Detached pieces. The price of lighthouses has exploded in four years

More and more sophisticated, like this Opel Astra equipped with high-end matrix diode lighting, car headlights are also increasingly expensive to replace.

Now often equipped with diode lighting, the headlights of our cars are more and more efficient … and more and more complex. In the event of replacement, the bill therefore tends to fly away, as noted by the Automobile Safety and Repair organization (SRA).

If you’ve gone from an older car to a more modern model, you might have been blown away by the advancements in lighting. Even if it still represents 85% of the fleet in Europe, the “good old” halogen bulbs are gradually being driven out of new cars. The arrival of xenon, then diodes (LED in English), even laser on the top of the range, has made night driving more soothing. All the more so as advanced technologies, such as the “matrix LED”, make it possible to control the light beam more and more finely, depending on traffic, bends or weather conditions. Electric energy consumption has also been reduced thanks to the gradual use of LEDs. But every coin has its flip side. If you are the victim of an accident, vandalism or flying debris, the cost of replacing your optics will not be the same as before. According to Safety and Auto Repair (SRA), it has even risen by 46% over the past four years.

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An impact on insurance premiums

evolution cost replacement headlights — The cost of replacing optics has climbed more than 46% since 2017, so much so that they weigh more and more in the costs of repairing claims.

This inflation is much higher than that affecting other parts, the average cost of which has however already increased by 25% over the same period. Results : when a disaster involves the replacement of at least one headlight or taillight, optics now represent 58% of the cost of the necessary parts, instead of 49% in 2017. An increase that concerns you even if you have opted for all-risk coverage, because it contributes, in turn, to the increase in insurance premiums. As for those who are more accustomed to buying very old used cars or keeping their vehicle for a very long time, there might be cause for concern in a few years. In a study published at the beginning of the year, the German Automobile-Club ADAC had indeed mentioned a 15-year lifespan for diode headlights, pointing out the high costs caused by their lack of repairability.