BMW Angel Eyes Headlights: A Thorough Guide

Angel eyes have been a pretty popular DIY upgrade for car enthusiasts. Even more so for BMW drivers because let’s face it, any BMW looks absolutely stunning with a pair of these.

Applicable angel eyes differ depending on your BMW’s model and year. I’ve done my best to accommodate the most popular setups – check here for all possible halo light configurations on Amazon.

You can find some on eBay or AliExpress too. Generally, I’ve found Amazon to be more transparent/trustworthy with the quality, though.

Some quick recommendations:

➥➥ For the newer BMW models (2000+): I strongly suggest WinPower’s Angel Headlights. A pack of H8-style halogen lamps that come in 4 color variations, they fit:
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• BMW E90 3 Series (328i)
• BMW E60 5 Series (528i, 535i)
• BMW E82/E87 1 Series (128i/138i)
• BMW E89 Z4

➥➥ In case you’re more into the 90s classics (or vibe with the early 00s): Check the iJDMTOY angel eyes for BMW. This specific product will properly fit:

• BMW E36 3 Series (with Euro headlights)
• BMW E39 5 Series
• BMW E46 3 Series Coupe, as well as the Sedan or Wagon with stock HID xenon lights.
• BMW E46 M4, the 2001-2006 model

As I mentioned, there are other options – but these two are the most popular for a reason. I’ll review each of them further in this post.

Some people have asked me why are BMW angel eyes headlights that popular – especially halo lights for BMW E46, E36, or all the 328i varieties.

It’s simple: not only do they look cool, but their LED rings can also act as a daytime running light if you want them to. With some products, you can even use them as a turn signal – their color will change from white to yellow/amber when turning.

Important note: As always, make sure these are actually legal in your state if you’re in the US. Some are stricter than others.

Heads up: While most people refer to them as angel eye headlights, you might see them referred to as halo lights or demon eyes. Essentially, all of these are the same thing.

These are a set of 4 white SMD LED rings (xenon, of course). You’ll also get the relay wiring harness so the bulbs can properly draw power. The whole setup has a neat fade-in-and-out effect depending on how you configure things.

The halo lights for BMW 3 Series (E36, E46 or E39) are pretty bright. We’re talking about 7000K white LED action, a step above the usual 5-6K brightness you’d see with angel eyes.

I’ve mentioned this before, but make sure your BMW has HID xenon headlights. If your factory headlights are different, you’ll most probably have difficulties with swapping out the halo lights.

Last but not least, this particular angel eyes headlight set for BMW has 264 LED diodes on each ring. That’s plenty!

Full list of supported models and year of manufacture:
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• 1992-1998 BMW E36 3 Series (Euro headlights)
• 1997-2003 BMW E39 5 Series
• 2000-2003 BMW E46 3 Series Coupe (Pre-facelift)
• 1999-2004 BMW E46 3 Series Sedan / Wagon
• 2001-2006 BMW E46 M3

I didn’t expand on this earlier, but WinPower isn’t only good quality. These angel eyes are also pretty customizable, coming in several color temperatures.

From the 3000K of relaxing yellow, all the way to the 8000K of ice blue, you can have the effect that fits your BMW the best.

These are pretty low in terms of power draw too, considering the style. A pair of these runs at only 40W, which is 20W per angel eye bulb.

A pretty neat feature here is the aluminum housing. Cheaper halo lights come with subpar housing that affects heat dissipation and durability.

WinPower’s set of angel eyes is suitable for diverse temperature ranges, as their cold-pressed bulb housing takes care of weather effects.

To supplement this manufacturing benefit, the H8 headlights are also IP-68 rated. Essentially, they’ll fare well with an increased amount of dust or water being present wherever you drive.

Much like the other demon eyes for BMW I recommended, you can use them both as halo lights during the night, or as a DRL during daytime hours.

Obviously, you’ll need to swap out your headlight housing, including your OEM bulbs. Depending on your experience, that might be either an average job (taking not more than an hour) or a lengthier DIY session.

If I were to evaluate the overall difficulty of this task, I’d say it’s just about average. You’ll need either a flathead screwdriver or a Philips one depending on your model.

I believe a video is worth more than a thousand words. Instead of me writing numerous paragraphs, I recommend you take a look at this video on DIY angel eyes headlight installation for BMW:

There are several factors making my estimate a bit hard to nail down. In general, though, you’d expect it to run at least $150-$300 depending on the car make and the living standard of your city/state.

If you are at least a little confident in your DIY skills, I recommend you try to do it on your own to cut costs.

You’ll only need a few dozen bucks for the angel eye headlight replacement.

Most aftermarket bulbs come with wiring kits and everything included; no need for additional purchases.

Speaking of DIY, if you need non-OE aftermarket replacement parts, you can consider a brand like Beck/Arnley. I’ve reviewed it here; it’s a Tenneco-owned brand that focuses on foreign vehicles, including European ones.