If you’re thinking about taking your vehicle off-road, you’re going to need some extra lighting; off-roading in the dark is no fun. So choosing the best off-road lights has got to be pretty high on your wishlist. There’re plenty of options when it comes to off-road lights, and which you buy will depend mainly on how much you want to spend and what kind of off-roading you’ll be doing.
Buying off-road lights is not just about better illumination. Putting great looking lights on your vehicle will improve the way it looks. With the different options available from bulb types, light patterns, and where you’re going to mount the lights, you must think carefully about your choices.
In our guide for the best off-road lights, you’re bound to find the style of off-road lights that will suit your purpose and be within your budget. So, if you’re keen to pick out the best and sharpest looking equipment for your vehicle, let’s get started.
Top Ten Best Off-Road Lights
The Nilight 22″ 120w LED Light Bar offers a great combination of flood beam and spotlights and is incredibly bright. If you aim to go off-road with a combo light bar, you can’t go far wrong with this set-up.
Construction is a 6063 diecast aluminum profile and stainless steel bracket. The unit is waterproof rated at IP67 and is waterproof tested to 3.3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes with no sign of water or dust infiltration.
The polycarbonate light can withstand the harsh conditions you would expect from off-roading in highly unpleasant weather. And no chance of losing the light bar with the extra sturdy mounting brackets.
Key Features
- IP67 waterproof rated to keep out water and dust.
- A well-built and durable piece of equipment. Will withstand harsh environments.
- Mounting brackets fix the light to the vehicle securely.
- Budget price.
Why we like it:
Considering the price, you get a decent quality build and exceptionally bright lights.
If you already have a light bar on your vehicle and want some extra spotlights, you might like these Cowone 7″ spot light pods. The lights feature 7″ Bright 105W round LED lights, 21 pieces of 5w Osram LEDs, and a 6,000K color temperate that creates high-beam, 6000 lumens, and low-beam, 4,000 lumens.
Strength and robustness come from upgrading the diecast aluminum housing. An IP67 waterproof rating prevents infiltration of water and dust.
The light pods are compatible with Jeeps, 4×4, Trucks, Cars, Motorcycles, SUVs, and ATVs.
The Cowone runs an excellent beam pattern, high and low beams plus daylight running lights. Paint the glass yellow and use them for fog lights.
Key Features
- Bright 105W round LED lights.
- The Cowone offers both high beam and low beam.
- Adjustable mounting bracket.
- IP67 rated for water and dust.
- IP67 rated for water and dust.
- IP67 rated for water and dust.
Why we like it:
The Cowone pods have both high and low beams of different strengths.
These Cutequeen 4.2″x 4″ square and heavy-duty fixtures, off-road LED Lights are at a budget price but still give off some decent light at 1800 lumens with 6x3W high-intensity LED Spot Beams.
If you’re thinking about a relatively cheap set of 4’’ LED lights for your ATV, these Cutequeen spots will work a treat.
The Cutequeen incorporates a decent build quality with stainless steel mounting brackets to prevent corrosion, diecast aluminum housing, and lens protection from toughened glass.
Extreme weather isn’t going to faze these LED lights because of IP67 waterproofing; the light is rust-proof and dustproof.
Key Features
- Versatile set of four LED spotlights.
- IP67 waterproof rating.
- Stainless steel mounting brackets prevents rust and corrosion.
- Low price point.
- The lights are rated for fifty thousand hours of working life.
- 1800 lumens.
Why we like it:
The Cutequeen has an attractive price point for a decent quality product. Easy to install and maintain.
The Zmoon LED light bar is a triple row spot and flood combo beam and features advanced LED chips providing white light and bright rays enhancing visibility. Simultaneously, the 15 degrees and 170-degree optical system offer a comprehensive and distance illumination range.
To avoid burnout and optimum service life of 50,000 hours, the Zmoon has a heavy-duty 6063 aluminum alloy housing and ten cooling fins that cool the whole light’s surface area.
The light bar has an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning it will withstand water, dust and is shock-resistant. The previously mentioned aluminum housing will protect the lights in even the harshest environments.
The Zmoon LED light bar has all the necessary accessories to fix many vehicles’ adjustable mounting bracket. A free 10ft wiring harness also suitable for a full range of vehicles.
Key Features
- Fifty thousand hour service life.
- IP67 waterproof rating.
- A robust aluminum alloy housing for all-weather protection.
- Further spot and broader flood.
Why we like it:
The Zmoon has a triple row spot and flood combo beam, a heavy-duty aluminum housing, and a 50,000 service life.
