9 Best 3rd Gen Tacoma Headlights | Halogen Or LED, Check First

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LED DRL trucks get a sealed IP67 housing for less than most of the field.

What sets this lamp apart is that it comes fully sealed, so water stays out. It carries an IP67 rating (a waterproof score where the second digit means it survives splashes and a brief dunk, not just rain). It also includes a DRL (daytime running light) that is a real LED, unlike the halogen-bulb holes on other picks in this list. The housing is black with a clear reflector. It matches OEM part numbers 81150-04270 and 81110-04270, plus the partslink references TO2502244 and TO2503244, so you can check the fit against your truck’s number.

The light source layout is a little unusual and worth reading closely. The high beam takes an H9, the low beam takes an H1, the signal is a 7444NA, and the side marker is a 2825. Only the DRL comes built in. That means you are buying four bulb types separately if you want the whole housing to actually light up, and the listing is upfront about it — every one of those bulbs is marked “not included.”

Be honest with yourself about the fit. The rear connectors match the factory mounts and connectors, and JSBOYAT says a no-tools install should run roughly thirty minutes. In practice, owner experience on this housing is a mixed bag — some trucks drop it in clean, others need a nudge. That is not unusual for an aftermarket fender-line part, but it means you should not plan on this being a five-minute swap on a cold Saturday.

What does hold up is the lens. Scratch-resistant polycarbonate with an anti-UV coating helps it resist the yellowing that fades an old lamp, and the lamp body is high-impact ABS.

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The widest trim coverage on the list, aimed squarely at plain halogen trucks.

Not sure which badge is on your fender? This is the only pair here that names SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off-Road, Limited, and TRD Pro (2017 and up) in one listing, so it is the safest broad-coverage bet for a halogen truck. It reuses your original H11 and H9 bulbs and ships without them, which keeps the entry cost down.

The build story is honest: OE-grade ABS plastic housing and polycarbonate lenses with an IP65 seal against rain, snow, dust, and humidity. Micro-prism reflector bowls are the reason a fresh housing throws a wider, more focused pattern than a fogged original, and there is a built-in vertical adjuster so you can aim the beam where it belongs. DOT compliance is claimed throughout.

The catch worth knowing before you order is durability. Owners do report the clear coat peeling off over time on this housing, and the fit is a mixed record here — some trucks get a clean install, some need a small amount of fiddling. It is not a reason to skip the part, but it is a reason to treat it as a value buy rather than a permanent fixture. The one-year warranty against manufacturing defects does give you some cover if a unit shows up rough.

For the price of a single corner you are getting both sides and a direct replacement that needs no drilling or cutting. At this price, expect a value housing rather than a permanent fixture, and it will serve you well.

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Chrome-bezel halogen replacement that reaches out to the 2023 model year.

Most housings on this list stop at the 2022 model year. This one carries coverage out to 2023 for the SR, SR5 and TRD Sport — a real difference if your truck is a late-run rig. The OEM reference is 81150-04250 and 81110-04250, the halogen-bulb pairing, and it flatly does not fit a truck with factory LED daytime running lights.

The chrome bezel is the visual deal-breaker for some buyers and the reason to buy for others. It has a plated finish for a factory-clean look, and the lens is crisp polycarbonate (a tough clear plastic) with an amber reflector. WEELMOTO’s compliance carries over: DOT standards (the US road-safety rules) on every design, IATF16949 quality certification (an auto-industry quality standard), and lab testing for drop, vibration, rain, UV and dust spray.

Installation is the strongest argument here. It is a direct-fit, plug-and-play housing with an install manual included, and it comes with a three-year peace-of-mind assurance period — the longest window on this list by a wide margin. The trade-off is that no bulbs come with it, so the housing on its own does not brighten anything; your stock H9 and H11 lamps still do the actual work.

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One side, one fix — for the truck that only broke a single corner.

If you have a cracked passenger-side lamp and the driver side is perfectly fine, buying a full pair is money wasted. This is a single passenger-side assembly (the right side as you sit in the driver’s seat), black bezel with a clear lens, and it cross-references part numbers 81110-04270, TO2503244, and 8111004270. Note the 8.9-pound shipping weight — heavy enough that a drop on the porch is worth inspecting before you sign.

The real advantage over any other pick here is the warranty. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, which is a longer promise than anything else on the list. It also pairs with TRQ’s large library of DIY installation videos, so if you have never pulled a Tacoma bumper, you can watch the whole job before you touch a wrench.

Do not expect a brightness upgrade here. It is a halogen housing with an LED DRL, built to replace the factory unit and look like it, with no sequential signal and no projector. Fitment is the other thing to check: it calls for a 2016-2023 Tacoma with LED daytime running light and fog lights. Confirm both before you order, or you will be talking to support before you are talking to your truck.

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Square projector lenses and an LED light tube give this TRD-fit pair a different face.

