Question 1

How do I find what headlight bulb my car takes?

Accepted Answer

Pick your year, make, and model above. For cars we've confirmed, you get the exact bulb code for each position — low beam, high beam, fog, and more — cross-checked against independent sources. The final word is your owner's manual or the marking stamped on the old bulb when you pull it.

Question 2

Why do my low beam and high beam take different bulbs?

Accepted Answer

On a lot of cars they do. Some headlights use a single dual-filament bulb for both beams (like an H4), but many use a separate bulb for each — for example a 9006 low beam and a 9005 high beam. That's why we list a code per position instead of one bulb for the whole headlight.

Question 3

My car came as a halogen and an LED trim. Do they take the same bulb?

Accepted Answer

No. A halogen trim and a factory-LED trim use different bulbs, and on many LED setups the light source isn't a replaceable bulb at all. When your car shipped with more than one lighting setup, we split the answer by trim so you grab the code that matches the one you actually have.

Question 4

Can I swap my halogen bulbs for LED?

Accepted Answer

You can buy LED replacement bulbs in the same code, and plenty of owners do, but it's worth a heads-up: an LED bulb dropped into a reflector or projector built for halogen can scatter light and dazzle oncoming traffic, and a plug-in LED in a halogen housing is not DOT-compliant for road use in the US. If you swap, look for one designed for your housing type and aim it properly.

Question 5

Does CarCareTruth rank specific bulb brands?

Accepted Answer

The bulb code is a physical fact about your car, not a brand call. When we stock a reviewed bulb in the right code, we show our CCT score so you can judge it, but we never let an affiliate link change which bulb we tell you fits.

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