With every new car release, manufacturers look to add more features to their cars in order to consistently increase revenue and profit on their vehicle sales. Luxury brands like Audi have been adding puddle lights to their cars for years, and many other car manufacturers are following suit. What is their purpose? What are puddle lights? Are they useful?
Puddle Lights are small lights placed underneath the car wing mirrors or doors that light up the ground beneath the car – these are usually illuminated once a driver unlocks the car or opens the door.
Puddle Lights were originally designed to brighten the floor surrounding the car to prevent any slips, falls, or accidents when entering or exiting the vehicle – typically from ice, snow, or puddles, hence the name “puddle” lights.
Whilst the original idea was that puddle lights would be used to brighten areas surrounding the car for people getting in and out – this was quickly lost – and puddle lights were utilized for style.
It is widely accepted that puddle lights are unnecessary, and are more of a luxury feature. The majority of car manufacturers utilize puddle lights in order to illuminate the floor with the car logo through a small projector added to the car door – a nifty feature that doesn’t serve much purpose other than to act as a status symbol for luxury car drivers.
The only time in which puddle lights do serve a genuine purpose is in colder regions, where it frequently snows – typically states that are further north and have cold dark winters. In these states, drivers will frequently encounter ice and snow upon exiting their vehicles, so the puddle lights assist in preventing any slips as they exit or enter the car.
Do we really need puddle lights?
In short – no. The majority of car drivers do not need puddle lights fitted to their cars and puddle lights only serve as an additional luxury to display the style and status of their vehicle. If someone lives in a colder, darker more polluted region then these are a nice add-on to have, but there are many more important features to be concerned about prior to puddle lights.
Many manufacturers offer puddle lights as an additional paid add-on feature – based on the fact that they don’t offer many benefits, we would recommend not adding puddle lights if you are looking to cut back on costs.
Summary
Puddle lights are a luxury add-on that has a very limited number of use cases for the everyday driver. They are added to luxury cars in order to flaunt the style and status of the vehicle and have deviated from their original purpose of brightening areas below a car.
If you live in a very icy area and struggle with slipping as you get in and out of your vehicle, then these will assist your vision for when it is dark outside.
If you want to flaunt the status of your car and have invested in a luxury vehicle, then puddle lights are a nifty add-on that helps to elevate your style.
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