halogen lights, lasting ten time longer and looking extremely cool with their powerful blue white tint, HID xenon lights soon became the must have fashion accessory.

Cars that have regular halogen bulbs are boring when you view the HID xenon lights. This is why there are retro fit HID xenon kits that help you convert your headlights. Unfortunately the question arises as to whether they are really street legal for public roads.

The simple answer to the legality of HID kits is "No, they are not legal", however as with most things, the real answer is not as simple as that. To get a clear understanding of these xenon conversion kits legality you need to look carefully into the legal requirements of HID kits.

The Department of Transport has a legal stand on HID kits. It states that the xenon HID lights can be legal if they are fitted with proper levelling suspension i.e. self levelling headlights that have a self cleaning function and can be fitted to the headlight unit. There also needs to be a rating of E mark that fits the European specifications on the headlights you use. Headlight basically describes the bulb, outer lens, and reflector.

Retailers will advertise that their kits are E marked, and that they have self cleaning and self levelling suspension that fits within the law. The truth is less than what is advertised. In fact it is mostly untrue. The Department of Transport stated in their statement that HID kits are not permitted when converting from halogen units to HID bulbs and it is an offence to supply, fit or use vehicle parts which are not considered legal.

If you want HID xenon headlights in a car that has halogen headlight bulbs and you want to remain within the laws there is only one option. You must go to the manufacturer of your car to see if they have factory fitted xenon lights for your model car. You can then purchase the factory option and have them installed at a licensed factory. The Department of Transport does recognise these factory units as legal replacements and thus you can have HID bulbs on your vehicle.

The downside to this option is that factory offered HID xenon replacements are not cheap. In fact it could cost as much as 3000 for the change. Your other option is to go with a less expensive upgrade from halogen to regular xenon bulbs. HID xenon bulbs are not the same as xenon bulbs. The other xenon bulbs do not need a HID kit; instead they fit in the halogen connector and holder. The difference is the xenon light has xenon gas, not halogen gas.

There are two top upgrades you can purchase called the Osram Night Braker and the Philips Extreme Power bulbs. These two options emit up to 90 percent more light and up to 35 metres more distance than halogen. They are also 10 percent whiter than halogen. The best part to this option is that they are street legal because no modification is necessary. You can install them without invalidating your insurance or getting stopped by the constabulary.

Whilst upgrade xenon bulbs will never be as bright as full HID kits, they are road legal, vastly superior to ordinary halogen bulbs and will cost you only around 20. So if you are after the HID lights look but want to stay legal, fit upgrade xenon bulbs and with the money you have saved you can put it towards making sure that you next car comes with HID xenon lights as standard. - 21396

About the Author:

A simple alternative to installing an HID kit is to upgrade your car lights with Xenon Bulbs. These high performance car bulbs are designed to directly replace your factory fitted Headlight Bulbs, yet they produce nearly twice as much light and emit a much more powerful light beam.