The invention discloses a nighttime image enhancing method with high light inhibition, which comprises the following steps: step 1, converting the color system of an image from an RGB color system to an HSV color system, reserving H and S channel information in the color information, and only processing a brightness channel V; step 2, pre-enhancing the image; step 3, determining inhibition parameters including an inhibited template and a shim range, and then inhibiting a highlight area; step 4, widening a histogram, redistributing the grey level of the image pixel by using an empty gray levelgenerated in highlight inhibition to widen the histogram; and step 5, normalizing the image, and then converting from the HSV color system to the RGB color system for displaying to obtain the enhanced nighttime image. The method of the invention can effectively enhance the nighttime image, inhibits highlights in the image, and improves the contrast ratio of the image to the uttermost extent without changing the relation of the original image pixels, so that the image can express the maximum information amount.