H8 Light Bulb Replacement Guide

Common bulb fittings

H11 9005 H7 9006 H9 9003 H1 H13 9012 194 9007 9004 168 DE3175 9145 7443 H3 H8 LED H16 912 921 Show more

Will the H8 Bulb Fit My Vehicle?

When looking for replacement light bulbs, there are some important things to consider. The first question one should ask is whether H8 will fit your car. If you are not sure, one way is to take out the old lamp and carefully study the markings. Once you find out the type and size, you can easily find the best option. Or you could use our bulb finder for practical insights on what different car bulb types are used for. Set filters to find out if H8 is compatible with your car make and model.

Check Specifications Before Purchase

It is important to keep in mind, that a new bulb must fit perfectly, some types may not be interchangeable. Furthermore, consider which lamp type – HID, LED or halogen – would be preferable. And last but not least, make sure wattage, brightness and color temperature meet your expectations.

Halogen vs HID (xenon) vs LED lamps: what bulbs are the best

Each option has its unique pros and cons, each is better for specific needs. The choice often depends on technical characteristics that determine average lifespan, brightness, efficiency, affordability and how long the lamps last before starting to get dimmer.

Purpose of the bulb also influences this choice. For example, fog lights cannot be too bright, because it is dangerous for the driver and passengers of the car as well as for other people on the road.

The halogen headlights tend to emit quite a lot of heat. This is due to how they work: most of its brightness comes not from additional wattage, but from raising the filament temperature. Heat produced in this process provides bright glow.

The same heat of halogen bulbs has a significant perk in cold weather. If you compare halogen vs LED car bulbs, only halogen can emit enough heat to melt ice and snow off your headlights. LED lamps burn much colder and thus are less efficient.
As for the LED bulbs or light-emitting diodes, they are commonly praised for their energy efficiency and lifespan. Originally LEDs were introduced as 90% more efficient alternative to traditional incandescent lamps.

They do not use gas, only the power of electric current, and the generate significantly less heat. It might seem to be a downside in comparison to their halogen counterparts, but less heating results in prolonging their effective utilisation.

The third option is xenon (HID) light bulbs. The HID in their name stands for high-intensity discharge, hinting at the prominent quality of such lamps – their exceptional brightness. In energy consumption and heat production they stand between halogen and LED bulbs.

They lack filament, but still use gas (xenon) to produce bright white-hot light they are famous for. Although they come in variety of colors on the market. Ironically enough the biggest perk is also the weakest point of HID bulbs. Excessive brightness can blind other drivers and cause a lot of trouble on the road, so it is important to compensate this unnecessary effect with automatic adjustment.

What Type of lamp do I need?

If you are not sure what type to choose, please look up this information in your car manual. It is important to verify that your new bulbs fit the car perfectly. Different models have specific sockets for light bulbs, so even if two bulbs seem similar, have the same purpose and size, they may not be interchangeable at all.

No time to skim through the manual? No problem, we got you. Autofiles already has all the information you need, just click on the options on the dropdown menu to select your car's make, model and year and our database will do everything for you. Our technical team carefully gathered and checked the information before organising it in neat bulb replacement charts to make the process smooth and easy.

Colour Temperature

The closer the colour temperature to the daylight, the better. It is optimal for the human eye. Here is a list of recommended temperatures for each kind of bulbs:

3200K for Halogen lamps
4300K for Xenon
6000K for LED