Buick GS 455 License Plate Bulb Size

The Buick GS 455 license plate light uses 194 and 97 bulb sizes for the rear illumination. Data for the specific lighting components covers the period from 1970 to 1972.

The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.

Bulb Size by Year Range

Years	Bulb Size
1972	194
1970-1971	97

Bulb Specifications

Description	Bulb Size
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Miniature wedge bulb (T10). 12V, 3.78W.	194
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Single-filament bulb with BA15s bayonet base. Variant of 1156. 12V, 13W.	97

Other Locations

Additional Notes

The 1972 Buick GS 455 uses a 194 bulb for the license plate position, while the 1970-1971 models use a 97 bulb, meaning the two generations of this vehicle are not interchangeable in this application.
The 194 is a T10 miniature wedge bulb, meaning it is retained by friction fit into a wedge-style socket rather than by a bayonet twist-lock mechanism.
The 194 operates at 12 volts and draws 3.78 watts, placing it among the lower-wattage bulbs used in automotive auxiliary lighting positions.
The 97 bulb uses a BA15s single-contact bayonet base, a base type that requires a quarter-turn insertion into a matching socket to lock into place.
At 12 volts and 13 watts, the 97 draws significantly more power than the 194, reflecting a different socket and housing design in the 1970-1971 license plate assembly.
The 97 is described as a variant of the 1156 bulb. While the two share similar electrical characteristics, they differ in base or physical form, and substituting one for the other without confirming socket compatibility would be inadvisable.
Both the 194 and 97 conform to ANSI standards recognized in the United States and Canada, indicating standardized electrical and physical tolerances across manufacturers producing these bulb types.