White LED Lights Are Totally Useless In Winter Fog: Video Shows Why

Written By: Ajeesh Kuttan
Published: January 17, 2025 at 07:05 AMUpdated: January 17, 2025 at 07:05 AM
fog vs white led headlamp

Most car owners do some kind of customization to their cars. One such modification or customization is the lights. Many cars come with halogen headlamps, which have lights with a yellow shade. Many people feel that these lights are useless and do not provide the brightness they require at night. Additionally, many think that halogen bulbs affect the look of their cars. As a result, they opt for LED lights that emit white light. These may look good initially, but here we have a video that shows how useless LED lights can be during winter.

The video has been shared by Explorer Machine on their Instagram page. The owner of the Mahindra Thar mentions that his Thar SUV came with halogen bulbs, and he upgraded to LED units for better aesthetics. The owner didn’t face any issues with the lights and enjoyed the drives. However, as winter started in North India, things changed.

The white LED light in the Mahindra Thar became a major issue for the owner. It became such a big problem that the owner is now unable to drive the car at night. In the video, we can see the owner recording with the lights on. He mentions that there is thick fog on the road, and he is unable to see what is in front of him.

The headlights are on, but the white light is of no use. We can see that the white light from the headlamp hits the thick fog on the road and reflects back. Things get even more challenging when the high beam is turned on. The lights do not cut through the fog and actually reflect back into the driver’s eyes.

This is exactly why manufacturers offer yellow or halogen lights in some cars from the factory. The white light might look great, have a longer lifespan, and offer superior lighting, but it has a major drawback.

Even when there is no fog on the roads, driving a car with LED lights is risky, as it often blinds the driver and occupants of vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

LED lights in fog

If your car comes with LED lights from the factory, ensure that you don’t misuse the high beam feature when a vehicle is coming from the opposite direction. When driving a car like this in snow or fog, the white light reflects and makes things difficult for the driver.

If you ever find yourself in such a situation, park your car on the side of the road and engage the hazard lamps. Driving a car like this on the road is extremely dangerous, as it can easily lead to accidents. If possible, carry a yellow film in the car during winter. You can simply stick it on the headlamps and fog lamps.

This can actually help the light pass through the snow without creating a nuisance for the driver or other road users. Why yellow, you ask? Yellow has a longer wavelength, which means it can penetrate fog better than white LED lights.