Yellow vs. white fog lights: Which one is better for your car?

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Read on to distinguish features between yellow vs. white fog lights.

What is a fog light?

A fog light is a bright light mounted at the front or back of a vehicle to boost visibility in foggy weather. This is because fog makes it difficult for drivers to see other motorists, pedestrians, road signs, and objects on the road. 

In addition, dense fog reduces depth perception and causes your vision to fixate to a distance of only 3ft. Enter the mighty fog light, and you no longer have to contend with 3ft vision. Fog lights show you the road edges and lane markings. In addition, they also make the foreground appear as you drive down the road; hence you can maneuver safely in dense fog, snow, or heavy rains. 

Fog lights should be installed on the lower half of the front end of your vehicle. This is somewhere on the bumper or below the bumper. In essence, fog lights should be 10 – 24 inches above the ground or below your car’s headlights.

Note that you should not install fog lights on the high beams “brights” because they reflect off in the fog, and the light shines back into your face, causing a glare that can block your vision.

Similarly, fog lights are not the same as low beam headlights. Low beams shine the light straight ahead, but fog lights point down towards the road to illuminate the ground underneath the fog and reduce light reflection. 

Read more: Low beam vs. High beam: When should I use them?

Yellow vs. white fog lights: The similarities 

Yellow and white fog lights have the same advantage of improving visibility when used as fog lights. Both types cast a beam that angles down to cover more of the pavement than directly in front to fulfill their purpose as fog lights. 

Usage

White and yellow fog lights are meant for use during foggy days, and some states prohibit their use in clear weather as it can confuse other drivers. In addition, fog lights can be used together with headlights but cannot be used in place of headlights because they have a short range. Therefore, it’s best to activate them in low visibility when driving at slow speeds. 

Compatibility 

Whether you have yellow or white fog lights, both housings are compatible with each other. Similarly, you can install LED fog lights in halogen fog lights sockets. However, newer cars tend to have sophisticated systems that can cause errors when replacing halogen bulbs with LEDs.

If you find yourself with flashing fog light, it requires a decoder or flash resistor to remove the flashing error. 

Read more: Best Halogen/LED/HID bulbs for your projector headlights 2021 review

The differences between yellow vs. white fog lights

Fog lights come in different colors, but the permitted legal colors are yellow and white. Nevertheless, these lamps are not created equal. 

Here are their differences. 

Quick comparison chart 

Appearance 

A yellow light gives off a yellow shade, while a white bulb gives off a white hue when you turn it on. Yellow lights are the most commonly used because it has a longer wavelength and a warmer Kelvin temperature. For this reason, yellow lights penetrate further into the fog than white lights, which have a cool Kelvin temperature and have a shorter wavelength. 

Color 

The main difference between yellow and white fog lights is the color. Yellow beams can be pure yellow or a combination of yellow and green, while white beams are white and blue. Fog lights usually use the yellow and green shade because our eyes are more sensitive to yellow and green colors. 

Color temperature 

As I’ve mentioned, yellow fog lights usually have yellow and green beams. According to the light color temperature, yellow falls between 2000K and 3000K. Meanwhile, white lights have a color temperature between 5000K and 6000K, similar to natural sunlight. 

Read more: What is the best color temperature for your headlights?

Brightness 

There’s a direct relationship between the color of a bulb and how much useable light it produces. To this end, yellow lights are not as bright as white lights, but they are used because they can cut through the fog. White fog lights can light up the street better, and many people are switching from yellow to white fog lights because of this reason. 

Distance 

Since yellow fog lights have a longer wavelength, they can illuminate further down the road than white fog lights. In addition, the reduced eye strain of yellow fog lights helps you see a longer distance than if you’re using white lights. 

Lumens 

The lumens measure the amount of light output from a bulb. However, lumens vary by bulb type. For example, halogen fog lights produce 25 lumens per watt, while LEDs can illuminate as much as 72 lumens per watt. 

Incandescent bulbs are rarely used in fog lights since they provide the lowest light output at only 15 lumens per watt. A high wattage bulb produces more light than a low wattage bulb. 

Glare 

Yellow fog lights scatter less than white fog lights, so the fog and rain do not illuminate in your field of view. This is contrary to white fog lights, which cause refraction, and the light will bounce back, blocking your vision. Even though white fog lights glare in the fog, they produce lots of light to announce your presence to other road users. 

Bulb type 

Halogen fog lights have long been in use for fog lighting for decades, and most vehicles have them installed as a factory or standard fog lights. Thus, many drivers never find the need to replace them with any other bulb type. 