AmeriLite built this for the 2016-2023 TRD and Limited trucks that came with a factory LED daytime running light headlamp — and specifically not for SR, SR5, or TRD Pro models that carry the full LED headlight. That distinction is written into the listing in both directions, so double-check your build before you commit, since the wrong front end means a return on a 24.6-pound box.

What makes this pair stand out visually is the square projector housing with the LED light tube running through it. Owners talk about the appearance more than anything else, and it reads as a bolder face than the stock housing. Build-wise it is made in Taiwan with a polycarbonate lens and a waterproof body, and the design is stated to meet or exceed U.S. and Canadian safety standards.

The quality side of the story is mixed — some buyers are less happy with fit and finish than they are with the look, and the housing is a heavier part than most of the entry-level options. That weight is not a problem, it is just something to plan for when you are up on a ladder balancing a 24.6-pound lamp over a fender.

What you get is a direct OEM replacement with no modification required and both sides in the box. If you want a projector-style look on an LED DRL truck and you are ready to spend on it, this is the one that delivers on the visual front.

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A performance pair with the same lifetime warranty as the single-corner fix, without the hassle.

This is the “do both while the bumper is off” option. TRQ ships the driver side and passenger side performance assembly together, so you are not making two orders and you are not pulling the bumper twice. The fitment is narrow and honest: 2016-2022 Toyota Tacoma SR and SR5 without LED daytime running lights. That is the plain halogen truck, not the LED DRL truck.

The warranty is the piece that earns this housing a place in the list. It carries TRQ’s limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, subject to normal wear-and-tear exclusions — the same promise the single-side part carries, but covering both corners at once. Add the DIY video library that TRQ is known for, and the whole job is doable on a driveway with a socket set.

The spec sheet is lighter on detail than the mid-range options, which is worth flagging. The listing states the light source as LED, but it does not lay out bulb types the way the WEELMOTO and JSBOYAT listings do. If you need to know exactly which bulb sits behind each projector, ask before you buy. The polycarbonate lens and waterproof construction are standard here, and the housing is black with a clear lens.

For a halogen SR or SR5 owner who is replacing both sides at once and wants a warranty behind it, this is the sensible one-stop pick. For anyone with an LED DRL truck, it simply is not the right shape.

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Alpha Black housing with a sequential signal — the most style-forward pair in the list.

If you want a Tacoma that looks different every time you open up it, this is the pick. The Alpha Black housing is the TRD-look face, the activation light runs when you open up the truck, the light tube serves as the daytime running light, and the turn signal is sequential rather than the standard blink. That combination is not available on any other housing here. The lens is polycarbonate and the finish reads as a deep gloss, not a flat matte.

Fitment is 2016-2021 Tacoma with the halogen headlight and a DRL function. TRD Pro trucks need a separate adapter, so if your build is a Pro, plan for that part before you order. The light source is LED across the board — no bulbs to buy — and all of the lights are compliant with SAE and DOT FMVSS108 regulations, with the brand carrying ISO-9000, ISO-9001, and ISO-9002 certifications.

The honest trade-off is the install. AlphaRex says the installation instructions are still being completed and recommends professional installation, so if you like watching a video and doing it yourself, this is not that housing. The warranty runs two years, which is shorter than the TRQ lifetime promise but longer than the AmeriLite 90-day window. The 20-pound weight puts it in the mid range — not the heaviest here, but not light either.

Buyers respond most to the appearance: the sequential turn signal turns a routine replacement into a genuine styling upgrade.

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The projector headlamp for the Tacoma owner who wants the top of the range, full stop.

AlphaRex USA’s 880705 sits at the top of this category for one reason: it is a full projector lamp, while everything else here is a housing that takes a stock bulb or a light tube. Its DRL shifts between white and amber, so you get a different face for day and dusk. The lens is clear polycarbonate, and the lamp body is built for the Tacoma specifically, a vehicle-specific fit rather than a universal bracketed part.

The spec sheet on this listing is thinner than the others, and that is worth saying plainly. It confirms the light source is LED, the lens is clear polycarbonate, the DRL runs white or amber, and the unit ships waterproof. It does not spell out beam pattern testing, seal rating, or warranty terms the way the mid-range listings do, so if any of those matter for your build, get them in writing before you order rather than after.

The real-world case for the 880705 is the projector lens, which focuses the beam through a lens for a sharper cutoff than a reflector bowl. A projector focuses the beam through a lens instead of bouncing it off a reflector bowl, which gives a more controlled cutoff (the sharp top edge of the beam). That cutoff keeps you from blinding oncoming traffic while you still see the shoulder. The sealed body and polycarbonate face help it hold up against road grit, and the white-or-amber DRL lets you pick a face for day versus dusk.

This is the premium end of the list, and treat it that way: fewer specifications on the page, more money, and the expectation that you are buying the AlphaRex name and the projector lens rather than the deepest spec sheet. Professional installation is the sensible route here.