CAR MAKERS can charge you a small fortune if you blow an LED bulb if the headlights come as one sealed unit.
Volkswagen is the worst culprit with the highest cost for its Polo GTI model – setting owners back £846 just for the part.
Other manufacturers that have set extortionate prices for their headlights include Seat.
The VW sister brand charges £827 for its Ibiza’s LED unit on the FR, FR Sport, Xcellence and Xcellence Lux models.
Honda is just as bad, with Jazz EX and Sport owners having to spend £714 per sealed headlight.
Fellow Japanese car maker Suzuki charges £684 for HID (High Intensity Discharge) units on the SZ5 trim of its Swift.
The data was put together by consumer publisher WhatCar?, which looked into the cost of 13 popular small cars’ headlights.
Prices soar when replacing LED or HID headlights in comparison to halogen bulbs that cost as little as £4 on the Swift’s SZ3 and SZT models.
LED and HID bulbs are far brighter with a wider and whiter beam – they can also last up to a decade longer.
Even unsealed units are expensive to replace, with the Vauxhall Corsa Elite’s HIDs costing £317.
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Despite their reliability, if a driver crashed their car and damaged the headlights – costs will soar for them or their insurers.
Claire Evans, What Car? consumer editor, said: “The longevity of HID bulbs makes them a viable option on a new car.
“However, if you are buying a used car as a second household vehicle or as a first car for a son or daughter, you – and they – could be landed with a massive repair bill for a blown bulb that could even render the car a write-off due to it being uneconomical to repair.”