What are the markings on headlights for LED lamps?

At this moment LED lamps in headlights demonstrate better illumination when compared with halogen, xenon and, of course, with simple incandescent bulbs. But drivers, familiar with the fact that xenon often causes fines and deprivation of licenses, are wondering: is it possible to install LED lamps in headlights, will there be problems with the law, and how will the traffic police react to such tuning?
Specifically, the questions are identified according to the following subparagraphs:

Is it allowed to install LED lamps in low-beam headlights;
Necessary markings for installing an LED lamp;
Is a headlight corrector and washer required if they have LED bulbs?
Possible fine for installing LEDs in headlights.

Installation of LED lamps 2021 – is it possible or not?

Roughly speaking, LED lamps can be installed in headlights without any consequences from the police, but there are several nuances that need to be taken into account. LEDs are not fixed in any way in the Technical Regulations, which in turn distinguishes only four types of permitted head lighting:

incandescent lamps in headlights;
halogen lamps in headlights;
xenon lamps in headlights;
PTF.

Therefore, in fact, at the legislative level, there is no prohibiting article on the installation of LEDs in headlights , but the police and the law for some reason equate LEDs with halogen type lamps, although their design and technical components are completely different, and here attention should be paid to the markings of the lamps and headlights.

Is it possible to install LED lamps instead of halogen ones?

You cannot install LED bulbs in headlights instead of halogen ones. The type of glass of a car part is technically not compatible with the strength and refractive characteristics of the radiation emitted by the LED source. The latter requires a special lens. Without it, the light will be too bright, hitting the eyes of drivers of other cars.

What headlight markings are needed to install LEDs?

Xenon is marked with D , low beam lamps - DR , high beam DC , lamps that work both as low beam and high beam - DRC .

Simple incandescent light bulbs are marked only with the letters R (low beam) and C (high beam). Marking of light bulbs with low/high beam function - RC .

As for halogen, it is marked with the Latin letter H , and low/high beam headlights are marked similarly to xenon - HR (low beam), HC (high beam), HRC (low-high beam lamps).

As stated above, the law equates LED lamps to halogen, so they have a similar Latin marking H , and since halogen lamps are allowed, it turns out that it is quite possible to install LED lamps to replace the standard ones, but only in headlights with the appropriate marks: HR , HC , HRC . Most new car models are already produced with LED lamps, and they are labeled as halogen lamps.

What is the responsibility for installing LED lamps in halogen or xenon headlights?

Installing LED low or high beam sources in the front halogen or xenon headlights is equivalent to equipping the car with red special signals. Accordingly, according to the current traffic rules and the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, if a driver illegally and unauthorizedly installs LED lamps in headlights intended for halogen or xenon lamps, he faces liability in the form of deprivation of his driver’s license for up to 1 year.

Additional requirements for installing LED lamps

According to the Technical Regulations (clause 1.3.7), headlights with LED lamps must be equipped with auto-correctors, although there is currently no fine for unadjusted headlights, but this will create additional inconvenience for other road users, blinding oncoming drivers, which can cause disagreements and troubles on road.

Also, according to the same paragraph of the Technical Regulations, low beam headlights with a rated power of 2000 lumens must be equipped with functional automatic washers or cleaners.

How to obtain permission to convert a vehicle to LED optics

It is possible to legalize the installation of optics with LED elements on a car that is not equipped with LED optics. To do this, you must obtain permission to change the design, which consists of the following steps:

buy LED optics that match the make and model of the car. The seller must have a valid certificate;
submit an application to the traffic police where the vehicle is registered for permission to make design changes;
carry out installation work;
undergo technical inspection for compliance with safety standards and requirements;
receive a document from the traffic police department confirming the legality of the changes made.

The received permit document indicates that the installed optics comply with the law, and you can operate the car without fear of losing your license.

What is the penalty for installing LED lamps?

We have already found out that legal prohibition on installing LED lamps if the lamps are installed in a headlight with the appropriate marking, but what to expect if you install an LED lamp in a headlight with a different, non-halogen marking?
Theoretically , this will result in a fine of 500 rubles , but in practice, installing LED lamps can lead to deprivation of rights in accordance with Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code, which states that lighting devices are prohibited if the color of the lights and operating mode do not meet the requirements of the Basic Provisions. But even in this case, deprivation of rights will be considered illegal, since the operating mode of the lamp does not reflect its type, although the courts usually indicate “LED operating mode” when depriving rights.

