Best cars with Matrix headlights
Find out more about the ins and outs of Matrix headlights, and check out some of the cars that are available with this high-end tech
Once upon a time, halogen bulbs that weren’t too dissimilar tech-wise to the ones you used to light up your home were standard fare on many cars. That’s not so much the case now, though, since many cars now come as standard with LED headlights – and a growing number are now being offered with even more advanced Matrix LED headlights.
At their most basic level, Matrix headlights work much like a conventional LED. Rather than using a filament in a bulb, LEDs instead have what’s called a semiconductor, which illuminates once electricity starts passing through it. On a Matrix headlight, these individual semiconductors are complemented by an array of mirrors and sensors, which allow the light from the headlight to be concentrated where it’s needed.
For example, Matrix headlights are able to increase or decrease the brightness of individual LEDs (and even turn them off, if necessary) to suit the conditions. This also means it’s possible for Matrix headlights to prevent oncoming traffic to be dazzled by the light coming from your main beams, depending on the capabilities of the Matrix system fitted to the car.
Because Matrix headlights are very advanced and intricate pieces of tech, they’re mostly available on higher-end cars – and even then, they may only be offered as optional extras rather than standard equipment. However, technology gradually becomes more affordable over time, and it’s not uncommon now to find mainstream family cars and even some superminis with Matrix headlights. Keep on reading for some of the cars on sale today that can be specified with Matrix LED headlights.
1. Audi Q5
Our pick Audi Q5 2.0 '40' TDI S line
Used deals from £16,795
Monthly finance from £288.81*
Audi is a car company that’s no stranger to Matrix headlight. In fact, it pioneered this technology in 2013, when they debuted on the Audi A8 luxury limousine. Since then, Audi has rolled out these sorts of headlights across a variety of models, with one of them being the current Audi Q5 family SUV.
Despite that almost decade-worth experience with Matrix headlights, they aren’t available on every version of the Audi Q5, though a good chunk of the used and nearly new ones you’ll find for sale on BuyaCar will be equipped with them. On pre-facelift cars, only the flagship Vorsprung trim and the sporty SQ5 models were fitted with them, though as part of the car’s mid-life update in 2021 every trim bar the entry-level Sport spec came with Matrix headlights as standard.
2. BMW 3 Series
Our pick BMW 320i M Sport automatic
Used deals from £11,600
Monthly finance from £260.60*
Fancy LED headlights aren’t anything new to the BMW 3 Series: from launch, the current car has been available with adaptive LED headlights as standard. However, it wasn’t until the 3 Series was refreshed in 2021 that Matrix main beam LEDs joined the car’s spec sheet.
They aren’t standard on all models (Sport and M Sport cars only get these more advanced headlights as part of a pricey Visibility Pack), though when equipped the BMW 3 Series has at its disposal a Matrix LED main beam setup. If you’re unsure if the facelifted BMW 3 Series you’re looking at has the uprated headlights, look for blue accents in the light cluster: if they’re present, the car is equipped with the Matrix LED array.
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3. Ford Focus
Our pick Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost MHEV ST-Line Vignale
Used deals Limited stock
As most of the cars on this list show, Matrix headlights are still predominantly the preserve of higher-end cars, though they have been slowly filtering down to more affordable cars. In the family hatchback space, they’re already offered on cars such as the Audi A3 and Vauxhall Astra, and they’ve also been joined by the updated version of the Ford Focus.
Since Matrix headlights are still relatively high-end tech, they’re not available on all versions of the Ford Focus: they’re optional on the plusher Vignale versions of the Titanium, ST-Line and Active trims, and come as standard on the Focus ST hot hatch. Ford states the Matrix lights on the Focus are also glare-free, so they shouldn’t dazzle any oncoming drivers when driving at night.