Halogen fog lights are cheap to replace, and because people rarely use fog lights, they last relatively long. Even then, there are better upgrades in fog LED lights. Although they are more expensive than halogen bulbs, LED fog lights will last years. 

Most yellow fog lights are halogen bulbs, while most white fog lights are LEDs. This is because halogen bulbs only go up to 4000K color temperature while LEDs can go as high as 10,000K color temperature. 

Read more: Halogen vs. HID vs. LED: Never upgrade your headlight before reading this guide

Pros and cons of white vs. yellow fog light

When choosing between yellow and white fog lights, it’s essential to understand that both types have advantages and disadvantages. 

Yellow fog lights 

White fog lights 

Is white or yellow light better?

Yellow light is generally better because it is safer on the eyes, and it can see much further in the fog. Nonetheless, white light is very bright in the fog and it helps other road users see your vehicle. Additionally, white lights are better than stock lamps because they are mostly LEDs. 

Of the two types, I’d recommend going for yellow fog lights since they are made especially for safe navigation in foggy conditions. 

Best yellow/white fog lights 

1. Nilight 6000 1F-B LED pods white fog light 

Experience better visibility in the fog, rain, or snow with these fog lights from the Nilight brand. These bulbs feature advanced LED chips that give off 1,260 lumens of light. The bright white light falls between 6000K and 6500K, adding widespread illumination in a flood beam pattern.

No worries about burned-out bulbs because these lamps have ten pieces of cooling fans. In addition, they are made from die-cast aluminum to improve longevity. Thanks to a waterproof rubber pad between the gaps, these bulbs can last up to 30,000 hours. 

2. Alla Lighting H8 H11 LED 6000K white fog light bulbs 

Alla Lighting H8 H11 LED fog light bulbs have the perfect beam pattern and the ideal color temperature to improve safety in inclement weather. These bulbs boast 2800 lumens for superior brightness. They come in a bright white, 6000K color temperature, perfect for replacing dim halogen bulbs. 

These Alla Lighting bulbs are perfect for H8, H11, and H16 fog lights or daytime running lights. They do not have a beam function, so they are not suitable for high or low beams. Lastly, these lamps have aluminum heatsinks to allow fast cooling after you turn them off. 

Read more: 9005 vs. 9006 vs. H11: Can they be interchangeable?

3. Alla Lighting H8 H11 3000K LED yellow fog lights 

Are you looking for the perfect yellow fog lights? You can’t go wrong with the Alla Lighting 3000K bulbs. These lamps illuminate a bright yellow light that cuts through the fog, providing long-range illumination. Thanks to the high-grade 3030 SMD chips, these Alla Lighting bulbs give off 1000 lumens of light per bulb. 

You’ll appreciate the aluminum housing since it comes in handy for cooling, and it can withstand low temperatures. What’s more, these bulbs install in a cinch without tools; all you need to do is pull out your current lamps and twist these babies in. 

4. Nilight ZH304 LED light bar yellow fog lamps 

Nilight ZH304 yellow fog lamps are designed for off-roading in bad weather, thanks to their flood beam, which illuminates 180 degrees. Even though these are yellow lights, they are way brighter than most white ones since they give off 10,800 lumens. Hence, they can light up the darkest path and see a long distance ahead. 

A wide reflective plate offers multi-angle reflection, while a die-cast aluminum housing provides fast cooling. Further, the bulbs feature a silicon seal, waterproof soft strip, and waterproof rubber pad for the ultimate weatherproofing. Nilight ZH304 bulbs also feature a unique mounting system protecting against rough conditions. 

5. AUXITO H8 H11 H16 LED yellow fog light bulbs 

The AUXITO H8 H11 H16 LED Fog Light Bulbs are brighter and more durable than fog lights in their price range. The bulbs have an amber yellow color to increase fog, rainy snow, and heavy rain visibility. I particularly like their CSP chips which deliver 6000 lumens of light output. 

These lamps give you a soft, warm light with a 3000K temperature. You can adjust the beam over 360 degrees to achieve the best angle for ground illumination. Not to mention, you can focus the beam to allow highway or off-roading illumination. Finally, these bulbs can last an outstanding 50,000 hours, owing to their top-end aluminum housing. 

Recommendation

The main purpose of fog lights is to illuminate the ground amidst the fog. Understanding the differences between yellow vs. white fog lights will help you choose the best bulbs for you. To this end, my top recommendation for yellow fog lights is the Alla Lighting H8 H11 3000K . For those out for super bright fog lights, you’ll like using the Nilight 6000 1F-B LED Pods. 

Read more: Best H1 headlight bulbs review