As motorists, we tend to spend a lot of money customising our cars. Bigger wheels, trick suspension, perhaps a sporty exhaust. But many of us forget there's a very cheap and simple way of making a huge improvement to our day to day driving - changing our lights.
One of the market leaders in automotive lighting is Osram, which has just refreshed its range of premium bulbs, and they sent me a sample pack to play with.
The first bulbs I picked out of the box were from the iconic Nightbreaker range, the Nightbreaker 200, which covers a spectrum of categories, from Halogen to Xenon.
They use a clever gas composition within their bulbs which gives them better longevity at the same time as being brighter.
Osram reckons you can add up to 220% brightness from their top versions, and I have a set in my daily driver. They certainly do make quite a difference.
The light is a lot whiter than standard bulbs, and this is good at cutting through the winter murk. They also have a nice, wide beam, which helps to light up the verges.
Another bulb in the Nightbreaker range, the Silver version, is aimed more at longevity than absolute power. They still produce up to 100% more brightness, but they have a better performance-to-lifetime ratio. Certainly one to check out if you like to keep your cars for a while.
Another pack Osram sent me for testing is their LEDriving HL bulb. This is a high and low-beam lamp with, yes, you guessed it, LED technology.
There's an Easy version, a Bright version and an Intense version, and the Bright version I fitted to my car was designed to be "plug and play" with no adaptors needed, and no warning lights on the dash.
These are serious bulbs, and only authorised for off-road use as a result. According to Osram they produce up to 300% brighter light, and they're not wrong. The colour temperature takes some getting used to, but if you've ever used daylight bulbs in your house, you'll know what I mean when you say you wouldn't go back to warm light.
The Nightbreaker 200 bulbs will cost around £25, while the Nighbreaker Silver cost around £20. A set of the LEDriving HL bulbs will set you back just shy of £90.
