Headlamp Performance Ratings: A Comparative Analysis of HSPR and VLPS

The Headlight Safety Performance Rating (HSPR) and CIE 188:2010 provide comprehensive and physics-based evaluation frameworks for vehicle lighting systems for the UNECE Region, ensuring objective and repeatable assessments based on real headlight measurements according to the ANSI/IES LM-63-XX standard. These methodologies define measurement zones for various driving scenarios, viewing distance calculations, and opposing glare calculations, enabling detailed assessments of headlight performance. The China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) follows a similar approach through its Vehicle Lighting Performance Score (VLPS), applying structured evaluation criteria to assess headlight effectiveness in real-world driving conditions while integrating simulation-based testing methods. Both HSPR and C-NCAP VLPS evaluate headlight performance based on key parameters, including straight and curved lane illumination, pedestrian visibility, intersection lighting, and glare calculation. Additionally, both frameworks evaluate adaptive driving beam (ADB) performance to preceding and oncoming vehicles at 50m, 100m, and 200m. While HSPR derives its rating from headlight benchmarks and considers the activation time of high beam, low beam and ADB, C-NCAP integrates its assessment within the broader NCAP vehicle safety rating system, ensuring that headlight performance is considered alongside other vehicle safety features. In addition, the HSPR directly correlates with real-world human perception of headlight performance. A key difference between the two methodologies is that while HSPR primarily uses a simulation-based approach, while C-NCAP complements this with real-world driving tests. The Road Function Verification serves as a live test track experiment, that evaluates ADB system responses under dynamic conditions by directly measuring vehicle speeds, distances, and sensor interactions with actual preceding and oncoming traffic. The HSPR and the C-NCAP VLPS are both valuable approaches to evaluating headlight performance. However, the VLPS scoring system does not differentiate between performance after the maximum score is reached, although real differences in performance may occur. In the future, the HSPR could be supplemented by real-world tests and the VLPS could adjust its scoring system.