Reflector Vs. Projector Headlights: Exploring their Pros and Cons

Up until recently, all Toyota vehicles had reflector headlights, but with the emergence of projector headlights, that’s no longer the case. Although in the past projector headlights were exclusively used on luxury videos, nowadays, you can find them on a wide range of types of vehicles. If you’re considering replacing your broken or damaged headlights with brand new ones, you’re probably wondering whether you should go for reflector or projector headlights. For this reason, today I’ll be discussing the difference between the two and highlight their distinct benefits.

Reflector Headlights

Reflector Toyota car lights have been the standard on most vehicles since electric headlights were invented. These consist of a light bulb that’s encased in a steel bowl, and a mirror which is placed within the bowl and reflects the light in front of your car. The shape of the beams, at least in older reflector headlights, was determined by the lens that was placed in front of the headlight. These headlights are known as sealed-beam, as the casing can’t be removed to replace a worn-out bulb. Newer reflector headlights, on the other hand, incorporate the lens inside the headlight housing, and the bulbs can be easily replaced or removed.

Many modern Toyotas are still made with reflector headlights, as there are a couple of advantages to them. First and foremost, they’re smaller and take up less space, and next, they’re cheaper to make.

Projector Headlights

Projector Toyota car lights are a newer invention in the world of headlights. As aforementioned, they were initially used exclusively on some luxury vehicles back in the 80s, but since then, they’ve become popular on all types of Toyotas. Although similar to reflector headlights in construction, there’s one key difference that makes them better – they feature a lens that also acts as a magnifying glass, which increases the brightness of their beam. Further, they feature a cutoff shield which ensures the light is angled properly. That being said, projector headlights have a sharp cutoff which helps direct them towards the road.

Some of the benefits of projector headlights are that they’re less likely to blind other drivers thanks to their cutoff, they’re brighter than reflector headlights, and you can use Xenon HID bulbs with them, which are one of the most powerful types of bulbs.

To sum things up, unless you’re restricted by budget, you should definitely consider getting projector headlights. This is simply because most drivers would prefer having the brightest headlights possible that won’t cause problems for other drivers on the road.