Modern car headlights are a world away from the acetylene or oil lamps of yesteryear. Modern LED headlights provide a wide range of vision and can save drivers money over the lifetime of a car, and are increasingly becoming a standard feature in new car models.

Today’s headlights are also more automated and intelligent than ever before. Firstly with the advent of High Beam Assist, that automatically turns high beam lights off and on when the vehicle’s front view camera detects other lights sources, and now the Intelligent Front Lighting System, which turns off only the parts of the high beam lights that are disrupting other road users vision to maintain maximum visibility for Hyundai drivers at all times.

We’ve taken a look at how car headlight technology has evolved from the 19th century to today.

The earliest headlights were introduced in the late 1880s, and fuelled by acetylene or oil. Acetylene lamps proved popular with manufacturers because the flame was resistant to wind and rain. Mirrors were placed behind the flame to focus the light forwards, although the beam itself wasn’t particularly focused.

This made them less effective at night because the light scattered into the night sky rather than being directed at an object or the road ahead.