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Top 5 Best HID Conversion Kits for 2022 Review & Buying Guide

Tired of turning your headlights on and still have that sense you are driving around in the dark? As your lights get older, they lose their shine, unfortunately.

An easy way to fix this is to upgrade your headlights. And you can now find HID conversion kits for not much money at all. With HID lights on your vehicle, the drive ahead will be much brighter as well as much safer.

In our in-depth review of the Best HID Conversion Kits, we will go through our favorites. So, let’s get to it and find the perfect conversion kits for your needs, starting with our…

Top 5 Best HID Conversion Kits for All Budgets in 2022 Reviews

ProductsBulbColorLumensPriceRating
Bulb
36-watt LED"
Color
6500K
Lumens
16,000
Price
$$
4.2 out of 5 stars (4.2 / 5)
Bulb
30-watt Xenon"
Color
6,000K
Lumens
3,000
Price
$$
4.1 out of 5 stars (4.1 / 5)
Bulb
35-watt Xenon"
Color
4300K
Lumens
3,200
Price
$$$$
4.6 out of 5 stars (4.6 / 5)
Bulb
Not Included"
Color
Bulb Dependent
Lumens
Bulb Dependent
Price
$$
4.3 out of 5 stars (4.3 / 5)
Bulb
35-watt Xenon"
Color
8,000K
Lumens
3,000
Price
$
4.1 out of 5 stars (4.1 / 5)

1 XtremeVision 7G LED Headlight Conversion Kit – Best Value for the Money HID Conversion Kit

We are starting this HID Conversion Kits review with a LED bulb from XtremeVision. This XtremeVision bulb is three times brighter than your standard halogen bulb, coming in at a blinding 16,000 lumens. Therefore, you are getting one of the brightest HID conversion kits currently available.

XtremeVision designed this bulb to help reduce glare by making the housing cylindrical. They then incorporated a set of LED chips on each side to provide an even 360 degrees of light.

Cooling System…

This conversion kit comes with two 36-watt bulbs. While this is much less than your standard halogen bulb, these bulbs will still heat as you use them.

To prevent them from overheating, XtremeVision crafted the bulb housing out of aviation-grade aluminum. They then use integrated heat dispersion fins and a fan that rotates up to 12,000 times per minute.

Super long-lasting…

All in all, these bulbs can last up to ten times longer than your standard halogen bulb. Furthermore, they are even shockproof and water-resistant. As a result, you have one of the most durable HID conversion kits on the market.


XtremeVision 7G LED Headlight Conversion Kit

Our rating:4.2 out of 5 stars (4.2 / 5)

Pros

  • Each bulb has an IP65 water-resistance rating.
  • Collectively they output 16,000 lumens of cool white light.
  • They will connect directly to your stock light harness.

Cons

  • Newer cars may require a load resistor or canceller cable for these to work.

2 Kensun New Technology All-in-One Headlight Conversion Kit – Best HID Ballast and Bulb Replacement Conversion Kit

If you want to upgrade your ballasts and bulbs completely, this kit from Kensun is worth considering. But, unlike screwing in a bulb, this kit isn’t quite as easy to install. However, it is one of the best HID replacement kits out there.

To begin with, this all-in-one HID conversion kit comes with two 25-watt Canbus ballasts. These ballasts will replace your stock lighting ballasts entirely.

Specialty installation?

This means you need to find space in your engine compartment within reach of your headlights to mount each ballast. To do so, you will need to use a fixed bolt already in place, or you could use double-sided tape as well to secure them in place.

Once you have your ballasts mounted and connected to your stock lighting harness, you can plug in the HID Xenon bulbs and screw them into your stock headlight housings.

With everything installed, these Xenon bulbs emit 3,000 lumens of 6000k temperature light. Because of your stock headlight reflectors, you may notice that these bulbs end up producing more glare, though.

But there’s a catch…

This kit is made to be plug-and-play compatible with your stock lighting harness. We noticed that this isn’t always the case, though. You may need an adapter or additional relays for this Kensun conversion kit to work as well.


Kensun New Technology All-in-One Headlight Conversion Kit

Our rating:4.1 out of 5 stars (4.1 / 5)

Pros

  • Comes with two 35-watt ballasts.
  • Each HID Xenon bulb has a 6000K color temperature.

Cons

  • Depending on your vehicle’s stock wiring harness, you may need to install a relay.
  • Can produce a lot of glare.

