Best Off-Road Lights: Add Safety and Enjoyment to your Nighttime Explorations

I took a look at some of the best off-road light kits out there and judged them on a number of factors. These include price, brightness, ease of installation, durability, and compatibility. Off-road lights don’t need to just be bright; they need to suit your needs, be it a broad path or a spotlight. Sometimes it can be both, so flexibility counts, too. You can read more about The Drive’s methodology and mindset by following this link. 

Our picks for best off-road lights should banish any night-time driving concerns just as easily as they do the dark. The Rough Country Dual-Row Cree Light Bar is solid, and the Zmoon LED Light Pods are affordable, and a good place to start. Be sure to comment below with your favorite offroad lights!

Picking the right set of off-road lights isn’t as simple as picking the brightest hardware you can find and slapping them onto your truck. Do you need a wide pattern or something more narrow? How about a flood light or a spot light? How about both? You should also consider where you plan to mount your lights, how rugged they are for your purposes, and what type of light sources are best for you.

This is a narrow, concentrated beam that penetrates long distances in front of your vehicle. It’s great for straight, high-speed situations but is even more useful for racing, rather than typical recreational use. 

A driving beam pattern illuminates a much wider area than a pencil beam and gives the driver a much more useful view of the trail ahead. They provide more intensity and reach than typical high-beam headlights.

Fog lights provide a wide, flat-topped beam that brightens the area near your vehicle and gives a broader view of shoulders and curves. They are not designed for long-distance illumination but to supplement a typical low-beam headlight by giving the driver a more complete view of their surroundings. The flat top of the beam is designed not to reflect fog, dust, snow, or rain back into the driver’s eyes.

Flood lights, as the name implies, are designed to flood an area with light. They are typically used as work lights or area lights for a campsite or as reverse lamps, rather than to light your way down a road. However, this type of pattern is sometimes used for forward lighting at low speeds on Jeeps and ATVs.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, have in recent years become the dominant light source for off-road and auxiliary lighting in general. LEDs provide long life and use very little power compared to halogen bulbs. They’re also resistant to vibration and pounding on rough roads. These lights produce a whiter light as compared to halogens.

Prior to the rise of LEDs, halogen bulbs ruled the lighting world. There are still many halogen off-road lights available, and they are generally less expensive than LED lamps. Halogen bulbs, although easily replaceable, do not last anywhere near as long as LEDs.

Yes, laser! For very high-end racing applications, laser diodes are being used by some manufacturers for super long-range lighting that shines about 350 percent farther than other light sources.

A pod lamp is simply an individual lamp in its own housing that can be mounted on a bumper, grille, cowl, or roof. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes to suit individual tastes and mounting requirements.

A light bar houses a number of different individual lamps in one horizontal unit. They come in a variety of lengths and styles to provide different light patterns and output. They can be mounted on the top or front of a vehicle.

Since you're going to be off-roading with these lights, they need to be able to withstand vibration, impact, and a variety of weather conditions. As a result, they should be constructed with high-quality materials. Look for lights that have durable lenses and high-quality housings and mounting brackets. Also, make sure they're water- and dust-resistant.

Choose the type of beam pattern that will put light where you want it, based on the type of driving you do. If you want to throw light far down the road, choose a long-distance or spot beam driving pattern. But if you want to light up road edges and curves closer in, you will want a wider array. Brightness is measured in lumens, but there can be variable consistency in that measurement, so be wary of using lumens as a sole criterion for which lamp to choose. 

Before spending your hard-earned cash on a set of off-road lights, think about where you want to install them. Light bars and pods should be mounted in an area where they provide the best performance. Whether you’re going for a high position on the roof or roll bar, or down low on the bumper or grille, make sure you have a solid mounting surface that won’t shake with the vehicle’s movement. The lights you choose have sturdy, appropriate mounts to fit the location you want.

Look for lights with an IP67 rating, which indicates they are highly water-resistant and dustproof. Cooling can be an important consideration for longevity, so make sure lamps include proper heat-dispersal methods such as heat sinks, fans, or flow-through venting. Finally, check to see if there's a warranty.

If you're not mechanically inclined, it may be a little challenging to install a set of off-road lights on your vehicle. The good news is that most manufacturers provide detailed instructions on how to set them up, or you can find some handy videos online.

One of the best things about off-road lighting is that it can be quite affordable. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get increased visibility. However, lower-priced systems may not offer the performance or durability of more expensive models. Look to spend between $300 to $1,500. 

You’ve got questions. The Drive has answers.