Making sure that you buy a headlight bulb that fits in your car is the most important part of choosing your headlight. After all, if you’re headlight bulb doesn’t fit, then all of those nice features that come with whatever light you chose won’t even matter! Luckily, this step is also one of the easiest, and there are quite a few ways to determine what type of bulb will fit in your car. Also see the best wax for car

Manually

If you’re more of the do-it-yourself or hands-on type of person, you can take the bulb out of your car and inspect the base of it to find out the socket type and what fit is required for your bulb. My car has “H7” written on the base, so I know that when I go to my local auto parts store, I will need to find an H7 headlight bulb.

Now, to make sure, it’s always a better idea to call your manufacturer and have them look up what type of bulb you need just to be safe. This will also generally be listed in the big manual that came with your car, which is also most likely in your glove box.

Also, when you go to the auto part store, the clerks are generally more than willing to look up the make/model of your vehicle to make sure you bought the right part.

Internet

This is the method I’ve always used and the one I’m most comfortable with.

Sites like Amazon and PowerBulbs.com are your friend in these scenarios. There’s virtually no way that you can mess up finding any sort of car light bulb if you use one of these resources because of how thorough they require the user to be. All you need to do is enter the make/model of your car and it will list off the types of light bulbs that you can use in your car.

Again, it is always a great idea to call your manufacturer just make sure the size is correct, but it’s almost always a safe bet to trust Amazon’s part-picking service. I’ve used this for a few different sorts of car parts and have had no issues with compatibility whatsoever.

Installation

Installing your bulb is an important part of this that might seem simple, but it’s extremely crucial that you’re being cautious when doing so. It’s never a good idea to touch the glass part of your new bulb, especially if it’s a halogen bulb, because it can potentially cause issues due to how hot halogen bulbs can get.

Also, if your new bulb seems like it’s getting stuck during installation, DO NOT apply more pressure. I’ve seen a couple people who have broken their new bulb because they kept applying pressure after their bulb was already installed, but they thought it wiggled or something so they kept applying pressure.

If your bulb isn’t wiggling in the socket and it seems secure, then test it out and make sure it works. If it does, you’re set, and you should absolutely not apply more pressure.

Conclusion

Finding a bulb that fits your car is the most important step, but it’s also arguably the easiest. There are many ways to do so, but the one that I would recommend is using an online resource while cross-referencing the manufacturer that came with your car to ensure you have the right size selected.

It’s honestly harder to mess this up than it is to get it correctly, but if you have any doubts, call your manufacturer or local auto part store to confirm the correct size of the bulb.

It would be helpful to take your old bulb out to refer to any sizing markings on it as well, or to take it into the store for a clerk to evaluate. Again, I’ve used Amazon multiple times for car parts and have had zero issues with their part-picking system, so I would recommend it with absolute confidence.