Top 5 Tail Light Housings For The 5th Gen 4Runner in 2022

Top 5 Aftermarket Tail Lights For The 5th Gen 4Runner To Buy in 2022 – Complete Breakdown and Buyers Guide

We all know that the OEM lighting on the 5th Gen 4Runner leaves a lot to be desired. Toyota hasn’t improved from their dim incandescent bulbs and they haven’t gotten rid of their ugly chrome accents. As much as I love the 4Runner, it could still use some huge upgrades in the lighting department.

There are multiple solutions to the lack of lighting in the rear; you can:

• Upgrade the reverse light bulbs
• Tail as turn modules
• Chase lights
• Rear light bars
• and, much more

However, none of those options can get rid of the chrome, which is honestly the main reason to get new housings. If you just want to improve the lighting without spending a lot you should check out those simple options. If you are looking for something more cosmetic, new housings are the way to go.

Before we get into all the housings there are some ways to change the appearance of the OEM housings. You could use:

• Lamin-X films
• Spray on tint
• Or, any other DIY blacking out chrome methods

In my opinion, they just don’t look as natural, and they can actually diminish your light output.

Old vs. New – A Quick History Lesson

After the 2010 release of the 5th Gen 4Runner, Toyota realized they were not meeting the sales numbers they’d forecasted for this new edition. They decided that in 2014, they would re-release the 5th gen 4Runner with some cosmetic upgrades, which most notably included the front facia (grill, bumper, headlights, fog light location), side mirrors, and updated LED tail lights.

While the re-release included a few other changes, the body and frame stayed the same. So for those who purchased a 4Runner prior to 2014, doing a “face swap” to the newer look was a relatively inexpensive option… as were updating the taillights.

Many v1 (2010 – 2013) 4Runner owners quickly swapped their old non-LED tail lights for the newer look and feel and for many years, that was the only option for upgrading your tail lights. Finally, after 10+ years of Toyota making the same generation 4Runner, we now have aftermarket options for tail lights. So, let’s take a look at what I consider the top 5 aftermarket tail light upgrade options on the market.

1. Alpharex Pro Series LED Tail Lights

Find It Online:

1. Pro-Series Red Smoke
2. Pro-Series Jet Black
3. Luxx Series
4. Luxx Series Alpha Black

Note: Free shipping on all Alpharex on YotaMafia.com.

Specs:

• Polycarbonate Lens
• Jet Black or Red Smoke Lens Option
• White LED Tubing or Red LED Tubing
• All LED Lights
• Sequential Turn Signal
• SAE and DOT Approved
• Plug and Play

My Opinion:

Coming in at number one on this list are the new Alpharex Tail Lights. They combine high-quality with good pricing to make a great-looking and effective light.

PRO Series tail lights

The PRO Series tail lights come with two options; basically, you can get black housing or red housing but both come with a smoked lens. I really like the 4 LED tubes per tail light. It is very distinct but it doesn’t seem unnatural.

Just like their headlights, the Alpharex tail lights are some of the most affordable on the market – all while offering some of the best designs. Out of the 5 housing on this list, Alpharex ranks second in affordability. I’ve had the Alpharex Pro Series Headlights for a while now and they have worked great with absolutely no issues. This housing comes with LEDs pre-installed so you won’t have to pay for separate LED bulbs to replace the incandescents from your factory housing. If you are looking for really high-quality tail lights without breaking the bank, consider the Alpharex PRO’s.

Luxx-Series

The Luxx offers four switchable LED tubes with red LED as parking light, brake light and amber LED as sequential turn signal lights. In between the light tubes, they added a diffuser lens with a switchable LED for brake light and sequential turn signal light for even more output. The Luxx LUXX-series is rad because it comes with their signature activation, which is a sequence when you unlock your vehicle and gives your 4Runner a unique style. Both the Luxx and the Luxx Alpha Black offer some of the coolest designs on the market to date. Pretty impressive housings you guys.

AlphaRex Tail Lights – Full Overview

2. Morimoto XB Tail Lights

Find It Online:

• Morimoto XB LED Tail Lights – Check Price

Specs:

• Polycarbonate Lens
• Smoked Lens
• Sequential Turn Signal
• Red, White, and Amber SSC LEDs
• DOT and SAE Compliant
• Plug and Play

My Opinion:

The Morimoto XB LED Tail Lights are… unique. The dual raised sections on each light are certainly a lot different from all the other tail lights in this post. Not bad, just different.

Morimoto makes really high-end and premium products, but they do come with a hefty price tag. The huge sequential turn signals and quality LEDs make these lights very appealing, but for me, I simply could not swallow that price tag. Just like the Alpharex Tail Lights, the Morimoto XB’s come fully equipped with LEDs making for an easy plug-and-play installation.

These tail lights are very high-end and are certainly eye-catching out on the road. They have by far the largest sequential turn signals and some very bright LED bulbs. They come only blacked out but they look great on any rig. If you have the budget for these lights, awesome. If not, there are certainly other options.