If you go off-roading in incredibly wet conditions and look for a light bar that can be underwater for a long time, then the Auzkin 7-inch LED light bar is worth considering. The manufacturers test them by submerging underwater for six hours a day, for five consecutive days with no leakage signs. They have a rating of IP68; they are waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof.
Are they bright, though? Yes, they are very bright. Features third-generation 5050-SMD LED chips that deliver 6000K of white light, 240W, and 24,000 lumens. These lights are bright enough to light up the whole forward viewing area of your vehicle.
If you’re driving in heavy fog or rain, you need potent lights to cut through and light up your way. Auzkin 7-inch lights are a flood spot combo beam with the middle row 170-degree floodlights encompassed by a double row of 30-degree spotlights. This combination offers up a super-wide and ultra-long view area.
Key Features
- IP68 waterproof rating.
- Third-generation 5050-SMD LED chips.
- Robust and durable design.
- 240W and 24,000 lumens of cool white light.
- Flood spot combo beam.
Why we like it:
The Auzkin is rated to IP68 and is waterproof tested for six hours each day for five consecutive days.
If you need a lighting system that’s going to have enough power to light up the night sky and the road in front of you, no matter the conditions, then the Nilight-ZH003 16W light bar and fogs will undoubtedly fit the bill.
Intensely bright 126W-combination of spot beam and flood beam with a super bright white light made possible by high-intensity 3W LED chips and ultra-clear PC lens.
Specially designed aluminum alloy cooling fins help dissipate heat quickly, thereby extending the lights’ lifespan to over 30,000 hours of everyday use. Altering the beam direction is as simple as adjusting the military-grade aluminum mounting brackets.
Key Features
- Price point.
- 126W-combination of spot beam and flood beam.
- Military-grade aluminum mounting brackets.
- 3W LED chips and ultra-clear PC lens.
Why we like it:
The Nilight – ZH003 is a quality built light bar and light pods for exceptional value.
If you love off-roading and thinking about some new shiny off-road LED lights and you’ve done some in-depth research, you’ll have heard about the cutting-edge lenses and optics that manufacturers are putting into current LED lighting rigs. We’re talking about 3D LED lights etc.
Well, welcome to Yuguang’s 7-inch LED pod Iceblue Marker Lights with 6D DRL/Angel Eye design. Choose from high-beam, DRL (daytime running lights), and low-beam. Perfect white light gives you maximum bright, penetrating power whether you’re driving in fog, snow, hail, or rain.
6D LED light bars use an ingenious arrangement of different lenses, reflectors, and optics. The 6D LED bars integrate numerous fish eye spotlights to produce a taller, more comprehensive, and intensely focused light together with the flood LED units.
The LED pod lights have three lighting modes. Selecting the one you need is through a 3-lead wiring harness. Not just on/off toggle, this harness gives you a choice of either of the three modes. High-beam mode white and ice-blue, DRL/Angel eye ice-blue, and low-beam white.
The harness is sold separately from the LED lights.
Key Features
- 6D DRL Angel Eye design.
- It is made from heavy-duty 6306 aviation aluminum.
- Waterproof rating of IP68.
- Fifty thousand working hours of regular use.
Why we like it:
The light bar Ice-Blue marker is a 6D DRL Angel Eye design with high-beam, DRL, and low-beam choice.
AutoFeel LED Light Bar is a combo Kit with DRL Function. Fit these lights in different locations for maximum effect, hood cover, front bumper, or roof. The kit includes a 1x 42-inch light bar, 1x 22-inch light bar, 4x 4-inch light pods, and six sets of mounting brackets.
AutoFeel has incorporated specially designed lamp cups, and with the Osram LED chips, you will notice a much more comprehensive range of illumination. The spotlight creates mid-size light beams.
Positioning numerous lamp beads on the LED’s cross frame creates a set of daytime driving lights (DRL), and if you wish, they also are useful as signal lights.
Key Features
- Robust and sturdy construction.
- IP68 waterproofing for improved submersion in water.
- Fifty thousand working hours lifespan.
- Osram LED chips.
Why we like it:
The AutoFeel light bar has a good solid construction with high-quality materials and a waterproof rating of IP68.
Nirider LED fog lights may be only small in size, but they deliver a rugged lighting solution. A large reflector can project a 5-degree concentrated white light and a 120-degree spread for a wider beam, including a solid Cree LED for high-brightness. Cree is a groundbreaking and market-leading manufacturer of lighting-class LEDs.