Regarding the explanation of operating modes, Article 3.10.2 of the Technical Regulations indirectly comes to the rescue, according to which the alarm system must ensure the synchronous activation of all direction indicators in flashing mode with the frequency specified in paragraph 3.10.1. Consequently, this article indicates what the operating mode of automotive lighting devices is and it has nothing to do with their type.

Drawing conclusions regarding the legality of installing LED lamps in low beam or fog lights, we can safely say that it is possible to install LED lamps!

The main aspects to protect the legality of the installation:

1) You install white lamps, not blue or red (which are prohibited)

2) The HR or HCR marking allows you to install an LED lamp, since it implies the installation of an LED lamp from the factory (on cars that have an LED lamp installed from the factory, there is exactly the same marking on the headlight - LED)

What are the penalties?

Using LED lighting in unsuitable headlights will result in serious penalties. In theory, for such self-will the driver should be fined 500 rubles, but in reality they will be deprived of their driver’s license for as long as 365 days.

Reason for deprivation of rights

Traffic inspectors can deprive a driver of a driver’s license, citing Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The third part talks about the permissible operating modes of headlights and their colors. So, the lights should only have a white, yellow or orange tint. Blue, purple, or even more so red LEDs can legally deprive you of your driver's license. However, even for proper lighting, the vehicle owner can be punished, since the legislation is extremely ambiguous in its formulation of provisions related to the use of LED lamps.

It’s another matter if the driver unauthorizedly installs LED lights in the wrong type of headlights. Such modification of the vehicle entails a severe penalty - deprivation of rights for a year.

About legal punishment

If you thoroughly understand the issue, then there should be no fine or other measure, since LEDs are not mentioned in any legal act. The maximum penalty for using “diodics” can be a fine of five thousand rubles.

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However, one or another punishment is unlikely to be avoided. Therefore, it would be correct to contact the traffic police to arrange the installation of LED lighting.

Checking the correct installation of lamps

Such a check can only be carried out by a traffic police officer. This is due to the fact that the installation of LEDs can be attributed to a change in the design of the vehicle, the issues of which are dealt with by this inspection. The employee will check the correctness of all your documents and the installation itself and, if everything is in order, will issue the necessary certificate.

Using LED headlights

There are 3 possible options for using LED headlights:

Installation of LED headlights at the factory. In this case, the lighting devices are installed completely legally and the driver will not face fines.
Installation of LED headlights on a car, if such headlights are installed by the manufacturer on cars of a similar model.
Installation of LED headlights on a car, if the manufacturer did not provide for such an installation.

In this article we will talk about the second and third situations.

Options for using LED headlights

The operation of any vehicle involves only three options for using LED lamps, two of which are permitted by law:

high or low beam lamps with light-emitting diodes are already installed in the car at the manufacturer's factory;
independent installation of LED high or low beam lamps, if more expensive models of this vehicle series provide for their installation;
installation of LED bulbs in standard halogen headlights of a vehicle.

In the latter case, the traffic police inspector may have claims, the validity and nature of which we will consider further.

Installing LED bulbs in halogen headlights

First, let's look at the simplest option. You have a car equipped with standard halogen light bulbs. Accordingly, the headlights themselves (reflectors) are designed to work with halogen lamps. The driver finds LED bulbs with a similar base and installs them in the headlights.

3.1. The number, type, color, location and operating mode of external lighting devices do not meet the requirements of the vehicle design.

Deprivation of rights for diode lamps until 2021

Until mid-2021, the courts considered the installation of LED light bulbs as a violation under Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses:

3. Driving a vehicle on the front of which there are installed lighting devices with red lights or red reflective devices, as well as lighting devices, the color of the lights and the mode of operation of which do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Regulations for the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials ensuring road safety, -

entails deprivation of the right to drive vehicles for a period of six months to one year with confiscation of the specified instruments and accessories.

Thus, the punishment for installing LED bulbs in halogen headlights was a deprivation of rights for 6-12 months . If you wish, you can study the judicial practice on this issue and make sure that until 2021, magistrates deprived people of rights for diode bulbs in headlights.