3. Spyder Auto

Find It Online:

• Spyder Auto Sequential LED Tail Lights – Check Price

Specs: 

• Smoked, Black or Chrome Lens
• Plug and Play
• All LED Bulbs
• Two LED Tubes
• Sequential Turn Signals

My Opinion:

I also really like these blacked-out tail lights from Spyder.

The two led tubes look great and the housings themselves don’t look outlandish in comparison to the OEM tails. Similar to the Alpharex tail lights there are a few different lens color options, allowing you to pick the color you feel matches your build best. These tails come equipped with LED reverse and brake lights and they are fully plug-and-play, being able to take out the old and easily swap in the new is just really nice in my opinion.

One of my only complaints with Spyder is they are a wholesaler and don’t sell directly to consumers. So when these lights originally came out you had to go searching just to find where you could purchase these. All of the other companies sell directly to the consumer making for a much better experience. Luckily, YotaMafia sells these lights on their website if you are interested in purchasing them. Also, the Spyder Lights come in $30 more expensive than the Alpharex lights, and while that might seem small, every dollar counts in my book. Overall these sequential tails are really nice lights, there are just a couple of things I think Spyder could do to improve.

4. AnzoUSA

Find It Online:

• Black Housing, Clear Lens, Red Light Bar w/Sequential Signals: Check Price
• Black Housing, Smoked Lens, Red Light Bar w/Sequential Signals: Check Price

Specs:

• Smoke Lens
• Black Housing
• LED Bulbs
• Red LED Tubes
• Sequential Turn Signals
• Plug and Play

My Opinion:

If you are looking to retain the factory look while adding sequential turn signals these tail lights by AnzoUSA are just for you. They have been on the market for a while now, second only to the Morimoto’s. The sequential turn signals are not part of the red DRL tubes you see in the picture above though. Instead, they are just where you see the orange light, which is a little underwhelming.

My main issue with these lights is the price. Before some of these other companies joined the tail light market, the Anzo’s were relatively inexpensive because their only competition was the Morimoto XB’s. However, now that Alpharex and Spyder have released their new tail lights, it seems that the Anzo’s are way overpriced for what you are getting. The Anzo’s are about $700 while Alpharex’s and Spyder’s are about $500. The DRL Tubes aren’t as big as the others and neither are the turn signals.

The other downside with the AnzoUSA tail lights is that you need to swap your existing OEM tail harness out for use with these lights. While that might not be a strenuous step in the install process, it does make re-selling your OEM tail lights a bit more difficult since you’ll only have the lens itself to offer.  This also makes it more difficult for 2010 – 2013 owners to upgrade to AnzoUSA tail lights as they’ll need to buy the 14+ harness elsewhere.

I just feel that if these lights are going to be $200 more than the majority of the competition, that they need to offer something more unique.

5. USR Blacked Out Tail Lights

Find It Online:

• USR Depo 4Runner Blacked Out LED Tail Lights – Check Price

Specs:

• ABS Plastic Lens
• Black Housing
• Incandescent Turn and Reverse Bulbs
• DOT and SAE Approved
• Plug and Play

My Opinion:

If you are solely looking for a blacked-out, OEM style tail light, the USR Tail Lights are perfect for your build. They are by far the most inexpensive on the market. Part of the reason they are so inexpensive is that they are nearly the exact same as your OEM tails. The only difference is that USR blacked out as much of the chrome in the housing as possible.

The other reason is that they don’t provide LED Bulbs for the housings; they just stick to incandescents. On one hand, not having LEDs pre-installed means you’ll have to do that separately at some point down the road. On the other hand, getting to pick the LEDs you like best gives you the ability to give yourself maximum light output for the rear of your vehicle. If you do end up purchasing these, just remember that if you want LEDs they will be an additional cost on top of the $330 for the housings.

There aren’t any DRLs or sequential turn signals on these housings, but they get the job done if you are simply looking to blackout your build. They still leave you the option to buy your own LED Bulbs, add Tail-As-Turn Modules, and do anything else you’d like to your tail lights themselves.

Final Thoughts

There are really three tiers to the tail light market:

The first tier is the USR Tail Lights. These are the most inexpensive housings that still get the job done cosmetically. They don’t come with LED replacements or sequential turn signals or DRLs, but they look great and get rid of the ugly chrome on from the factory housings.

The second tier is the Alpharex Pro Series and Spyder Tail Lights. They provide LED DRL tubes, pre-installed LED bulbs, and sequential turn signals. Both come with multiple lenses and housing options making it easier to pick a housing that best matches your build. Honestly, I would suggest purchasing from this tier because these lights have all the quality you need at really good prices.

The third tier is the AnzoUSA and Morimoto XB Tail Lights. The only reason I put the Anzo’s in this tier is because of their premium level price tag. The Anzo’s basically have the same features as the second tier which is why I would go with the more affordable option if they are so similar. The Morimoto Tail Lights are the most high-end on the market. They have the largest sequential turn signal and likely the brightest pre-installed LEDs on the market. If you can afford these lights and really like them, then by all means treat yourself. But for many, they might just be too costly.

The tail lights you chose are entirely up to your budget, build style, and really just what stands out to you the most!