It doesn’t matter what low-visibility or weather conditions you encounter: fog, sleet, hail, rain, or snow, the 3000K yellow fog lights will make driving a safer possibility; combine a pair of 50W for 5000 lumens.
Key Features
- Cree LED lights.
- IP68 waterproofing.
- Exceptional construction using 6063 aluminum casing.
- One pair of lights of 50W create 5000 lumens.
- Polyester UV powder coating.
Why we like it:
The Nirider is exceptionally robust and sturdy and features Cree round LED lights.
The Audexen LED off-road lights offer superior brightness thanks to their 5Wx 21 original Osram LED chips providing a total of 105W.
Use high-beam and low-beam or use them as daytime running lights and situate on the bumper, windshield, or roof via the 180-degree adjustable mounting bracket.
With an IP67 waterproof rating, the light will not suffer from water damage and is dust and shockproof. Heat sink fins provide an efficient cooling service for heat dissipation to extend the lights’ working life to 50,000 hours.
Key Features
- IP67 waterproof rating.
- Fifty thousand hours of working life.
- 180-degree adjustable mounting brackets.
- Strong and robust build quality.
Why we like it:
The Audexen features 5Wx 21 original Osram LED chips that provide super bright lights.
What to Look for in Off-Roading Lights
Because there’s so much choice available with off-road lights and you probably have different reasons for wanting to buy them, it can be confusing, especially if you don’t have a clear idea of why you’re buying them.
Even though we’ve given you our top choices of best off-road lights, if you want to delve deeper before you make your choice, then here’s some more information to help you make the correct decision.
Many Applications
So, why are you contemplating off-road lights? There are many applications for this type of light. Don’t confine them in your mind to just off-road vehicles. Of course, many of them are suitable for boats, ATV’s, home environments, workplace, and just about anywhere a clear, powerful, bright light is necessary.
That’s just the use; then you have technical considerations. Voltage for a vehicle is considerably different from home voltages. Where you’re going to place the light means you have to think about how much cable you need. How will you secure and mount the light?
Beam Patterns
If we go back to off-road lights, precisely one thing to contemplate is the kind of light you require. The bulbs in the lights produce light, and that light aims towards the object or area you want illuminating. Lights make patterns, and the two most common on off-road lights are floodlights and spotlights.
Spotlights are highly focused light beams that can see into the far distance. However, because it’s a relatively narrow beam, it doesn’t light anything on either side of the shaft of light.
Floodlights offer a much broader beam of light that fans out in front of the light source. Their aim is not to cover the far distance but to ‘flood’ the immediate area.
Some off-road lights provide what’s known as combo flood and spotlights. However, it’s a little bit of a compromise with this solution.
OFF-ROAD LED LIGHT COLOR TEMPERATURES
When we refer to color temperatures as concerning lights, we mean how warm or cool is a specific light beam in yellow, white, or blue. You would measure a vehicle’s rays by the CCT scale ( correlated color temperature), in Kelvin with a capital letter K.
There are three categories of light bulbs. 2700K-3000K are soft white, 3000K-4000K are white, 5000K-6500K are cool white. Anything over 5000K are cool colors, and they can seem to have a tinge of blue within the light beam.
Kelvin measures the actual color of the light source, not the heat from the light source itself.
Brightness
Lights on off-road vehicles are necessarily very bright. Remember, the locations you choose as off-road will naturally be very dark with no artificial lighting, so you need super bright lights that give advance warning of obstacles in your way. The brightness levels of off-road lights are in lumens, and the minimum values should always be about 5000 lumens.
There are no restrictions on how bright you want your lights because you are using them off-road.
Durability
Exposing lights to any hostile environment means they will need to be incredibly robust and durable. They will need a minimum IP67 waterproof rating because, undoubtedly, they will be partly or fully submerged in water more often than not.
Wattage
You have a choice of halogen or LED lights, but it will make an enormous difference to your lights’ wattage. Lower power consumption will help prolong the life of your lights and, at the same time, reduce the amount of heat they give out. If you have an older vehicle, you might need to be careful about off-road lights draining your battery.
Conclusion
As you can tell, there are so many options and decisions regarding your ‘perfect choice’ of off-road LED lights for your vehicle.
The specific off-road lights you choose will affect your off-roading pleasure and, to no small extent, your safety. Before you dive in and buy your off-road lights, consider the above points carefully. There’s no sense in purchasing the wrong lights and having to upgrade them to gain more brightness.
We would like to think this article about LED off-road lights has helped you appreciate and better understand the different lighting systems.
Check out the top ten best off-road lights we suggest; there is bound to be a set there that will suit your needs.