The Mercedes-Benz C300 parking light requires a bulb size of 12961 for the lighting system. Data for the specified component covers the range from 2008 to 2014.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz C300 front parking light uses the 12961 bulb across the 2008-2014 model years, both in standard configuration and in vehicles equipped with halogen capsule headlamps.
The 12961 is a Philips part number designating a miniature wedge bulb in the T10 form factor, which refers to the tubular glass envelope roughly 10mm wide.
The bulb operates on 12 volts at 5 watts, placing it in the low-power category typical of parking and position lights rather than primary illumination sources.
The W2.1x9.5d base designation describes a wedge-type connection where the glass pinch itself acts as the retention mechanism, requiring no separate metal socket pins.
Because the 12961 is specified for both the standard and halogen capsule headlamp configurations on the C300, the parking light bulb size does not vary between those two headlamp variants.
The T10 wedge format is one of the most widely used miniature bulb standards in automotive applications, meaning the 12961 shares physical compatibility with a broad range of vehicles that also use the W2.1x9.5d base.
Despite broad physical interchangeability of T10 wedge bulbs, voltage and wattage ratings should match the original specification, as substituting a higher-wattage bulb in a 5W-rated socket can stress the wiring and housing.