4. Jaguar I-Pace
Our pick Jaguar I-Pace EV400 HSE
Used deals from £17,990
Monthly finance from £274.25*
Being the company’s first electric car, the Jaguar I-Pace was as much a technology showcase as it was a high-end sporty SUV. As a result, it’s perhaps no surprise that Jaguar has offered the I-Pace with quite a few advanced pieces of kit – with one such piece of technology being, as its presence on this list suggests, Matrix LED headlights.
The Jaguar I-Pace is also one of only a select group of cars that can be fitted with Matrix headlights, regardless of the trim level you go for. Granted, they’re only standard-fit kit on the most expensive trim levels, though if your budget can stretch far enough you can tick the options box for Matrix LEDs on even the entry-level S spec. This also means you aren’t locked to a specific spec when searching for used or nearly-new Jaguar I-Paces with Matrix LEDs, though whether or not they have them will obviously depend on how the car was originally configured.
5. Mercedes B-Class
Our pick Mercedes B200 AMG Line Premium Plus
Used deals Limited stock
The Mercedes B-Class is already in quite an exclusive club: not only is it one of the few remaining MPVs you can buy brand-new in the UK, but it’s also part of an even slimmer selection provided by higher-end car makers (the B-Class’ only direct upmarket rival right now is the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer). It’s also in the minority when it comes to headlight technology, since the B-Class is one of the few people carriers you can get with Matrix LED headlights.
At the time of writing, you’ll need to have fairly deep pockets to buy a brand-new Mercedes B-Class with the company’s Multibeam-branded Matrix headlights. They’re only available on the car’s top-of-the-range trim level, the AMG Line Premium Plus Night Edition spec, though they do at least come as standard. The Matrix headlights on the B-Class also have a setting which, Mercedes claims, provides lots of illumination on roads with no street lighting without dazzling any oncoming drivers.
6. Mini Countryman
Our pick Mini Countryman Cooper S Sport
Used deals Limited stock
When it comes to brand-new cars, there’s a case to be made that Mini has one of the most distinctive headlight designs around right now. The headlight’s elliptical shape and its round daytime running light shape are very prominent and make it easy to identify an upcoming car as a Mini.
Tick the right option boxes on the Mini Countryman, and you’ll be able to have those eye-catching headlights with built-in Matrix LED tech. Like the previously-mentioned BMW 3 Series, the Matrix LEDs are for the main beam lights rather than the entire headlight cluster.
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7. Vauxhall Corsa
Our pick Vauxhall Corsa-e Ultimate
Used deals Limited stock
For a very long time, Matrix LED headlights were only available on higher-end cars. While that is generally still the case today, Matrix LEDs are more affordable than they used to be, they’ve since started to filter down into smaller and less expensive cars.
In fact, it isn’t too hard to find superminis equipped with this advanced headlight system, with one example being the Vauxhall Corsa. Granted, you won’t be able to spec Matrix LEDs on the entry-level car – at the time of writing, Vauxhall’s Matrix headlight system (which it calls “IntelliLux”) is only available on the most expensive Ultimate models. However, if a brand-new car with Matrix headlights is what you’re specifically after, the Vauxhall Corsa is one of the most affordable options available to you.
8. Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace
Our pick Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2.0 TDI Elegance DSG
Used deals from £24,995
Monthly finance from £355.05*
To date, Volkswagen has rolled out its Matrix LED tech (which it calls 'IQ.Light') across quite a few models in its range. Cars like the Volkswagen ID.3 and the facelifted Volkswagen Polo are available with them, and Matrix headlights will even be offered on the forthcoming Amarok pick-up truck. As a result, it’s perhaps no surprise that the post-facelift versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace family SUV can also come with Matrix headlights.
Available as standard on mid-range Elegance models and optional on the sporty R-Line spec, the Matrix headlights on the Tiguan Allspace also come with settings to suit a variety of road and weather conditions. These range from ensuring adequate lighting for poor weather conditions, to a mode that Volkswagen says can reduce the amount of glare from road signs.
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