3 Philips 42302C1 D3S HID Headlight Bulb – Best Stock HID Replacement Conversion Kit

This next product replaces your vehicle’s stock HID lightbulbs. While stock HID lights work well, they can’t compare to the Philips D3S HID headlight bulb. This means you are getting one of the best HID headlight kits on the market.

The D3S is a 35-watt HID bulb that has a color temperature of 4,300K. When installed, you can expect this bulb to emit 3,000 lumens. While this isn’t the brightest HID bulb out there, it easily outperforms your stock HID light. Philips has even tested this and found that you may notice up to a two-hundred percent increase in light with these installed.

Energy Savings…

These Philips HID bulbs have energy savings in mind. They only require 35-watts of power, which could mean up to fifty percent in energy savings in the long run. As a result, you get one of the best power saving HID conversion kits out there.

Getting these bulbs installed requires a bit of effort, though. You will need to unplug your HID wiring harness and then remove the cover protecting your stock HID bulb. We installed these on an SUV and ended up having to remove the entire headlight unit to get access to the HID compartment.

Slowly does it…

Once you have access to the HID light compartment, you need to unscrew the old light and remove it. The screws holding it in place are tiny and can be easily dropped and lost. So, be careful and take your time.


Philips 42302C1 D3S HID Headlight Bulb

Our rating:4.6 out of 5 stars (4.6 / 5)

Pros

  • Bulbs are compatible with your vehicle’s stock HID wiring.
  • Can provide up to 200% more light while only using 50% as much power.

Cons

  • Each light is sold separately.
  • Rather expensive.

4 XtremeVision AC 35W HID Xenon – Best Xenon HID Conversion Kit

XtremeVision is back again in this Best HID Conversion Kits review with a pair of ballasts. This product is the perfect choice if you want to upgrade to HID lights and still have the freedom to buy whichever bulb you want.

Come rain, come shine…

They come in a set of two and are manufactured from aluminum-alloy. XtremeVision also uses waterproof epoxy to seal the unit so they aren’t affected by moisture or vibrations.

If you could see inside these small ballasts, you will find transformers that provide a stable power output of 35-watts. Also on offer is a DC to AC bridge that will help ensure your bulbs shine at their brightest and last as long as possible.

Compatibility…

These ballasts can power pretty much any 35-watt Xenon bulb thanks to the universal-type bulb connection adapters on hand. They can work even with either DC or AC HID bulbs as well. Additionally, with these ballasts, you get to decide how many lumens you need and what color of light you want to be emitted as well.

Like with the other kit that came with ballasts, you will need to mount them in your engine compartment. XtremeVision has made this easy to do by providing two mounting brackets and a handful of zip ties. Therefore, this is one of the easiest to install HID conversion kits.


XtremeVision AC 35W HID Xenon

Our rating:4.3 out of 5 stars (4.3 / 5)

Pros

  • The ballasts are compatible with DC or AC HID bulbs.
  • Each ballast provides a very reliable 35-watts of power.
  • Come with mounting brackets and zip ties.

Cons

  • A relay isn’t included.

5 XENTEC H11 HID Xenon Bulb – Best Budget HID Conversion Kit

We are finishing up this review with a Xenon bulb from Xentec. The Xentec H11 Xenon bulb is the cheapest product in this review. This is because this conversion kit only contains Xenon bulbs and no ballasts. When you get these 35-watt bulbs powered up, they produce 3,000 lumens of light.

The adapters found on each Xenon bulb are compatible with most ballasts found on the market. This allows you to easily install them without needing to change your wiring harness.

Take note…

These Xenon bulbs have a color temperature of 8,000K, and Xentec says they produce an iceberg blue type of color. This doesn’t mean they are any brighter, though. The light output of these Xentec bulbs has a very blue hue to them that works on clear nights and sunny days.

However, we noticed that they don’t actually aid in visibility in the rain or the fog compared to a 5,000K or 6,000K bulb. The low price of these lights definitely makes them a contender, though. If you are looking for the best cheap HID conversion kit, pick up a set of these lights and easily have plenty left over to buy ballasts and still save a few dollars.


XENTEC H11 HID Xenon Bulb

Our rating:4.1 out of 5 stars (4.1 / 5)

Pros

  • Very inexpensive.
  • You can connect them up to almost any ballast.

Cons

  • Don’t work well on foggy days.
  • You need to purchase a ballast for them to work.

