Collection: Halogen Headlights (H1, H4, H7...)

H4, H7, H1: Understanding the Most Common Headlight Bases

The H4 is the most iconic bulb in automotive lighting: double filament (low beam + high beam in a single bulb), it equipped most vehicles until the 2000s. Its P43t 3-lug base makes it impossible to confuse with another reference.

The H7 has become the standard for recent vehicles (post-2000). Single-filament, it only handles the low beam — the car then uses a second bulb (often H1 or H9) for the high beams. PX26d 2-pin base.

The H1 equips high beams and some fog lights. Single-filament, 55W, P14.5s base with flat tab.

Halogen or LED for your headlights: which to choose?

Halogen remains the universal solution: compatible with all vehicles, low price, simple replacement in a few minutes. A good halogen bulb (Bosma, Philips, Osram) offers 500 to 1,000 hours of lighting and automatically complies with standard R37.

LED provides superior brightness (2 to 3 times more lumens) and a lifespan 5 to 10 times longer. But be careful: since 2023, only CE-approved LED bulbs are legal as replacements for main headlights. Check compliance before purchase — a non-approved LED will result in a retest at the technical inspection.

For vehicles factory-equipped with xenon HID (D1S, D2S, D3S, D4S), stick to the original standard — LEDs or halogens are not compatible with a headlight unit designed for xenon.

HB3, HB4, and HIR2: Bases for Premium and Asian Vehicles

HB3 (9005) and HB4 (9006) equip American and Asian vehicles (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Lexus, some BMWs). The HB3 acts as a high beam, the HB4 as a fog light or low beam depending on the model. The H15 combines high beam and daytime running light on modern VAG vehicles (Audi, Volkswagen, Skoda). The HIR2 (9012), rarer, equips some Toyotas and Hondas — it offers superior brightness to the H7 thanks to its "infrared" technology.

Finding your H7 or H4 base

Three methods to identify your base:

• The vehicle manual lists the bulb for each light (low beam, high beam, fog, etc.) — the most reliable method.
• The bulb in place generally has the reference engraved on its glass or base ("H7 PX26d 55W 12V").
• If in doubt between H4 and H7: observe the headlight unit. A single filament visible in the bulb = H7; two filaments = H4.