Best Headlights for the 2015–2021 WRX and WRX STI: 5 Top Picks Compared

For a 2015–2021 WRX or WRX STI, the right headlight upgrade depends on which car you start with: Spyder's Signature Series projectors ($463) are the value full-housing swap for halogen cars, Spyder's Apex Series sequential LED housings ($631) come in two versions matched to halogen Base/Premium cars and LED Limited/STI cars, our own JDMuscle x Lighting Guys Custom Headlight V1 ($1,499) is the built-to-order option, and Profile's Pivot XSB C-light kit ($145) upgrades the daytime running light inside housings you already own. Every listing below was verified live in our catalog today — and the trim split matters, so read the fitment notes before ordering.

Halogen Car or LED Car? That Decides Everything

The VA generation shipped with two different front lighting systems. Base and Premium WRX models (and 2015–2017 STI) came with halogen headlights, while the WRX Limited and 2018–2021 STI came with factory LED headlights. The connectors and harnesses differ, which is why Spyder sells the Apex in two distinct versions below. Ordering the LED-car housing for a halogen car — or the reverse — is the most common headlight mistake on this platform, and it is entirely avoidable: check which system your car has before you check out. Owners keeping their factory housings should also look at our rear lighting coverage and the full build sequence in the VA modification guide.

1. Spyder Signature Series Projector Headlights — $463

Spyder [15-21 WRX Base & Premium, 15-17 STI] Signature Series Halogen Model Projector Headlights — $463. The entry point to a full housing swap: a projector headlight listed for the halogen-model cars — 2015–2021 WRX Base and Premium and 2015–2017 STI. If your halogen housings are hazed, cracked or simply dated, this is the least expensive way to replace the whole unit rather than restore it.

2. Spyder Apex Series Sequential LED Headlights, Halogen Models — $631

Spyder [15-21 WRX Base & Premium, 15-17 STI] Apex Series Sequential LED Headlights — $631. The Apex brings a full LED housing with sequential turn signals to the halogen cars — the biggest visual and functional jump available to a Base or Premium owner. Sequential signals sweep rather than blink, and the black housing modernises the front of the car more than any other single change at this price.

3. Spyder Apex Series Sequential LED Headlights, LED Models — $631

Spyder [15-21 WRX Limited, 18-21 STI] Apex Series Sequential LED Headlights — $631. The same Apex design, wired for the cars that left the factory with LED headlights: WRX Limited and 2018–2021 STI. Limited and STI owners already have LED output, so this swap is about the sequential signal, the black housing and a tired-housing refresh — buy it for those reasons and it will not disappoint.

4. JDMuscle x Lighting Guys Custom Headlight V1 — $1,499

JDMuscle x Lighting Guys [15-21 WRX Base and Premium, 15-17 STI] Custom Headlight V1 — $1,499. Our own collaboration with Lighting Guys: a custom-built headlight for the halogen-model cars, listed as a special-order item with no cancellations — read that listing note carefully, because a built-to-order light is a commitment, not a next-day shipment. This is the pick for owners who want a one-off front end rather than an off-the-shelf housing.

5. Profile Pivot XSB Switchback LED C-Light DRLs — $145

Profile Pivot XSB Switchback LED C-light DRLs for Headlights — WRX/STI 15-2020 — $145. Not a housing at all: an LED board kit that replaces the C-shaped daytime running light inside your existing headlights with a switchback unit, listed for 2015–2020 WRX and WRX STI. It is the budget route to the modern DRL look, but it means opening your housings — a job for owners comfortable with that work, or for a lighting shop.

Aim Them, Then Finish the Front End

Whatever you fit, aim the lights properly afterwards — a brighter housing aimed at oncoming traffic helps nobody. Owners chasing a matched front-end refresh can pair these with the aero in our VA guides, and our own part for the same car is the JDMuscle [15-21 WRX/STI] Front Member Brace — $119.