In winter, the sun goes down early, and the night is more extended, corresponding more night driving we complete. Then the bulbs of the car headlights are required.
There are many 9006 halogen bulbs and 9006 led bulbs on the market. But some of them are cheap and bad quality, which is possible to bring danger to us on the road. Caution is, therefore, appropriate for particularly cheap branded products. Our tests are intended to facilitate the selection of the right 9006 bulbs from the diverse range. We tested ten 9006 bulbs each in the DEKRA light channel. Here you can find out which strengths and weaknesses the 9006 lamps tested by us have revealed in the test. The measurement results already showed that there are differences in the quality of 9006 lamps. Although the low-cost lamps achieve the legally stipulated luminous flux, they fail in light distribution because the geometry of the filaments does not match.
Bosch Pure Light
The comparatively inexpensive standard lamp from Bosch in typical OEM quality. Even light, neither particularly bright nor far-reaching (86 meters), the lifetime is around 550 hours.
Suitable for those who do not need high-performance light bulbs. After all, It is the most durable 9006 halogen bulb in the test – perfect for anyone who wants to change a light bulb for a better night driving experience. Long-lasting bulbs could save a lot of money.
Bosch Plus 120 Gigalight
The Bosch Plus 120 Gigalight is significantly brighter than the standard lamp – in all measured values. Not only in the lab, but also on the road, the differences are apparent.
A significant disadvantage of the leading bright light is the shortened life of about 300 hours. And with a price of around 35 dollars on Amazon, it is quite expensive in halogen bulb type. The range of 88 meters is the second-best in the test. The Bosch Plus 120 Gigalight is one of the four lamps that scores top marks in the analysis.
Osram Ultra Life
The lifespan of 1,100 hours is proud of the Osram Ultra Life sprouts – it is four times higher than that of the top bulbs.
The disadvantages of the extremely durable bulb are visible: a much shorter range (80 meters) and much less light. In terms of scale, only the two not recommended 9006 bulbs Halogen 100 W Blue and Green Lights 8500K are still under the Osram Ultra Life. The quality of the light beam is okay.
Osram Night Breaker +130%
The Osram Night Breaker +130% is the best 9006 bulb in the Osram products. Outstanding brightness and range in combination with the best illumination. This means that the Osram Night Breaker even outperforms the Bosch Plus 120 by +130%. Of course, this is at the expense of the lifetime, Osram indicates just 260 hours.
With a price of around 32 dollars, the bulb is clearly located in the upper price segment. The 92-meter range is by far the best in the field – four meters more than the Bosch Plus 120 Gigalight and GE Megalight + 90% rivals in this discipline.
M3 Halogen Size LED Bulb
The M3 led bulb is very bright, and its white light emits very far. With its clean and even light distribution, she belongs to the group of four test winners.
The range of the M3 led bulb is 65 meters – only it is the shortest range in the test. It produces 4800 lumens, the second-highest performance in the test.
The test was conducted by ECE Standard R 112 by DEKRA light experts. Here’s how it works: A complete headlight is fixed on the goniometer and set up with two precise test lamps. After that, all the light bulbs test one after the other. We carefully adjusted them according to the instructions. This is extremely important for the measurement results, even a vertical deviation of 0.5 degrees can bring 20 lux more on the road, but increases the glare for oncoming traffic massively. The test voltage for all test runs is exactly 13.2 volts.
By the way: If you change the lamps yourself, you should drive to the workshop for the setting. A deviation of the headlight alignment by only a tenth of a degree upwards can bring 20 lux more on the road, but increases the glare for oncoming traffic but significantly. Conversely, the same applies. Only the precise adjustment of the headlights brings more light into the darkness.