Headlights decide how much road a driver can see at night and how much glare reaches oncoming traffic, yet plenty of popular models still earn poor grades from IIHS. Measured glare overages and short beam reach turn up across compact crossovers, sedans and even famous off-roaders. Here are ten cars and SUVs whose headlights the Institute rates poor.
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1. Chevrolet Equinox: Glare Far Past the Limit
IIHS rated the 2024 Chevrolet Equinox poor after its low beams exceeded the glare limit by 326.5 percent on the straightaway, according to a roundup of failed headlights. On the curves, glare ran between 64.5 and 212.6 percent over the threshold, so the problem was not confined to a single stretch of road.
The 326.5 percent figure describes the straightaway only and is not an average of the curve readings. For shoppers, the result matters because the Equinox is a mainstream compact crossover, and glare at that level means oncoming drivers are dazzled just when the Chevrolet driver needs a clear view ahead.
2. Cadillac Lyriq: Poor on Every Trim
The 2025 Cadillac Lyriq was rated poor across all trims, with glare exceeding the limit by 223.3 percent at both straightaway measurement points, as the IIHS test summary reports. A luxury electric SUV might be expected to carry strong lighting, yet the evaluation found otherwise on every version tested.
Because the poor grade applies to all trims, no step up inside the lineup offers a fix. Shoppers weighing the Lyriq can treat the headlight result as a fixed trait of the vehicle rather than an option-package gamble, and may want to drive one on a dark rural road before signing any paperwork.
3. Chevrolet Trailblazer: Both Trims Fall Short
The Chevrolet Trailblazer RS and ACTIV were rated poor after low beams exceeded the glare limit by 96.9 percent on both sides of the straightaway, based on the IIHS headlight findings. Two different trims, the sportier RS and the rugged-looking ACTIV, landed on the same grade.
Glare of that size is the kind that bothers drivers coming the other way, so the Trailblazer owner may never notice the flaw from behind the wheel. Anyone shopping the subcompact crossover should know that choosing between RS and ACTIV does not change the headlight outcome that IIHS recorded.
4. Kia Seltos: Halogen Beams Reach Too Short
The 2025 Kia Seltos earned a poor headlight rating, its halogen projector low beams reaching only 33.6 meters on the left side of the straightaway, per the Daxstreet IIHS list. That is the distance over which the driver can actually see an obstacle ahead when the high beams are off.
At highway speed, 33.6 meters passes quickly, leaving little margin to react to a deer, a pedestrian or a stalled car. Buyers who drive after dark on unlit roads should treat the Seltos halogen setup as a genuine weakness in an otherwise familiar, popular subcompact SUV.
5. Nissan Sentra: Barely Lighting the Left Edge
The 2025 Nissan Sentra drew a poor headlight rating, with low beams lighting just 10.7 meters on the left side of the straightaway, according to a list of small vehicles with low IIHS scores. That is a remarkably short stretch of pavement for a compact sedan that otherwise sells on value and everyday practicality.
A driver traveling at moderate speed covers 10.7 meters in well under a second, so the beams reveal hazards only as they are almost upon the car. Shoppers who commute in the dark or on rural roads should weigh that gap seriously against the Sentra low sticker price.
6. Kia Forte: Poor Lights, Poor Crash Marks
IIHS gave the 2024 Kia Forte a poor headlight rating alongside poor marks in its front and side impact tests, as a small-car safety roundup notes. The combination makes the compact sedan a rare case where lighting is only one of several weak spots in the results.
Headlights matter because they help a driver avoid a crash, while crash tests describe what happens once one occurs, and the Forte stumbled on both counts. Buyers comparing compact sedans may find that rivals with better lighting and stronger impact scores offer a safer overall package for similar money.
7. Jeep Compass: Only Marginal at Best
The Jeep Compass headlights were rated poor on all trims except the Limited and Trailhawk, which managed only marginal, the SlashGear small-vehicle review explains. Even the best Compass lighting therefore fell a notch short of acceptable, leaving no version of the compact SUV with a clean result.
For a buyer, the practical lesson is that trim selection changes the Compass outcome only from poor to marginal. Anyone considering a lower trim should expect the weakest lighting, while the Limited and Trailhawk improve matters modestly without clearing the bar that IIHS sets for a recommended headlight system.
8. Jeep Renegade: Trim and Package Decide It
The Jeep Renegade headlights ranged from acceptable down to poor depending on trim and option package, as IIHS ratings compiled by SlashGear show. That spread means two Renegades parked side by side can offer very different illumination after dark, even though the bodies look identical.
Buyers cannot assume the Renegade in a dealer lot carries the better lighting, since the acceptable result is tied to specific equipment. Checking the build sheet for the headlight package before purchase is the only reliable way to avoid ending up with the poor-rated setup on the small Jeep.
9. Jeep Wrangler: Three of Four Systems Poor
IIHS rated three of the Jeep Wrangler headlight systems poor, including the standard halogen reflectors that were inadequate on both sides of the straightaway and on all four curves, according to the IIHS rating for the two-door. The fourth system managed only marginal.
The 2025 two-door Wrangler therefore offers four factory headlight configurations, and none earned better than marginal. Owners and shoppers who want the best available lighting from the off-road icon must select the top option, and even then the result is a modest improvement rather than a strong grade.
10. Honda HR-V: Worst of the Small SUVs
The Honda HR-V fared the worst of the small SUVs IIHS tested, one of 12 that could not be bought with anything better than poor-rated headlights, trade coverage of the test reported. Shoppers could not pay their way out of the problem by choosing a higher trim.
That makes the HR-V a notable case among popular subcompact crossovers, a segment where buyers often assume that Honda engineering guarantees a well-rounded vehicle. The takeaway is that lighting quality has to be checked model by model, because brand reputation did not protect the HR-V from landing at the bottom of this group.
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