Penalty for LED light bulbs in 2021

On June 25, 2021, Resolution No. 20 of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation was published, which contains clarifications regarding the imposition of penalties for the improper use of lighting devices:

6. Installation on the front of the vehicle of lighting devices with red lights or red reflective devices, as well as lighting devices, the color of the lights and the mode of operation of which do not comply with the requirements of the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles to operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety ( hereinafter referred to as the Basic Provisions), entails administrative liability under Part 1 of Article 12.4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. In this case, driving a vehicle on the front of which the specified lighting devices or retroreflective devices are installed, as well as putting such a vehicle on the line, is subject to qualification, respectively, under Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation or Part 3 of Article 12.31 of this Code. . When applying the above standards, it should be taken into account that the objective side of the relevant administrative offense can only occur in the event of a simultaneous discrepancy between the color of the lights and the operating mode of such devices with the requirements specified by the manufacturer in the operational documentation, and in cases of installation of additional lighting devices - with an assessment of the compliance of the introduced changes to the design of the vehicle (clause 3.1 of the List of faults and conditions under which the operation of vehicles is prohibited (appendix to the Basic Provisions).

At the same time, if only the color or operating mode of the light devices installed on the vehicle does not comply with the above requirements, driving such a vehicle can be qualified under Part 1 of Article 12.5 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation.

Deprivation of rights for LED lamps: judicial practice

Judicial practice regarding deprivation of rights for LED lamps is such that drivers are almost always accused of violating Part 3 of Article 12.5. It doesn’t even help that the LED lamp is often marked like a headlight, that is, the symbol H. If the protocol drawn up by a traffic police officer states that the light source is diode, and the headlight is intended for halogen, the court does not even order an examination. You can win in a higher authority in two cases:

the car was released by the manufacturer with headlights with LED bulbs, which is confirmed in the documents;
machines of this model are no longer produced.

The last case is specified in the “List of faults...”:

On discontinued vehicles, it is permitted to install external lighting devices from vehicles of other makes and models.

But this does not negate the need to harmonize the classes of headlights and light sources with each other. The car owner needs to register this as a change in the design of the vehicle. That is, contact the traffic police, conduct an examination and include it in the documents for the car.

The quality of road lighting at night and driving safety are more important than the beauty and efficiency of headlights. But if you really want to have LED light bulbs, it is better to install them according to the law. After all, deprivation of rights is not the worst thing that can be provoked by illegal changes in the design of headlights. If a car with illegal LEDs gets into an accident, its driver will most likely be found guilty of it.

Installing LED headlights instead of halogen ones

Let's consider another option - completely replacing halogen headlights with LED ones. In this case, there is a violation of the same paragraph 3.1 and the fine for violation is 500 rubles .

However, in this case it is possible to legalize LED light bulbs. To do this, you need to obtain a certificate of compliance of the vehicle with the changes made to its design with safety requirements, and then re-register the car with the traffic police.

So, if you have documents for LED headlights, you can legalize them and not pay fines.

In addition, the situation is much better if vehicles of a similar model are equipped with LED headlights. In this case, the driver will not have to undergo a safety test. Clause 77 of Section 4 of Chapter V of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union:

77. Vehicles are not subject to inspection in the following cases:

1) when installing components on a vehicle:

intended for this vehicle and have undergone conformity assessment as part of this vehicle, which is confirmed by the documentation of the component manufacturer;

provided by the vehicle manufacturer in the operational documentation;

2) when serial changes are made to the design on the basis of design documentation developed and approved in the prescribed manner, if on its basis an assessment of the conformity of the changes made was carried out.

To comply with the regulations, you need to install headlights that are installed on cars of a similar model. Such a replacement should not cause problems when communicating with traffic police officers.

In conclusion, I would like to note that replacing halogen headlights with LED ones can cause problems in the operation of the car's electronics. This is due to the fact that different types of lamps have different resistances. So in practice, it may not be enough to simply change the headlights and you will have to additionally change the headlight control unit. Keep this in mind.

But even in this case, deprivation of rights will be considered illegal, since the operating mode of the lamp does not reflect its type, although the courts usually indicate “LED operating mode” when depriving rights. Regarding the explanation of operating modes, Article 3.10.2 of the Technical Regulations indirectly comes to the rescue, according to which the alarm system must ensure the synchronous activation of all direction indicators in flashing mode with the frequency specified in paragraph 3.10.1. Consequently, this article indicates what the operating mode of automotive lighting devices is and it has nothing to do with their type.

Legal change of headlights

In order to fully use LED lighting, you need to select the appropriate type of headlights for it. Re-equipment of lighting devices can be done in a special service. This will provide the LED lamps with the brightest beam of light, which will help you clearly see all objects on the road. Installation of a new type of headlights is carried out in many organizations in any city, so there should not be any problems with this item.

