What Are Laser Headlights?

Lasers power some of the brightest and most expensive headlights available.

Ronan Glon | 

Dec 20, 2024 | 2 min read

BMW

QuickTakes:

• How do laser headlights work?
• What are the pros and cons of laser headlights?
• Laser headlights are showing up in the U.S.
• How do laser headlights compare with matrix headlights?

Audi became the first company to sell a car with laser headlights when it unveiled the limited-edition R8 LMX in 2014. It didn't take long for its rivals to follow suit: BMW launched the plug-in hybrid i8 with available laser headlights soon after.

The technology has slowly spread across the industry over the past decade, though it hasn't yet reached the mainstream.

BMW

How Do Laser Headlights Work?

The term laser headlight is a little misleading. The lasers don't directly illuminate the road. Instead, they fire a blue beam into a phosphor converter that creates a yellow light. The blue and yellow combine into a white light that is reflected onto the road via a series of mirrors. While laser headlights are much brighter than more common headlights, they're also more complicated and, unsurprisingly, more expensive.

Audi

What Are the Pros and Cons of Laser Headlights?

Laser headlights are normally brighter than equivalent xenon or LED headlights and they illuminate more of the road. BMW said its Laserlight system gives the driver nearly half a mile of visibility — about twice the distance offered by conventional headlights — while relying on an infrared camera to detect animals and pedestrians up to 300 feet away. In some markets, the technology can also automatically dim the lights to avoid affecting the eyesight of drivers in oncoming vehicles.

The main trade-off for all these benefits is cost. Laser headlights are usually reserved for luxury cars. They're not typically offered on more affordable models like, say, the Toyota Corolla. They're also costly to replace. Some brands charge about $4,000 per unit, compared with somewhere between $600 and $1,000 for an LED light module.

BMW

Laser Headlights Are in the U.S.

Full laser headlights were available in global markets before they were offered in the United States because their auto-dimming function didn't meet U.S. safety requirements until 2022.

A U.S. safety regulation instituted in 1968 required new cars to have separate high beams and low beams, and dimmed laser-powered headlights don't fall into either category. In 2022, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration amended the regulation, deeming dimmable headlights suitable for vehicles in the U.S.

Several new models are available with laser headlights in 2024. The lights are available on the 2024 Audi Q7, for example.

BMW

How Laser Headlights Differ From Matrix Headlights

Amending the 1968 headlight rule also allowed carmakers to bring matrix headlights to the U.S. market. Matrix headlights rely on a series of individually controlled LEDs to illuminate the road. If the onboard camera detects an oncoming car, it dims (or turns off) the LED or LEDs shining light in its direction.

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