Subaru Legacy License Plate Bulb Size

The Subaru Legacy license plate light uses unique bulb sizes 12961, 168, and 194 depending on the specific version of the vehicle. The provided data covers a range from 1990 to 2024.

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
2023-2024	12961
2008-2019	168
1990-1999	194

Bulb Specifications

Description	Bulb Size
Philips part number. Miniature wedge bulb (T10) with W2.1x9.5d base. 12V, 5W.	12961
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Miniature wedge bulb (T10). 12V, 4.9W.	168
ANSI standard (US & Canada). Miniature wedge bulb (T10). 12V, 3.78W.	194

Other Locations

Additional Notes

The Subaru Legacy license plate bulb specifications reference three distinct part numbers across the model's history: 12961, 168, and 194.
All three bulb types share the T10 miniature wedge form factor with a wedge base, meaning they occupy the same physical socket family, though electrical ratings differ between them.
The 168 and 194 are both ANSI-standardized designations recognized across the United States and Canada, while the 12961 is a Philips-specific part number for a T10 wedge bulb carrying the W2.1x9.5d base designation and a 12V, 5W rating.
The 168 bulb operates at 12V and 4.9W, and the 194 operates at 12V and 3.78W, making the 194 the lowest-wattage specification among the three types listed for the Legacy.
The Subaru Legacy (2023-2024) uses the 12961 bulb for the license plate position, which is the only model year range in these specifications calling for that Philips-designated part.
The 168 bulb applies to the Legacy across the 2008-2019 model year range, representing the longest continuous span of a single bulb specification in these records.
The 1990-1999 Legacy model years use the 194 bulb, a lower-wattage T10 wedge type compared to the 168 that succeeded it in later generations.
Although the 168 and 194 are both T10 wedge bulbs operating at 12V, their wattage difference means they are not electrically identical, and substituting one for the other without accounting for the wattage variance is not supported by these specifications.
The 12961 shares the T10 wedge form factor with the 168 and 194 but carries an explicit W2.1x9.5d base designation, which is the metric IEC notation for the standard T10 wedge base, confirming physical compatibility within that socket type.
Three separate bulb specifications across the Legacy's history indicate that the license plate bulb fitment changed at least twice over the model's production span, with transitions occurring between the 1999 and 2008 model years and again between the 2019 and 2023 model years.