What Car? Q&A - What's so great about LED lights?

Q: I've seen a lot of press about LED lights on cars, what are the advantages?
Tom Storey

A: LED brake lights already feature on rear light clusters, as on the Audi A6 Avant for instance, and will soon be used in headlights as well.

They're more efficient and robust than normal, so there's less change they'll need replacing and will improve your fuel efficiency slightly. We might only be taking about a 1-2% saving in fuel economy, but there's pressure from safety groups for the compulsory use of headlights throughout the day, so any improvement is welcome.

LEDs are also brighter than normal bulbs, which can help in foggy conditions. They can pulse very quickly too, a feature that Mercedes is putting to work with brake lights that flash in emergency situations to highlight danger.

In headlights, they'll also be able to create a huge range of different beam spreads for different conditions, such as twisty country roads or motorway cruising conditions, so you'll get much better illumination of the road in the future. Oncoming drivers should also be dazzled less.