Volvo 245 License Plate Bulb Size

Additional Notes

• The DE3423 is the most frequently specified license plate bulb for the Volvo 245, appearing across ten of the fifteen model years listed, spanning 1975-1979, 1982, and 1984-1987, as well as 1989.
• The DE3423 is a festoon-type bulb, meaning it is cylindrical in form and makes electrical contact through metal caps at each end rather than through a base socket. Its length is 41mm and it operates at 12 volts.
• The 257 bulb is specified for the Volvo 245 in 1980-1981 and 1983. It is rated at 12 volts and 2 watts, and it accommodates either a festoon mounting or a BA9s bayonet base, depending on the housing configuration.
• The 3893 bulb is specified for 1985 and 1988. Unlike the other two bulb types in these specifications, the 3893 features a BAY15d bayonet base, which uses a twist-lock mounting mechanism rather than end-cap or pin contacts.
• The BAY15d base of the 3893 is a dual-filament bayonet fitting. Its presence in a license plate application is considered a specialty use, as this base type is more commonly associated with stop and tail light functions.
• All three bulb types, the DE3423, 3893, and 257, carry ANSI standard designations valid in both the United States and Canada, and all operate on a 12-volt electrical system.
• The three bulb types are not interchangeable with one another. The DE3423 requires a festoon holder with end-cap contacts, the 3893 requires a BAY15d bayonet socket, and the 257 requires either a festoon holder or a BA9s socket, each representing a physically distinct mounting format.
• Model years 1985 and 1988 share the 3893 specification, while the surrounding years in both cases revert to the DE3423, indicating that the license plate lamp housing differed in those particular production years.