The Kia Soul tail light utilizes bulb sizes 12961, 2357, 12496, and P21/5W to provide illumination for the rear of the vehicle. Available information covers the range from 2010 through 2024 for the specified lighting components.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The 2357 bulb is the most frequently specified size across the Kia Soul tail light data, appearing in both the inner and outer tail light positions across the 2014-2019 range, as well as in the 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, and 2022 outer tail light entries. It is a dual-filament bulb with a BAY15d bayonet base, rated at 12V with filaments drawing 26.9W and 8W respectively, making it suitable for combined stop and tail light functions.
The 2357 is described as a brighter variant of the 1157 bulb. Both share the BAY15d bayonet base, which means the socket type is physically the same, though the higher wattage of the 2357 distinguishes it from its lower-output counterpart.
The 168 bulb is specified for the inner tail light position on the Kia Soul for model years 2014-2019, exclusively in configurations without projector-type headlamps. It is a miniature wedge bulb in the T10 form factor, rated at 12V and 4.9W, and follows the ANSI standard used in the US and Canada.
The 12961 is a Philips part number designating a T10 miniature wedge bulb with a W2.1x9.5d base, rated at 12V and 5W. It shares the same T10 form factor as the 168 but is identified by a manufacturer-specific number rather than an ANSI standard designation.
The Kia Soul outer tail light for the 2019 model year carries three separate bulb specifications: the 2357 for configurations without projector-type headlamps, the 12961 for vehicles produced from January 15, 2019 onward, and the P21/5W as an additional fitment variant. This makes the 2019 outer tail light position the most specification-varied entry in the dataset.
The P21/5W follows the ECE standard used in Europe and worldwide markets, rather than the ANSI standard applied to US and Canadian specifications. Like the 2357, it uses a BAY15d bayonet base and features dual filaments, but its wattage ratings differ at 21W and 5W, reflecting different regional regulatory requirements for signal lighting output.
The headlamp type on the Kia Soul directly affects tail light bulb fitment for the 2014-2019 model years. The inner tail light 168 specification and the outer tail light 2357 specification in that range are both conditioned on the absence of projector-type headlamps, indicating that vehicles equipped with projector headlamps fall under a different fitment category.
The 12496 is a Philips/Osram part number for a 12V halogen bulb designated for a specialty application, specified for the 2020 Kia Soul outer tail light. Its classification as a specialty halogen distinguishes it from the standard wedge and dual-filament types found in the surrounding model years.