The Volkswagen Routan tail light utilizes a 3157 bulb size for the rear illumination system. Data for the specified vehicle covers a range from 2009 through 2014.
The year-by-year compatibility chart below provides a quick reference to verify the correct bulb size for your vehicle.
The Volkswagen Routan uses two distinct bulb types across its tail light assembly: the 161 for the inner tail light and the 3157 for the outer tail light, across the 2009-2014 model years.
The 161 bulb is an ANSI-standard miniature wedge type with a T10 form factor, rated at 12V and 1W, placing it among the lower-wattage bulbs used in automotive lighting applications.
The 3157 is a dual-filament wedge bulb with a T25 form factor, rated at 12V with a 27W/7W output, where the two wattage values correspond to its high and low filaments respectively.
The dual-filament design of the 3157 allows a single bulb to serve more than one lighting function, such as combining stop and tail light operation within one unit.
Both the 161 and 3157 are ANSI-standardized bulbs recognized in both the United States and Canada, meaning they conform to a defined set of electrical and physical specifications shared across manufacturers.
The 3157 bulb appears in both the outer tail light and a second unlabeled position, both of which share the same bulb size across all six model years covered in the specifications.
The T10 wedge base of the 161 and the T25 wedge base of the 3157 are physically incompatible with each other, as the two base sizes are not interchangeable despite both using a wedge-style connection.
The 1W rating of the 161 bulb reflects its role as a low-intensity indicator light, consistent with inner tail light or courtesy-type applications rather than primary stop or turn signal functions.