Best Aftermarket Headlights: 3 Assemblies for a New Front End

An aftermarket headlight is a full replacement for the whole headlight housing, not just a new bulb, and it is the fix when the factory housing is cracked, yellowed or simply too dim to restore. New aftermarket headlights change the look of the front end as well as the light on the road: projector lenses, LED daytime running light tubes and black or chrome housings that the factory never offered. This roundup compares three real aftermarket headlights on design, fitment and what the job takes.

The short answer: start with the AKKON Camry aftermarket headlight if you want an LED daytime running light projector set for a 2015 to 2017 Camry, pick the AKKON Fusion aftermarket headlight if you want a dual projector set with a switchback signal for a 2013 to 2016 Fusion, and pick the AUTOSAVER88 Silverado aftermarket headlight if you want a halogen replacement set for a 1999 to 2002 Silverado. All aftermarket headlights here fit only the vehicles listed — check the fitment list against your year, make and model before you order.

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Quick Pick: Aftermarket Headlights Compared

AKKON Camry: The LED DRL Projector Assembly

The AKKON Camry assembly is the hero of this roundup, and the cleanest-looking of the three. It is the AKKON aftermarket headlight pair for the 2015 to 2017 Toyota Camry, model 9-P1TCA15BK, UPC 192744047509, a pair of replacement assemblies in a midnight black housing with a crystal clear lens. The listing says it is a brand new pair of headlight replacement assemblies with an LED light tube daytime running light and a projector lens, sold as a complete assembly for the driver and passenger sides.

The projector lens is what sets this assembly apart from a stock reflector housing. A projector focuses the bulb’s light through a lens into a shaped beam with a sharp cut-off, which puts more light on the road and less into the eyes of oncoming drivers than a reflector bowl does. The LED daytime running light tube is the styling signature: a bright strip that runs whenever the car is on, and the reason this assembly changes the look of the front of the car as much as the light it throws. Our best daytime running lights article covers add-on daytime running light strips, while this article is about assemblies with the running light built in.

The AKKON Camry is the pick in this roundup for the driver whose Camry housing is tired and who wants the projector look in one aftermarket headlight swap: black housing, clear lens, LED daytime running light tube, and a projector beam. It fits the 2015 to 2017 Camry only — the listing specifies H11 low-beam and HB3 high-beam halogen bulbs — so check the listing’s fitment list against your exact year and trim before you order, because an assembly for the wrong year will not bolt up. One honest flag belongs here: the listing crawl for this assembly is 206 days old and no live-offer evidence was found, so confirm the listing shows a live offer before you order.

AKKON – For 2015-2017 Toyota Camry LED Light Tube DRL Projector Pair Headlights – Pair Black Housing on Amazon: LED daytime running light projector headlight pair, model 9-P1TCA15BK, UPC 192744047509, black housing with crystal clear lens, for a 2015 to 2017 Toyota Camry. Live offer unconfirmed — check the listing before ordering.

Buy the AKKON Camry if: you drive a 2015 to 2017 Camry with halogen headlights (H11 low beam, HB3 high beam) and you want a projector assembly with a built-in LED daytime running light. Check the live offer before ordering.

AKKON Fusion: The Dual Projector Assembly

The AKKON Fusion assembly is the most feature-packed pick in this roundup: two projectors per side instead of one, and a switchback signal. It is the AKKON aftermarket headlight pair for the 2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion, model 9-P1FFU13BK, UPC 192744012637, a pair of replacement assemblies in a midnight black housing with a crystal clear lens. The listing says it is a brand new pair of headlight replacement assemblies with a black bezel, dual projector lenses, an LED daytime running light and a switchback signal lamp.

The switchback signal is the feature to understand before you buy. It is a dual-color strip that lights white as a daytime running light and switches to amber when the turn signal is on, then switches back to white. It is a neat effect and a real visibility gain at the front corners, but it needs the signal wiring to be connected properly — a switchback that is wired wrong will stay white when it should flash amber. The dual projectors give separate lenses for the low and high beams, in an assembly that bolts into a base-model car.

