One of the first things we notice about a vehicle is its face. Its front end defines the way it looks and how the vehicle flows, and it all starts with its headlights and grille design.
Today I’m going to focus on headlight design, because at night, you can’t even see a vehicle’s grille. Everyone can see the headlights during the night and day, and indeed, they function as the “eyes” of the vehicle as a whole.
With LED running lights, LED headlights, integrated turn signals, and HID headlights becoming more popular, there are some pretty cool things that manufacturers have integrated into their headlight design.
Like the previous vehicle design article, I’m leaving out some prominent high-end supercars, because they would normally dominate a list like this if I just went strictly on design. I’m trying to inject a little bit of relatability here so you can see more easily what I’m talking about.
Without further ado, here are the best headlight designs in the automotive industry today.
Ford F250/350
The F150’s bigger brothers look imposing enough, but the headlights set the stage for all out domination of the road. The huge grille certainly adds to the brutish overall feel of the F250 and F350, but the large square headlights bookend the grille and complete the overall façade.
The running lights surround the outside of the headlights, and when they are on, their square appearance gives the trucks a sense of dignity on the road unrivaled by others.
They don’t have any cutesy, sharp, or over-styled design, but their simple shape is modern and tells other people that you mean business.
Porsche
A lot of people make fun of Porsche models for not every really changing in their design since they started making vehicles. That is somewhat true as their distinctive, rounded headlights have generally retained that classic Porsche look, with some minor upgrades over the years.
Despite the lack of adventurous design, elements within the design have been thoroughly modernized by adding some slight edges to their traditional bugeye design. It can be argued that Porsche’s headlight design is the most important part of their vehicles – along with their use of boxer engines.
The cool part about most of their vehicles’ headlight designs are the recent addition of four LED running lights on the top and bottom of the headlights. This takes the classic Porsche design and enhances it with a modern flavor that doesn’t detract from the automaker’s roots.
Dodge Challenger
One of the throwback vehicles that has been modernized to fit today, the Dodge Challenger is a brute of a car that retains a classic look while being modern as well.
Even those who don’t know what it is doubtless understand that it looks like a modern muscle car, the exact thing that Dodge was going for when they designed the new Challenger. The biggest design element that makes this undeniable is its dual circular headlights.
Projector beams are standard with halo LED running lights that come straight from the factory. If you don’t like normal lighting, there are plenty of aftermarket manufacturers that offer multicolored halo lighting for your own personal tastes.
Kia Telluride
It’s hard for an SUV to truly stand out in the saturated SUV market, but the Kia Telluride seemed to do just that when it first came out just a short time ago. Its headlights kick everything off and give the Telluride a similarly serious look to the Ford F250 and F350.
Rather than the headlights extending far to the sides of the vehicle, they are upright and box in the grille on either side. The LED parking lights completely seal in the regular headlights giving them a unique look within the segment.
There is nothing overly flashy about the Telluride’s headlight design, which is a bit refreshing. They are simple, handsome, refined, and even a little sporty depending on who you ask.
Volvo
I addressed Volvo as a whole in the last article. Just about everything that Volvo has to offer has been on many experts’ best-looking vehicles lists. And, all of that beautiful design quality starts with the headlights.
The running lights and integrated turn signals are what set Volvo headlights apart. They split the headlight in two pieces and finish to the side of the light in a two-pronged design that takes your eyes through to the rest of the car.
As an added bit of design awesomeness, Volvo claims that the running lights were inspired by Thor’s hammer. If that doesn’t set the bar for car design, I’m not really sure what would top it. At the very least, you have to admit that’s cool, even if you are the only one that doesn’t like Volvo’s headlight design.
Jeep Wrangler
The Wrangler makes this list much like the Dodge Challenger and Porsche models did – on the merit of their classic design that has lasted into the modern day.
The Wrangler itself is much more of a functional vehicle than one that tries to wow its buyers with sleek lines. The headlights are much the same, so they don’t make it on this list strictly for their beauty. They do make it on this list because they remain some of the most recognizable pieces of vehicle design in the entire automotive industry.
Like the Challenger, aftermarket kits are available to customize the Wrangler’s headlights with halos, LEDs, sharper designs, and other interesting things you may want to do to spice up your already spicy off-roader.
Lincoln Continental
When the Lincoln Continental was redesigned for 2017, it was a far cry from the models of the past. Lincoln dedicated themselves to making a more competitive vehicle than before, and they accomplished that in a big way.
The headlight design is especially luxurious and sets the executive tone for the entire vehicle. Jeweled headlight designs, like the one in the Continental, are becoming increasingly popular today, but the Continental’s jeweled headlight design just looks better than most.
The headlights and LED turn signals aren’t the only refined lighting design elements the Lincoln can claim. Its foglights follow the same jeweled design as its headlights, adding to the incredibly upscale look of one of the best vehicles nobody knows about.
Lamborghini Huracan
I said before that if I had just made a list of strictly the best, it would be mostly comprised of high end sports cars, luxury cars, and supercars. That is because their design is usually a bit more prioritized than space and practicality. The Huracan still stands out though.
It is often said that Lamborghinis make the best wall posters. For the majority of the company’s life, that has been true. As with most other models on this list, that striking design all starts with the Huracan’s headlights – specifically its LED running lights… again.
Two LED light strips start at the bottom and split into two prongs each in the middle, giving the Huracan a snake-eye appearance, an especially menacing look in low light situations. In addition to that, their overall shape is sharp and angular to show other performance cars that it should not be taken lightly.
There is no way I could give credit to all the incredible headlight designs present on the market today. Many cars were left off the list to include many more familiar designs that have been recognizable for years.
With that being said, this list is just the tip of the iceberg. Most cars aren’t meant to be forms of art. They are meant to serve a purpose. However, there will always be at least some special design tidbits here and there that are simply wonderful to look at, observe, and experience. You just have to take a second to look for them, and headlights are a great place to start.
