What is the difference between projector and reflector headlights?

When looking to upgrade your car’s headlight bulbs from halogen to either HID or LED technology, it is important to know whether your car’s headlight housing employs projector or reflector technology.

Although LED technology is newer and more efficient than HID, the type of headlight housing (reflector or projector) will ultimately decide which bulb technology will result in better lighting for your vehicle.

LEDs are better for reflector headlights

If your car is equipped with reflector headlights, it is best to upgrade your lights to LED. HIDs will also work very well in reflector headlights but they will not be as bright as LEDs and the installation is slightly more complicated.

If you are looking to upgrade to LED headlights but your car has projector headlights, you will not get the desired results and we strongly recommend considering HID lights.

HIDs are better for projector headlights

If your car is equipped with projector headlights, it is best to upgrade your lights to HIDs.

Although LEDs will fit and work, from experience, they will not perform as expected. In most cases, your stock halogen bulbs will be brighter than LEDs in projector-type headlights.

Reflector vs. Projector Headlight Housing

The main difference between reflector and projector headlights is that projectors have lenses that better focus the light as illustrated below.

Reflectors will cover a wider angle but the light will be less intense and focused, commonly referred to as having more light ‘waste’. Projectors will emit an intense and focused light thanks to the lens, more on this below.

Reflector Headlights

Reflector headlight technology has been in use for decades and is the type of headlight housing found in most cars and trucks, even new ones. Reflectors are cheaper to manufacture and take up less room compared to projectors, which explains why they are still very popular.

In reflectors, the headlight bulb is simply mounted in a bowl/cup-shaped housing fitted with chrome paint (reflector bowl), which reflects the light straight onto the road. The reflector bowl distributes the light in a wide-angle, illuminating the front of the vehicle.

The light produced by reflectors is less focused, illuminating a wider range compared to a projector but with less precision and intensity.

As mentioned above, LEDs are recommended for headlights with reflector technology.

Projector Headlights

Projectors are a newer type of headlight housing technology that is becoming increasingly popular, especially for higher-end luxury vehicles. The design is very slick and visually appealing.

Projector headlights are similar to reflectors in that they both have a bulb that shines in a reflector bowl except that projectors pass the light through a lens before hitting the front of the vehicle. Reflector headlights do not have a lens.

The lens, known as a condenser lens, is used to focus the light. By using a lens, a given bulb will shine brighter and will exhibit less waste.

As mentioned above, HIDs are recommended for headlights with projector technology.

Projector-Reflector Hybrid Headlights

Some vehicles come equipped with headlights that are a projector-reflector hybrid. This only applies to vehicles that have separate high and low beams (single-beam headlight systems).

In the majority of cases, the projector is for the low beam and the reflector is for the high beam.

When taking into account that LEDs are better for reflectors and HIDs for projectors, which lighting technology should you choose if your vehicle is equipped with a projector-reflector hybrid headlight?

The answer is simple, choose both.

Mixing and matching LEDs and HIDs in your headlights is perfectly fine and will give you the best overall results when compared to having LEDs, HIDs or halogens for all your beams in a hybrid headlight.

For the best results when mixing LEDs and HIDs for hybrid headlights, we recommend getting:

• White LEDs for your reflector beam
• 6000K (Bright White) for your projector beam

This way, the lights will be the exact same color and be the brightest option for both your high and low beams, regardless of whether they are projector or reflector.

Are reflector headlights better than projector headlights?

When looking at the two types of technologies side by side, projectors are definitely preferred over reflectors. Projectors use new and improved technology that results in brighter and more focused light output with less waste.

However, when looking to upgrade your headlight bulb to either HID and LED, it is important to remember that LED conversion kits perform better for reflector headlights and HID conversion kits work well in either type of headlight assembly.

Do I have projector or reflector headlights?

A common question we frequently get is whether a car has projector or reflector headlights. Chances are your car has reflector headlights but it’s always better to be sure.

You can call your dealership or read your car manual, however, it is often pretty easy to determine simply by looking at the headlight, even if you are not a car person.

Projector headlights have a very particular look and can be identified by the lens and its clean, simple and modern design as shown below.

Reflector headlights can be identified by their ‘open’ design, which reveals the reflector bowl (compared to projectors where it is concealed by the lens).