The AKKON Fusion is the pick in this roundup for the driver who wants the most from aftermarket headlights in styling terms: dual projectors, a switchback signal and a black bezel, for a 2013 to 2016 Fusion. It fits those years only, so check the listing’s fitment list against your exact year and trim before you order. The same honest flag applies as to the Camry: the listing crawl is 195 days old and no live-offer evidence was found, so confirm the listing shows a live offer before you order.

AKKON – For 2013-2016 Ford Fusion LED DRL Black Bezel Dual Projector Headlight Switchback Signal Lamp Assembly Left + Right on Amazon: dual projector headlight pair with LED daytime running light and switchback signal, model 9-P1FFU13BK, UPC 192744012637, black bezel with crystal clear lens, for a 2013 to 2016 Ford Fusion. Live offer unconfirmed — check the listing before ordering.

Buy the AKKON Fusion if: you drive a 2013 to 2016 Fusion and you want a dual projector assembly with a switchback signal. Check the live offer before ordering.

AUTOSAVER88 Silverado: The Halogen Replacement Assembly

The AUTOSAVER88 Silverado assembly is the plainest pick in this roundup, and the most honest about what it is: a stock-style replacement, not a styling upgrade. It is the AUTOSAVER88 halogen aftermarket headlight assembly for the 1999 to 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2500, the 2001 to 2002 Silverado 1500HD, 2500HD and 3500, and the 2000 to 2006 Tahoe and Suburban, model MAAUTk6uC3, UPC 197839541283, a black-housing pair. The listing says the headlights are halogen type, that they are a direct replacement for the factory housings, and — in the title itself — that they come without bulbs.

Without bulbs is the detail to plan around. The two AKKON aftermarket headlights are sold as complete assemblies — check the listing for whether bulbs are included — while this one arrives as housings only, so you need a pair of bulbs to go with it — either the halogen bulbs from your old housings, if they are still good, or a new pair. That is not a flaw: a stock-style halogen housing is the right call for an older truck where the factory housing is cracked or yellowed and the owner wants the truck to look and light the way it did when it was new, without paying for projector styling the truck never had.

The AUTOSAVER88 Silverado is the pick in this roundup for the driver with an older Silverado, Tahoe or Suburban whose housings are damaged and who wants direct stock-style replacement aftermarket headlights. It fits the years listed above only, and not the 2000 Tahoe Z71 model, which the listing names as an exclusion — read the exclusion list as carefully as the fitment list. The same honest flag applies as to the other two: the listing crawl is 182 days old and no live-offer evidence was found, so confirm the listing shows a live offer before you order.

AUTOSAVER88 Halogen Headlight Assembly Compatible with 1999-2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 2500/2001 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD 2500HD 3500/2000-2006 Tahoe/Suburban Black Housing (W/O Bulbs) on Amazon: halogen headlight assembly pair, model MAAUTk6uC3, UPC 197839541283, black housing, bulbs not included, for a 1999 to 2002 Chevy Silverado and related trucks. Live offer unconfirmed — check the listing before ordering.

Buy the AUTOSAVER88 Silverado if: you drive one of the listed Silverado, Tahoe or Suburban years and you want a stock-style halogen replacement housing. Check the live offer before ordering.

Projector vs Reflector: How Aftermarket Headlights Aim Light

A projector and a reflector are two different ways of shaping the same bulb’s light, and the difference is visible on the road. A reflector housing bounces the bulb’s light off a shaped bowl and out through the lens, which spreads the beam wide and makes the cut-off soft — the top edge of the beam fades out gradually, so some light goes above the cut-off and into oncoming drivers’ eyes. A projector housing focuses the bulb’s light through a lens with a shutter that cuts the beam off sharply, which puts a clean horizontal line at the top of the beam and keeps the light on the road.

That is why both AKKON assemblies in this roundup are projectors and the AUTOSAVER88 is a halogen reflector: the projector is the styling and performance choice, and the reflector is the stock-replacement choice. A projector is not automatically better for every car, though — a projector housing with the wrong bulb, or a bulb that sits at the wrong depth in the projector, throws a worse beam than the reflector it replaced. If you are only swapping bulbs and not the whole housing, our SEALIGHT vs FAHREN LED headlight bulbs article compares LED bulb upgrades in the stock housing. And if your housing is only cloudy, not cracked, our best headlight restoration kits article covers the kits that polish the old lens clear again — a restoration kit is the fix for haze, while a new assembly is the fix for a cracked or broken housing.

