Headlight & Fog Light Bulb Cross-Reference Guide (LED, HID, Halogen)

Automotive bulb chart and cross-reference guide. Understanding and finding your headlight bulb equivalent.

Last updated: October 31, 2023

Table of Contents

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Automotive bulbs come in many different shapes and sizes.

They are identified and referenced using a part number (bulb size or bulb number). You may have heard of popular bulb sizes like H11, 9005, or H13.

One interesting thing about automotive headlight bulbs is that many have different part numbers but are in fact the same size.

For example, H11 is the same as H8 and H9. 9005 is equivalent to HB3, H10, 9040, 9055, 9140, 9145, 9150, and 9155.

Knowing your bulb size is very important because they are vehicle-specific. A Ford F-150, for instance, uses very different bulbs than a Jeep Wrangler.

Automotive Bulb Chart - Headlights Bulb Cross-Reference

To help you figure out which bulbs are the same, we've put together a comprehensive list of all headlight and fog light bulbs.

How to use: search for your bulb in the first column and then see what it is equivalent to in the second column.

*HID bulbs only. Cannot be used in a halogen lighting system.

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Infographic - Automotive Light Bulb Sizes, Plugs, Locking Tabs & Bases

Curious what your bulb looks like, how the locking tabs are positioned, or what type of plug/connection it has? Check out our infographic:

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Did you know?

Halogen bulbs can be upgraded to LED or HID type bulbs for brighter and longer lasting headlights.

• Can I Put LED or HID Bulbs in my Stock Headlights?
• LED vs HID - Which Are Better?

Get the exact match headlights you need to upgrade to LED or HID. Plug and play installation, free shipping, and lifetime warranty.

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Headlight & Fog Light Bulb Equivalency Explained

Some automotive headlamps and fog light bulbs will have different bulb/part numbers but are actually the same exact bulb.

This is because different manufacturers, such as Sylvania (Osram), Philips, and Hella use their own part numbers.

This is similar to household battery sizes. For example, AAA batteries will always be the same size, length, etc. regardless of the brand and technology. The same logic applies to headlight and fog light bulbs.

How do we determine if bulbs are equivalent? We look at 2 key aspects: the locking tabs and the plug.

For instance, 9006 is the same as 9012 and HB4. All three of these bulbs have the exact same locking tabs, wiring, and plugs.

H11 and 9005, on the other hand, are not the same. They look the same at first glance but have different locking tabs and plugs.

If you try to insert an H11 where a 9005 belongs (or vice versa), it won't fit or lock into the headlight slot and the plug will not match that of the power harness.

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Special Cases

Although we would like things to be perfectly simple and standard across the board, they rarely are and automotive headlight bulbs are no exception.

Below, we breakdown a few bulbs that are commonly mistaken as equivalent:

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H11 vs. H11B

H11 and H11B are not the same, they are two very different bulbs as pictured below.

H11 (H11 Type A) and H11B are frequently confused as being equivalent but are in fact different due to their plug and the design of their respective headlight assemblies.

H11 has prongs nested in its plug while H11B has the pertruding prongs. As such, an H11 will not work for an H11B headlight and vice versa.

H11 is one of the most common bulb sizes and is used for high beam, low beam, and fog lights by nearly every car manufacturer.

H11B, on the other hand, is a lot less common and can be found on Hyundai and KIA cars in the low beams.

For a more detailed comparison between these two bulbs, check out our new guide: H11 vs. H11B - What's the difference?

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H16 Type A (H11-style) vs. H16 Type B (5202-style)

The H16 bulb comes in two different styles - Japanese and American.

H16 Type A is the original design of the bulb and is equivalent to an H11 bulb. It is L-shaped with nested prongs. This is the Japanese version of the bulb commonly found in Honda, Toyota, and Subaru vehicles.

H16 Type B is the newer version, equivalent to bulb numbers 5202, 2504, PSX24W, PS24W, 5201, and 9009.

It is T-shaped and commonly found on American cars such as Chevy, Dodge, Ford, GMC, and Jeep.

So, if you're ever wondering which H16 you have, check if you have a Japanese or American car. Alternatively, you can pull the original bulb and compare it to the image above.

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PS24W (5202) vs. PSX24W (2504)

These popular fog lights have long been a very special case. The bulbs look nearly identical yet have very subtle differences that most aftermarket manufacturers never even noticed.

As illustrated in the image below, despite having the same tab-lock mechanism and the same exact plug, it has two sets of pins that are inversed.

Some manufacturers will simply design the bulbs without the pins in order to make them compatible but you'll need some electrical tape to secure the connection to the power source.

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Is H11 the same as H16? Is H11 the same as 9005? Is H7 the same as H11? Is H11 the same as 9006? Can an equivalent bulb damage my headlight assembly?

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Sources:

• XenonPro.com Research
• Sylvania Automotive
• Philips Automotive Bulb Finder (USA)
• Hella Lighting

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Disclaimer: The information contained on this page is provided free of charge to our visitors. It was prepared to the best of our abilities and with all the information available to us at the time of writing. We reserve the right to change, remove or update any information contained on this page at any time and without notice to improve its accuracy. The most reliable method to determine the bulb size is by pulling your actual bulb(s) and reading the part number indicated directly on the bulb. The information compiled on this page comes with no guarantees or warranties.