Replacing headlights is a change to the design of the car, and therefore requires an appropriate certificate. The procedure for receiving it is as follows:

Contact the testing center. To get there, you will have to fill out an application. They will check the safety of your vehicle.
Afterwards, undergo a technical inspection and take a diagnostic card.
Come to the traffic police with a package of documents (car passport, application, technical inspection card).
Obtain the necessary certificate and re-register the car within 10.

Going through all the stages will give the vehicle owner a guarantee that he will not be held accountable for illegal actions.

LED lamps - can they be installed in headlights?

Therefore, it cannot be said that modern diode lamps are distinguished by good heat dissipation. Because of this, their service life is significantly reduced. Types of lamps for headlights To figure out whether diode lamps are prohibited in headlights, it is necessary to consider their types and features.

The second section of the Technical Regulations, developed regarding the admission of vehicles to road traffic, defines the marking of lamps. There are several types of them. Incandescent lamps include devices that are marked with the letters C, R, CR.

Installation of car light bulbs based on LEDs

In paragraph 3.4 of the list of malfunctions, when the operation of vehicles is prohibited, it is clearly stated that driving on the roads with light bulbs that do not comply with the light optics is prohibited.

If you install a type of bulb in your car headlights that does not match the headlight, it will be a serious offense and will result in appropriate punishment. The types of headlights are prescribed in the Technical Regulations, where headlights are divided into 4 categories, depending on the type of car bulbs installed:

xenon;
anti-fog;
halogen;
incandescent lamps.

Flight magazine chevrolet tahoe 6.2 (2015)

It can be warm, neutral or cool tone. It is called the glow temperature. A car with cold headlights looks stylish. When driving long distances, this allows the driver to maintain concentration and reduce eye fatigue. Warm yellowish shades are used as fog lights. They do not blind the driver when driving on a wet road or in fog. Where are LED lamps used? If you want to replace the lighting fixtures that were installed in the vehicle at the factory, you need to find out whether diode lamps can be used in fog lights, as well as for high and low beams. Almost all drivers agree that it is definitely worth replacing all low-power system lamps with similar types of devices. These are bright, durable and reliable diodes.

LED lamps for cars - throw away the halogens!

LED lamps for cars are superior to halogen lamps and traditional incandescent lamps in almost all performance indicators. For this reason, LED lighting can now be seen on many vehicles.

1 LED lamps – a reliable light source

Light-emitting diodes (LED bulbs) enable owners of cars and trucks to save on fuel consumption and energy consumption, as well as give their car an original appearance. Such lighting operates without significant heating. Thanks to this, the likelihood of melting of plastic structural elements of vehicles is minimized, and the coating (galvanic) applied to headlight reflectors never fades. LED lamps for cars are characterized by increased brightness. They produce much more light per watt of power.

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Depending on the type of LED bulb, the light emitting flux can increase by 2–4 times. Compared to halogen headlights and xenon lamps, diodes are less demanding to use. You can safely handle them with your hands - there will be no marks left on the flask. Another important advantage of LED bulbs is their high reliability. Car lights will consistently illuminate the road even in cases where one or more diodes burn out. At the same time, the light sources under consideration are characterized by low sensitivity to changes in the characteristics of on-board electrical networks and they completely lack the flickering effect that irritates many drivers.

LED car headlight markings

But drivers, familiar with the fact that xenon often causes fines and deprivation of licenses, are wondering: is it possible to install LED lamps in headlights, will there be problems with the law, and how will the traffic police react to such tuning? Specifically, the questions are identified according to the following subparagraphs:

Is it allowed to install LED lamps in low-beam headlights;
Necessary markings for installing an LED lamp;
Is a headlight corrector and washer required if they have LED bulbs?
Possible fine for installing LEDs in headlights.

Installation of LED lamps 2021 - is it possible or not? Roughly speaking, LED lamps can be installed in headlights without any consequences from the police, but there are several nuances that need to be taken into account.

LED lamps: their advantages and features

The trend towards installing LED bulbs in headlights is understandable, because they have a number of advantages that set them apart from xenon and halogen.

Long service life - up to 40 years. This indicator depends on the quality of the product - Chinese counterfeits are often found on the market.
Low sensitivity to low and high temperatures.
Resistance to shock and shaking.
High luminous efficiency – up to 60 lm/W. (for a regular headlight, for comparison, it is 2-3 times lower).
Variety of designs.

