Can a car pass the inspection after modifying to LED headlights?

[StBlakely]

Modifying car headlights is in a vague state during annual inspections. Changing to LED headlights is similar to changing to xenon headlights. As long as the color temperature, brightness, and irradiation angle meet the requirements, it will not affect the annual inspection as long as the headlights do not scatter light and there are no factors that are not conducive to driving safety. More details are as follows: 1. The annual car inspection is a national mandatory safety inspection for vehicle owners. In terms of lighting, the annual inspection has requirements for the color and brightness of the lights. The replaced bulbs cannot exceed 6500K, otherwise the inspection equipment cannot detect the lights; also, the replaced bulbs must be properly aligned in height and direction, with a central focusing point. The inspection equipment also detects the brightness at the central point. If the light is scattered, the inspection will not pass. 2. The position of the bulbs and the distance to the rear cover are different for each car. Current LED bulbs come with either fans or heat dissipation aluminum strips. You should choose LED bulbs that can be installed in your car, otherwise the rear cover cannot be tightly sealed, leading to water and dust ingress, and the bulbs will quickly fail or even affect the original car wiring and assembly. 3. Try to choose well-known brands because LED bulbs have high requirements for heat dissipation and lamp beads, and the market is flooded with brands of varying quality. Poor heat dissipation will cause the light to decay very quickly, and the lamp core will burn out soon. Choosing well-known brands ensures quality and performance.

[EmiliaFitz]

I've studied car modifications for several years and found that whether LED headlights can pass the annual inspection mainly depends on three points: First, the color temperature of the light must be controlled between 4300K and 6000K—too blue or too white won't work. Second, the light pattern must comply with regulations—no scattered light or overly high glare, and some places even check for proper cut-off lines. Third, unauthorized wiring modifications are directly considered illegal modifications. Actually, a car modification shop owner told me it's best to install dedicated lenses, as they provide better light focus and ensure passing the inspection in one go. Remember to keep the original halogen bulbs—if they fail, you can always switch back. Nowadays, many drivers on the road who installed LED lights without lenses have been stopped by traffic police.

[SanHenry]

My old car failed the inspection twice after retrofitting LED lights. The first time it didn’t pass because the light beam was too scattered. The technician used equipment to measure the light angle deviation, which was significant. Later, I spent 150 yuan at an auto repair shop to have it readjusted before it finally passed. The inspection mainly checks whether the brightness and beam angle of the lights comply with national standards. Based on my own tests, a yellow-white light with a 4300K color temperature is the safest bet. Nowadays, it’s recommended to choose vehicle-specific LED lights for retrofits and avoid altering the circuit structure, as it could complicate the vehicle registration process. I once heard about someone in the neighborhood who caused a short circuit by modifying the wiring themselves and ended up being flagged for illegal modifications. Everyone should definitely be careful about this.

[DelFinn]

Among the customers at our repair shop, eight or nine out of ten who modify LED headlights are concerned about annual inspection issues. My summarized experience is: installing assemblies that match the original vehicle base is the safest option, while simply replacing bulbs can easily cause problems. When modifying, pay attention to whether fault codes are reported, otherwise, the computer inspection during the annual check will show abnormalities. Most car owners get stuck on the color temperature and height of the lights—cool white-blue light exceeding 6000K is definitely not compliant. Last week, I just helped a customer adjust the height after modifying the lights, using a specialized level to meet the national standard angle. It's recommended to find a qualified shop for the operation. Keeping the original parts is very important, as it's convenient to switch back temporarily.