Have you ever had difficulty seeing what you were doing under the hood of your car while you were changing spark plugs or replacing a serpentine belt? If you have, then you might want to look into getting an under hood light to illuminate your engine while you’re working on your car. Home mechanics and auto enthusiasts can buy these lights in several different varieties to suit their needs and work environment.
These lights do a great job at keeping your engine compartment illuminated while you’re working on it. You don’t have to be particularly handy to use one of these under hood light bars either. Even if you just need a little bit of help seeing your coolant or brake fluid reservoirs to keep them filled, these devices can really be a helping hand. Below are the ten models that we feel are the best ones and should help you out with all of your car maintenance needs.
Best Under Hood Work Lights – Reviews & Buying Guide
#10 Aceland 120 LED Work Light
This extendable work light is a useful tool for just about any home mechanic. It uses 120 LED lights to give the user a nice bright work area. And since this product can be extended from 52-inches to 72-inches, it can be used to illuminate just about any engine compartment.
It uses a 2000 MaH 7.4-Volt battery that’s designed to deliver up to 3-hours of light at its brightest setting and up to 5-hours with its 1/2-Lumen setting. This product is easily charged using the include 9-Volt car charger and AC/DC adapter and is suitable not only as an under hood work light but also for use while camping or while cleaning the interior of your car.
#9 Coquimbo Rechargeable Work Light
This convenient work light can be used in several different ways to bring much-needed light to any project the user is working on. It has a swivel hook and a magnetic base that allows it to be used in several different scenarios. This means that it can be hung from the hood of the vehicle or can be attached to any metallic surface to cast light where needed.
This product has five different working modes: high, medium, red warning, strobe red and a front light that allows it to be not only used for working on your car but can be used for a variety of camping and emergency needs. Other features found on this light include a head that rotates 360-degrees, a rechargeable battery and a design that’s waterproof up to IP65 standards.
#8 Performance Tool W2404 LED Light
Equipped with retractable cables that allow it to be used on a hood that’s up to 78-inches wide, but can be retracted so it will fit into most toolboxes, this convenient work light is suitable for any DIY auto mechanic. It has padded hooks to prevent scratching the hood and has magnets on the back that make it extremely versatile.
It has wide angle LED lights that provide up to 500-Lumens of light—more than enough to illuminate any engine compartment. And since this unit is powered by a Li-Ion battery, it can be recharged anytime by being directly plugged into an outlet or charged via a USB cable.
#7 Alltrolight Portable Work Light
This extremely powerful COB LED light provides a 120-degree angle beam and 200-Lumens of light to the inside of just about anyone’s engine compartment. It has a convenient stand that can be used to hang it from a bungee cord or other such hanger and can also be used as a stand that holds it upright.
It has a powerful magnetic base and is designed to be compact enough to not only be used under the hood but to also be used for camping, fishing, hunting or for emergency use. It’s high-quality LED lights have an average lifespan of 100,000-hours and this light can provide up to 12-hours of light on only 4 AAA batteries.
#6 Steelman Pro 78952 Slim-Lite With UV Mode
Although this product isn’t specifically marketed as an under hood work light, its design allows it to be used in that way. It’s only a quarter of an inch thick, so it can be used in even tight areas and provides up to 400-Lumens of light at the push of a button.
It doesn’t come with a way to attach this unit to a hood, but some people choose to purchase the Steelman Pro 78751 magnetic hook to attach this unit to their car hood. An interesting feature of this light it can be turned into a UV inspection light by pressing a toggle switch. This UV light feature allows automotive professionals to more easily spot Freon leaks.
#5 SuiTech LED Light Bar Work Light
Dark engine compartments are a thing of the past with this innovative power source. It can be adjusted from 52-inches all the way to 72-inches, so it will fit the hood of any vehicle it’s used on. This product also has spring-loaded legs that allow it to be used vertically to cast light on other projects besides what’s in the engine compartment.
This light is extremely portable and can be taken anywhere and will easily provide up to 3-hours of light on high, 5-hours of light on low or more than 20-hours of light on twinkle mode. It can also be easily charged using an included 110-240-Volt AC/DC wall power adapter or with a car power adapter.
#4 Neiko 40447A Rechargeable Work Light
Equipped with over 200 LED bulbs, this work light is able to produce up to 1,200-Lumens of extremely bright light. This light is so bright it can be used even in absolute darkness to do night car repairs. These lights are housed in a Polycarbonate housing and lens which ensures that this unit is as durable as it can practically be.
It can easily be adjusted from 47-inches to 76-inches, to fit any size hood, and it has cushioned hooks that prevent it from damaging the finish of the vehicle while it’s being used. It also has two magnetic hooks for hanging that are detachable, so this unit can be used in tight spaces.
#3 Astro 40SL 410 Lumen Light
This work light has a number of features which make it a useful tool to have around just about any garage. This unit has a swivel base that can cast light where it’s needed and a magnetic base that allows it to be attached to metallic objects. It has a variable light control switch that easily allows the light to go from a very low light setting to an extremely bright setting that produces 410-Lumens of light.
It can be used for approximately 2.5-hours on high mode and up to 10-hours on 50% power mode. This light can easily be charged with any micro-USB cable and is designed to be used in dirty and harsh conditions.
#2 Neiko 40464A Cordless 350-Lumens LED Light
Work lights are often used in dirty, greasy and harsh environments, so it’s often important that a light is as durable as it is bright. And this particular light provides the user with both durability and brightness.
It has a poly carbonate lens and aluminum housing that ensures it’s impact resistant and also resistant to grease and oil. It has a large capacity battery that allows it to run for extended periods of time and 60 bright LED lights that allow it to generate up to 350-Lumens of light. This work light can also be easily charged using a USB cable and either a car adapter or a wall adapter.
#1 ATD Tools 80050 30-Watt Light
Everything a person could want out of an under hood car light can be found on this unit. It’s made from extremely durable components that allow it to be safely used in both amateur and professional garages. It’s also extendable from 47-inches all the way to 75-inches. This allows it to be used with just about any hood in existence.
Another great feature that can be found on this work light is its soft ends which have been covered in foam to prevent them from scratching the user’s paint while it’s being used. And since this unit has a 25-foot cord, the user never has to worry about losing light as long as an AC outlet is within range.
Hey! Welcome to my website, my name is David and I’ve created this website for all you beginner mechanics that are looking for tools but don’t know what to buy.