Are Your Headlights Bright Enough? What Are The Best Headlights?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) evaluated the headlight ratings of 31 2016 model midsize vehicles. The upsetting conclusion is that the majority of headlights are not rated well.
The test: IIHS tested the 31 vehicles at their IIHS Vehicle Research Center track on a dark night. They measured the light from both high and low beams as the vehicle comes into view from 5 common approaches. The following approaches were measured: straight on, sharp left and sharp right curve, as well as gradual left and right curves. The glare was also measured. Each vehicle was tested with all of the headlight options available, from halogen to led, and curve-adaptive to stationary.
The results: Out of 31 vehicles tested only one received a good rating. Eleven vehicles with the best headlight options earned acceptable ratings, nine rated marginal, and ten of the vehicles tested received poor headlight ratings.
The Good: The Toyota Prius v was the only vehicle to earn a good rating, but only when tested with the LED headlights and high-beam assist that are part of the advanced technology package. Among the vehicles that received an acceptable rating: Audi A3, Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Volkswagen Jetta, and Volvo S60.
The Bad: Marginal scores were decided for the BMW 2 series, Chrysler 200, Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and more.
The Ugly: The ten vehicles that received a poor rating are as follows: Buick Verano, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Malibu, Chevrolet Malibu Limited (fleet model), Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Nissan Altima, and the Volkswagen Passat.
You can read The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s full report here.