Best HID Conversion Kits Buying Guide

Best HID Conversion Kits Review

Converting your headlights from halogen to HID isn’t always as simple as screwing in a new bulb. Throughout this review, all of the lights have differed from one to another.

You may be asking yourself, why is it important to upgrade from my stock halogen bulbs? Or possibly, what is a lumen, and how many do I need?

The following buying guide will answer all those questions and let you know what you should look out for before purchasing an HID conversion kit.

Halogen vs. LED vs. Xenon

In this review, you will have noticed three main types of HID conversion kits. We have covered kits that offer ballasts, Xenon bulbs, and LEDs to upgrade your vehicle’s headlights.

No matter the type of bulb that comes with your conversion kit, it will produce something called lumens. Lumens describe the amount of light emitted from the bulb.

While two bulbs might produce the same number of lumens, they might look different. This is because not all lights are the same color. The color of your bulb is measured in Kelvin. A yellowish light might have a color temperature of 3,500K, whereas a cool blue light might be 6,500K.

Halogen

The first US halogen headlight bulb dates back to 1982. Halogen bulbs emit a yellowish light and are still commonly found in a lot of vehicles. They typically only output 700 lumens when set to low and 1,200 lumens when you turn on your high beams.

While they might light up the path ahead, they are quickly being replaced by much brighter and more energy-efficient bulbs like Xenon and LEDs. So, if you don’t want to feel like you are stuck in the dark ages, you need to upgrade your halogen headlights.

LED Bulbs

LED bulbs are the newest technology when it comes to headlights. You will commonly find them on high-end cars like the Mercedes E-class or Cadillac CT6 as standard.

They are the most energy-efficient type of bulb you can buy, and they frequently last for up to 30,000 hours. Over time, you will notice LED headlights do become dimmer as they age.

When you hook them up to your vehicle, you also notice that they emit a wider beam of light compared to your standard halogen bulb. This can be an issue since they can sometimes produce 10,000 lumens, and with your headlight reflectors, they might emit a lot of glare.

Xenon Bulbs

Xenon bulbs have been around for quite some time as well and often look like little cylindrical tubes. You will not find a filament in a Xenon bulb. Instead, an electric current is sent through the Xenon gas and creates an arc between two tiny electrodes to produce light.

The amount of light emitted from a Xenon bulb will vary from bulb to bulb and also depends on the ballast used to ignite it. Plus, they are also a bit more power-hungry than LEDs and only last for about 10,000 hours on average.

Compatibility

Best HID Conversion Kits Buying Guide

Before you go out and buy an HID conversion kit, you need to figure out what is compatible with your vehicle. Vehicles that come with halogen bulbs as standard cannot support Xenon-type HID bulbs with the stock wiring found in the vehicle.

You will find yourself needing to buy ballasts for your Xenon bulbs to work. A ballast essentially sends a current into the Xenon bulb to light it. Depending on your conversion kit, these may already be included.

These ballasts often come with a specific wattage output that needs to match your HID Xenon bulbs as well. LED headlights, on the other hand, may fit directly into your standard halogen headlamp socket. You will want to make sure your stock headlight wiring harness adapter is compatible, though.

Installation

Installing your HID conversion kit may be as simple as screwing in a new bulb. This is common if your vehicle already has HID lights, and you want to simply upgrade to a brighter bulb.

If you need to install ballasts into your vehicle, things become a bit more complicated. You need to make sure that your stock wiring can carry the wattage to the ballast to power the Xenon bulbs.

With most HID conversion kits, this isn’t a problem. If you need to wire in a new harness, you will probably want to get a relay as well to be on the safe side. You will also need to mount the ballasts somewhere that they can connect to your battery if need be so that you can fit the Xenon bulbs into your headlamps.

Final Thoughts

No matter the HID conversion kit you go with, you will not be disappointed. Converting your headlights is well worth the money and will make your vehicle safer to drive.

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What are the Best HID Conversion Kits?

If you have a compatible vehicle, you really can’t go wrong with the…

XtremeVision 7G LED Headlight Conversion Kit

These XtremeVision LED bulbs are extremely easy to install. Once powered up, they emit a brilliant 16,000 lumens of pure white light and can last for up to 30,000 hours.

They aren’t the cheapest HID conversion kit out there. However, thanks to their energy-efficient long lifespan, they will easily save you money in the long run.

So, until next time, may the road treat you right.

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