Fitment First: How to Check an Aftermarket Headlight Fits Your Car

Fitment is the whole game with aftermarket headlights, because an assembly is made for one vehicle, not for cars in general. Every assembly in this roundup lists exact years, makes, models and trims, and sometimes exclusions: the AKKON Camry fits the 2015 to 2017 Camry, the AKKON Fusion fits the 2013 to 2016 Fusion, and the AUTOSAVER88 fits the 1999 to 2002 Silverado family but not the 2000 Tahoe Z71. Aftermarket headlights for the wrong year will not bolt up, the wiring plug will not match, or the shape will not sit flush with the bumper — and none of that is fixable by forcing it.

The safe check has three steps. First, write down your car’s year, make, model and trim, and whether it has factory halogen or HID headlights, because an assembly made for halogen cars will not take an HID car’s wiring. Second, read the listing’s fitment list and its exclusion list, line by line, and confirm your exact car is on the first and not on the second. Third, use the listing’s fitment tool if it has one, and enter your vehicle data there — the tool is not perfect, so the fitment list in the text is the authority, not the tool’s green tick. If any line is unclear, message the seller before you order, not after the box arrives.

Installing Aftermarket Headlights: What the Job Involves

Installing an aftermarket headlight is a bigger job than swapping a bulb, and it is worth knowing what it involves before the box arrives. On most cars the front bumper or fascia has to come off or be loosened before the headlight bolts are reachable, which means clips, screws and sometimes a splash guard, and the bumper is held on by plastic clips that break if they are forced. Once the old housing is out, the new aftermarket headlights bolt into the same mounting points, the wiring plugs into the factory connector, and the bumper goes back on. Our how to replace a headlight bulb article covers the smaller job — a bulb swap inside the existing housing — while this article is about replacing the whole housing.

Allow plenty of time for the first side and less for the second, and keep every clip and screw in a tray in the order it came off. The two details that catch people out are the wiring and the alignment: a switchback signal like the Fusion’s needs its signal wire connected to the turn signal circuit, not just the running light circuit, and the headlight aim has to be set after the install, because a new assembly never aims itself. If the bumper removal looks beyond your tools or your patience, a shop will fit a pair of aftermarket headlights far faster than a first-timer — and a shop is the right call if your car has headlight washers or adaptive lighting, which add wiring the assembly may not support.

Aiming Aftermarket Headlights: The Step Nobody Should Skip

Aiming is the step that separates a good aftermarket headlight install from a bad one, and it is the step most often skipped. New aftermarket headlights sit in the mounting points slightly differently from the old one, so its beam points somewhere different — too high, which blinds oncoming drivers, or too low, which shortens your own view of the road. The check is simple: park on flat ground facing a wall or a garage door, mark where the beam cut-off lands, and turn the adjustment screws on the back of the housing until the cut-off sits level and at the right height for your car.

Do the aim check at night, with the car loaded the way you normally drive it, and check both sides: the two assemblies should throw matching beams at the same height, and if one is higher than the other, that side needs adjusting. A projector’s sharp cut-off makes aiming easier, because the line is easy to see on the wall, while a reflector’s soft edge is harder to judge. If you are not sure what the right height is for your car, a shop with an alignment board will set it quickly, and it is money well spent — a mis-aimed headlight is worse than a dim one, because it blinds the drivers coming towards you.

Aftermarket Headlight Mistakes to Avoid

The first aftermarket headlight mistake is ordering by looks alone: aftermarket headlights that fit a 2016 Fusion will not fit a 2017, and an assembly for a halogen car will not wire into an HID car. Read the fitment list and the exclusion list before you order. The second mistake is forgetting the bulbs: the AUTOSAVER88 Silverado set comes without bulbs, so order a pair with the housings or be ready to move the old ones across. The third is skipping the aim check, which leaves the beam too high and blinds oncoming drivers — or too low, which shortens your view.