With the growth of technology, LEDs are also changing, with more and more interesting functions being added.

LEDs are actively being introduced into the automotive industry. Luxury car brands leave the factory assembly line with built-in LED lighting. The headlights in such vehicles are a real engineering masterpiece, since setting the light from the diodes in the correct way is not an easy task. However, this does not mean that such headlights are not available to the general population. There are companies that have successfully mastered their production and launched mass production. There are already optics kits for domestic cars: Lada, Niva and others. True, prices for quality products can be decent.

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Using LEDs as headlights has a number of nuances. To work well, they require a powerful switching power supply and a special cooling system. All these devices make the headlights bulky and expensive. Their cost sometimes reaches 40 thousand rubles when fully equipped.

Another important feature of LEDs is that if the optics are incorrectly configured, they will work extremely poorly, especially for high beams. Establishing a focusing and dispersion system will help achieve good lighting.

LEDs are also used as additional headlights, which are usually mounted on the bumper or roof of a car. Such lighting is often used when driving in rural areas, where there are no lights and more powerful light is required. LED lamps in this case will be the ideal solution: they consume little energy and do not require complex connections.

When purchasing LED lamps, beware of low-quality products that the market is teeming with, as well as the tricks of sellers. For example, there is a label on the package that indicates a power of 50 W, but in reality the power of each individual headlight will only be 25 W. This addition, which usually occurs in the Chinese trade sector, often misleads the buyer. In addition, pay attention to the material of the devices: it is better that the body is made of aluminum or similar metals.

Is it possible to install diode lamps in headlights?

Also, according to the same paragraph of the Technical Regulations, low-beam headlights with a rated power of 2000 lumens must be equipped with functional automatic washers or cleaners. What is the penalty for installing LED lamps? We have already found out that there is no legal prohibition on installing LED lamps if the lamps are installed in a headlight with the appropriate marking, but what to expect if you install an LED lamp in a headlight with a different, non-halogen marking? Theoretically, this will result in a fine of 500 rubles, but in practice, installing LED lamps can lead to deprivation of rights in accordance with Part 3 of Article 12.5 of the Administrative Code, which states that lighting devices are prohibited if the color of the lights and operating mode do not meet the requirements of the Basic Provisions.

LEDs in fog lights: is it legal?

Putting LEDs in fog lights is just as illegal as using them in halogen headlights. LED bulbs provide bright, straight-line light, which unsuitable reflectors will not be able to diffuse to the desired and safe state. After all, they are tuned to a different type of radiation. In addition, the “Technical Regulations” have the following requirement:

Adaptive front lighting systems that perform the function of low beam, regardless of the light source used, low beam headlights with LED light sources, as well as low beam and fog headlights with light sources of any class having a rated luminous flux of more than 2000 lumens, must be equipped with automatic correction device for adjusting the headlight angle.
Low beam headlamps having light sources with a rated luminous flux of more than 2000 lumens must be equipped with an operable headlight cleaning device.

Fog lamps with diodes, unsuitable for this type of lighting, also make the car non-compliant with the “Technical Regulations”, which makes it impossible to operate.

Is it possible to install LED lamps?

Although these are completely different lamps in all respects, today the situation is not in favor of drivers of cars with LED headlights. When can diode lamps be installed in headlights? It should be said that diode lamps in headlights are allowed. However, there are a number of limitations in this matter. Since the presented types of lighting devices are equated to halogen lamps, they can be installed in such a system. It is designed for the use of HR, HC, HCR lamps. The main requirement that is put forward when installing diode devices in high and low beam headlights is the mandatory presence of an automatic angle corrector. A washer must also be present in the system. This requirement is stipulated by the Technical Regulations in clause 1.3.7. The headlight cleaning device and the correct lighting angle allow you to create good visibility of the road.

LED optics

On public highways, cars with LED light sources are increasingly being seen. Marked ice lenses cover a large area of the road and can last more than 10,000 hours.

Many car owners are interested in the question of what is the marking of LED headlights from the factory and whether it is possible to independently install diodes instead of halogen or xenon. Optics with diodes have the inscription HCR, indicating conventional halogen lamps. However, the code for all reflectors and lenses additionally contains the LED prefix, and their design is significantly different.

In daytime running lights, the lamp is built into the housing without any markings. The location of the lights is regulated by the transport safety guidelines.

Knowing the location of the markings allows you not only to detect the replacement of a headlight due to an accident, but also to protect yourself from fines by using the right lamps.