A lighting device for attachment to a motor vehicle inside a housing 4. One or more light emitting diodes 9 which emit substantially white light are employed as lighting emitters. On account of the small amount of waste heat of the light-emitting diodes 9 the lighting device can be particularly easily integrated into existing subassemblies of the motor vehicle, in particular into the outside mirrors, inside mirror, trim strips and door handles, and can serve to illuminate the region around the vehicle or the interior of the vehicle.