What are adaptive headlights?

Adaptive headlights are now listed as standard equipment on many top-spec vehicles, but they’re still so new, they remain unfamiliar to most drivers.

An active safety feature which enhances the field of vision in night driving, adaptive headlights allow the driver to quite literally see around corners or far into the distance.
Manufacturers have different systems using either sensors or cameras - or a combination of both - to monitor the car’s position and alter headlight function accordingly.

But the pre-purchase stumbling block is, during a daylight hours test-drive from the dealership, you simply won’t get to experience the full gamut of adaptive headlights’ capabilities, so here’s the low down on some of the features they offer.

Auto high-beam
One of the most basic forms of adaptive headlights is an automatic high-beam function, which is now available from luxury vehicles through to small, affordable models such as the Toyota Corolla small car in its optional safety pack.

Auto high beam sees high-beam become the default headlight setting. Forward mounted cameras are used to identify oncoming vehicles and send a signal for an automatic switch to low beam without the need for driver intervention. This is an invaluable feature should you neglect to engage high beam at night, as well as eliminating those instances when you forget to switch back to low beam, resulting in dazzling the driver of an oncoming vehicle.<a href="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/Audi-Xenon-Plus-Headlight-3.jpg"><img width="640" height="427" class="alignnone size-csn-inline-image wp-image-225419" src="https://motoring.pxcrush.net/motoring/general/editorial/Audi-Xenon-Plus-Headlight-3.jpg?height=427&width=640&aspect=fitWithin" alt=""></a>

Self-levelling headlights
Adaptive headlight systems can also counter upwards movement in a vehicle travelling over bumps by self-levelling, again avoiding glare for drivers travelling in the opposite direction.

Swivel headlights
More advanced adaptive headlight systems use sensors and additional technology to add greater functionality to further improve vision at night.

Traditional headlights maintain a static field of light, but adaptive headlights - using swivelling headlights or static headlights equipped with additional reflectors - can widen the field to either the left or the right, when the vehicle turns to change direction.

Systems employing swivelling headlights can move high-performance xenon globes with the direction of the car, illuminating spots which are traditionally dark – this is what Audi calls ‘junction light’.

Audi’s Adaptive Light system will also vary the length and width of the beam, depending on whether the vehicle is in a city, on country roads or a highway.

LED Matrix Headlights
LED matrix lighting systems such as those employed on the latest Audi A4 and Porsche Cayenne are even more adaptable, offering advanced versions of auto high-beam.

A camera facing out from the internal rear-vision mirror identifies other vehicles by their lights. The car then adapts its headlights to provide maximum possible illumination without causing glare for other road users. As the LEDs are used in rows, individual banks of globes can be employed or extinguished to light the area required, and not wasted shining elsewhere, offering more efficient, effective lighting in varying night-time conditions and traffic.

Audi also offers drivers the ability to personalise their use of its adaptive light technology via the Audi drive select driving dynamics system.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW also offer their own adaptive headlight packages. For European drivers, the E-Class and new 5-series can adapt from right hand drive roads, to left hand drive roads with the press of a touch-screen button. Previously drivers needed to apply headlight stickers to correct the beam when entering a country different to their own (for instance from France or Germany into Britain).

GPS enabled headlights
Further advances in adaptive headlight technology will see integration with GPS location data a more common occurrence. Audi uses its MMI navigation plus system to predict road type and location, setting the light required ahead of time, for instance on the approach to a freeway, or switching on the ‘junction light’ prior to entering an intersection. In the event that you move from Germany to the UK, GPS location data will automatically alter lighting requirements without the need for driver intervention.