Are Morimoto Headlights Worth The Hype? Here's What Users Are Saying

Morimoto lighting traces its roots back to 2008, but it's in more recent years that the brand has really been gaining traction in enthusiast circles. Essentially, Morimoto provides high-end, high-power lighting solutions for users who either can't get hold of original equipment components or want to upgrade from the factory look, without having to settle for cheap aftermarket parts. Be it headlights, tail lights, fog lights or more specialized lighting, such as off-road specific solutions, Morimoto has a product on the market.

Naturally, there is a smattering of five-star reviews on Morimoto's website from satisfied users, and a number of glowing reviews and recommendations from suppliers who retail the products. Morimoto lights are considered a worthwhile upgrade, whether it's for aesthetic or performance-based reasons. Users have also noted that Morimoto offered solid customer service, which isn't something you'll typically find when experimenting with cheap HID or LED headlight kits from Amazon, for example. In some instances, though, users simply found that Morimoto products weren't worth the expense. This is all well and good, but what do actual users think of the products?

One Nissan Frontier owner opted to fit Morimoto's XB headlights in their 2017 Pro-4X model and review the product after two weeks of use. The Nissan owner did note that they got the kit at a reduced price, and that the original MSRP was $1,100 — we'll come back to that shortly.

First of all, they found installation easy, which is likely just as much of a credit to Nissan as it is to Morimoto. They also noted that the lights are smoked a little, which they saw as neither a pro nor a con. What they did like was the Z pattern of the headlight, which did a great job of both lighting up the road ahead, but without dazzling oncoming traffic or pedestrians too much. In comparison to the standard headlights, these modern lights had a blue tinge and were much brighter.

Another user of the XB lights did a similar review after using them on their Ram truck for a number of months through winter, and initially, their impressions were very similar. Once again, Morimoto's headlights were easy to install and truly 'plug-and-play,' requiring no fiddly setup time. However, it's fair to say that the Ram owner was even more impressed than the Frontier owner, as they went on the call, the Morimoto XB headlights were both fantastic and truly exceptional; high praise, indeed, coming from an enthusiast who has apparently spent thousands trying out all sorts of lighting solutions with their Ram.

While there is little evidence of anyone being truly disheartened with Morimoto's products, there is a fair number of folks who simply cannot move past the prices charged for such products. For starters, while happy with the product, the aforementioned Nissan Frontier Pro-4X owner did state they would not be pleased if they had paid $1,100 for the lights, but as they managed to get them at a reduced sale price, they are satisfied enough.

Price aside – as many owners actually do find that Morimoto headlights are worth the expense over and above OEM options — some enthusiasts have found legal issues with the products. Namely, on certain products, it is stated that Morimoto headlights aren't actually road-legal, and so users are effectively taking a gamble as to whether or not the local police will stop and ticket them for fitting the lights. One Corvette owner, who didn't buy the lights but did buy a car with them already installed, had an issue when one light failed. Sadly, as sealed LED headlights, they are not repairable, and they found this to be very disappointing for a four-figure headlight. Their solution was to fit standard lights, even though they preferred the look of the Morimotos — they simply could not justify the expense, given they may fail again.

Despite the odd negative experience, it seems that overwhelmingly, Morimoto headlights are in fact worth the hype they receive. Users love the way they look, find them an appealing alternative to OEM lights, and are impressed by the lighting output. Plus, many find it reassuring that they are fitting a well-developed, US-designed and engineered product, rather than a cheap kit, which they can never be sure of, quality-wise.

This article is not intended to endorse or slate Morimoto products, but rather to provide an honest impression of what users of the products genuinely think. To get a proper grasp of how owners feel about Morimoto lighting products, we browsed as many privately posted reviews and comments in relation to the brand as we could, and for a variety of different models. The specs and features quoted by users were double-checked against information provided by Morimoto themselves for accuracy, and for fairness, we searched for both positive and negative feedback from users.