The fourth mistake is forcing the bumper: the clips that hold a front bumper on are plastic and they break, and a broken clip leaves the bumper loose and rattling. Work the clips out gently and keep them in order. The fifth is ignoring the wiring for extras like a switchback signal — a dual-color strip that is wired to the running light only will never flash amber, and one wired to the signal only will never run white. And the sixth is expecting new aftermarket headlights to fix a charging or wiring fault: if your old headlight was dim because of a bad ground or a dying alternator, a new housing will be dim too, and the fault is in the car, not the headlight.

Who Should Buy Aftermarket Headlights — and Who Should Not

Buy aftermarket headlights if: your factory housings are cracked, broken or yellowed beyond restoring, or you want the projector and daytime running light look that your car never had from the factory. A new pair of assemblies changes the front of the car and the light on the road in one job.

Buy with care if: your car has headlight washers, adaptive lighting or factory HID headlights. Aftermarket headlights made for halogen cars may not support those systems, and the listing’s fitment list is the place to check — not the photos. Be ready for a bumper removal and an aim check after the install.

Do not buy aftermarket headlights if: your housings are only cloudy. A restoration kit polishes the lens clear for a fraction of the cost of a new pair of assemblies, and a housing that is only hazy does not need replacing. And do not buy an assembly for a car that is not on its fitment list — no assembly is made to fit every car, and the wrong one will not bolt up.

The Verdict

The best aftermarket headlight is the one made for your exact car, not the one with the brightest photos. The AKKON Camry is the pick for a 2015 to 2017 Camry that wants a projector assembly with a built-in LED daytime running light — if the listing shows a live offer when you check it. The AKKON Fusion is the pick for a 2013 to 2016 Fusion that wants dual projectors and a switchback signal. And the AUTOSAVER88 Silverado is the pick for an older Silverado, Tahoe or Suburban that needs a stock-style halogen replacement housing.

Whichever aftermarket headlights you choose, check three things before you order: the fitment list against your year, make, model and trim, whether the set includes bulbs or not, and whether the listing shows a live offer. Fit the assemblies, connect the wiring properly, and aim the beams before you drive at night — a new headlight that is not aimed is a new headlight that does not work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an aftermarket headlight?

An aftermarket headlight is a complete replacement housing made by a company other than the car maker, and it replaces the whole headlight assembly — lens, reflector or projector, bulb sockets and wiring — not just the bulb. It is the fix when the factory housing is cracked, broken or yellowed beyond restoring, and it is also how drivers add projector lenses, LED daytime running lights and black housings that the factory never offered.

Will an aftermarket headlight fit my car?

Only if your exact car is on the listing’s fitment list. Assemblies are made for specific years, makes, models and trims, and some list exclusions too — the Silverado set in this roundup, for example, does not fit the 2000 Tahoe Z71. Check your year, make, model and trim, and whether your car has factory halogen or HID headlights, against the fitment list and the exclusion list before you order.

Do aftermarket headlights come with bulbs?

It depends on the listing, so check before you order. The AUTOSAVER88 Silverado set in this roundup states in its title that it comes without bulbs, so you need a pair to go with it. The two AKKON sets are sold as complete assemblies, so confirm on the listing whether bulbs are included or whether you should move your old bulbs across.

Are aftermarket headlights legal?

A replacement assembly has to meet the same lighting standards as the factory housing, and most listings state whether the assembly is DOT compliant — check the listing for that claim before you order. The beam also has to be aimed correctly after the install, because a mis-aimed headlight blinds oncoming drivers whatever the housing. Some states check headlight aim and function at inspection, so keep the listing’s compliance claim with your records.

Can I install aftermarket headlights myself?

Yes, on most cars, with basic tools and patience. The usual job is loosening or removing the front bumper to reach the headlight bolts, swapping the housings, plugging in the factory connector, and putting the bumper back. The two steps that need care are wiring any extras, like a switchback signal, to the right circuit, and aiming the beams after the install. If your car has headlight washers or adaptive lighting, a shop is the safer call.

Should I restore my old headlights instead?

If the housings are only cloudy or yellowed, yes — a restoration kit polishes the lens clear for a fraction of the cost of a new pair of assemblies. Restoration is the fix for haze. Replacement is the fix for a cracked or broken housing, for a housing that leaks water, or when you want projector lenses and daytime running lights that the factory housing never had.