We look at the many different types of car headlight and explain how each technology works

Early car headlights were simple affairs – a bulb, a reflective bowl and a glass front. While better than nothing, a couple of well-placed tealights would have rivalled many of them for illuminating power. 

Over time, motorists’ desire to see where they were going in the dark has led to ever more advanced car headlight technology. We’ve witnessed halogen and then xenon lights emerge, both marking major leaps forward in automotive lighting, but as manufacturers searched for more energy efficient electronics in cars (after all, sat-navs, air-conditioning and large sound systems all sap power from the engine), LED headlight units have become popular.

• Best headlight bulbs on sale 

Use of these light emitting diodes was taken even further, with the birth of LED matrix headlights – sometimes referred to as adaptive headlights. These became the best car headlights money could buy - briefly. Soon Audi and BMW came along with laser lights, which pushed the automotive illumination envelope further still. How soon will the next breakthrough come? Who knows, but let's take an in-depth look at the options currently on the market.