A headlight for motor vehicles including a box-shaped housing, a light unit arranged in the housing, a front pane sealing the housing to the front relative to the direction of travel, and mountings provided on the housing for connecting the housing to the vehicle. Impact protection is provided by a rupture device that has at least one flexurally sensitive region of reduced wall thickness in the wall of the housing. The flexurally sensitive region at least partially extends transversely to the direction of the possible impact loading. A rupture element supported against the vehicle structure is provided on at least one point of the flexurally sensitive region. A targeted continuous rupturing of the flexurally sensitive region is provided by the rupture element in an impact with an unprotected road user.