WHAT MAKES A GREAT DRIVING LIGHT?

There's always going to be personal preference involved, and plenty of people will disagree on what makes a “good” driving light. For me, there are three key requirements.

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First, the light needs to throw a broad, uninterrupted beam with no shadows or beam imperfections over the first 200m. This wide coverage should clearly illuminate the roadside to spot animals thinking of darting out, and help highlight track or road conditions. Second, it must offer a solid mid-range beam that pushes out to 500 metres with consistent Lux – not just in the centre but out wide too – to ensure I can pick up hazards and read the terrain. And lastly, I want a high-intensity spot beam that reaches beyond 500m and ideally out to 1000m, giving me the ability to scan far ahead when conditions allow.

This last point is where many manufacturers, retailers and keyboard experts will argue that you need to see more than a kilometre ahead. But anyone who's ever actually paced out a true 1000 metres - rather than just estimating - knows that's a seriously long way. In reality, there aren't many roads that straight, flat and unobstructed for that distance. Sure, they do exist... but if your eyes are focused that far ahead, I'd argue you're probably missing more important details in the range you'd actually need to stop in an emergency.

As an example, our test road measured 1200m in length and featured a large reflective signpost positioned dead centre. From that distance, it's not immediately clear how big the sign actually is - and with some lights, it's barely visible at all.

But that lack of definition doesn't actually detract from the overall performance or brightness of the driving lights being tested.