These Are The Only Road Legal Headlight Colors In The US

For all the color choices available to car buyers, your headlights remain painfully simple. White and yellow. Yes, that's it. Can't use the colors on the rainbow except for yellow. Every glowing beam on an American road is beholden to the same two hues, and that's no accident. According to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, headlights must emit white or "selective yellow" light for safety and standardization.

The idea is as old as the automobile: Consistency saves lives. Early 1880s motorists used the very first headlights, before the light bulb was invented. They were acetylene (carbide) lamps that glowed yellow and weren't safe — they could leak and explode. In 1898, the first electric headlamp was used in the Electric Vehicle Company's Columbia, a pioneering battery-powered vehicle. 

Then came the evolution to halogen lamps, xenon or High-Intensity Discharge lights, and the modern Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. Amber-colored lights were standardized for signals and hazard markers since their warm tone stands out from white, improving reaction time in poor conditions.

So while modern cars can practically drive themselves, the light ahead of you is still bound by the logic of clarity and tradition. Because when you're moving at speed, the last thing you need is a light show.

Penalties vary, but most states can issue fix-it tickets, inspection failures, or fines for illegal headlight colors. For instance, in Tennessee, it's a Class C misdemeanor to violate the white-or-yellow color requirement. And in 2018, a $50 penalty was imposed there for not keeping headlights a standard color.

Of course, there's always someone who thinks "rules" are just mild suggestions — especially in the world of car mods. Enter the enthusiasts fitting RGB halos, demon eyes, and tinted daytime running lights. These are the same people who think underglow lights are lit and legit (often they're not). As long as they have white or yellow headlights per FMVSS 108, there will be no problem at all. 

Colors like blue, red, and green are explicitly banned because they mimic police and emergency lights, which can lead to confusion or a citation that hurts worse than a burned-out ballast. Even white LEDs that give a hint of the blue spectrum have come under scrutiny. Well, they're not really blue; it's the color temperature (which runs about 5,000 to 6,500 Kelvin, or 8,540 to 11,240 Fahrenheit) that gives them a blue appearance.  

When it comes to headlights, even the wildest modder has to bow to the law. White or yellow for seeing. Amber for signaling. Everything else? Keep it for the car show. Because on public roads, light isn't just about looking cool. It's about making sure everyone survives.