The Audi A7 high beam and low beam headlight bulbs both utilize the D3S bulb size. The replacement chart covers 2012 to 2017 production years with corresponding bulb size specifications.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
ECE standard (Europe & worldwide). Mercury-free HID (xenon) discharge bulb with PK32d-5 base and integral ignitor, for projector-type housings. 42V, 35W.
The D3S is a high-intensity discharge (HID) xenon bulb operating at 42 volts and 35 watts, producing light through an electrical arc between tungsten electrodes within a xenon gas-filled quartz capsule rather than through a heated filament.
The D3S bulb is manufactured without mercury, distinguishing it from earlier HID standards such as the D1S and D2S, which contained mercury as part of their arc tube chemistry.
The D3S incorporates an integral ignitor within the bulb body itself, meaning the high-voltage starting circuit is built into the component rather than housed separately in the vehicle's wiring system.
The PK32d-5 base is a keyed bayonet-style fitting specific to the D3S standard, physically preventing installation of incompatible HID types such as the D1S, which uses a PK32d-2 base despite a similar general form.
The D3S specification follows ECE regulations, a standard recognized across Europe and numerous other markets worldwide, governing photometric output, color temperature, and safety requirements for road use.
The D3S bulb is designed exclusively for projector-type headlamp housings, which use a lens and reflector system to control beam pattern; it is not rated for use in reflector-only housings.
For the Audi A7, the D3S bulb serves both the high beam and low beam functions across the 2012-2017 model years covered in the specifications, with a single bulb type fulfilling both roles within the same projector housing.
The 2017 and 2015 model year entries carry an explicit "With HID Headlamps" qualifier, indicating that the D3S fitment applies specifically to vehicles equipped with the HID headlamp configuration rather than to all trim variants of those years.