How to choose the perfect headlight bulbs for Subaru Impreza?

Headlight Bulbs By Year

1999 2000 2001

Headlight Bulb High Beam - 9003 AUXITO H4/9003 HB2 LED Low/High Beam Bulbs Why do we choose this one? The most stylish, fashionable and popular light bulbs are here. AUXITO H4/9003 LED headlight bulbs have better visibility, same beam design as halogen bulbs, and adopt led chips to ensure perfect beam patterns dark spots or foggy light. 300% brighter than halogen headlights. H4 led headlight is built as almost the same size as a halogen bulb, the non-polarity socket simply plugs and plays like OEM bulbs and fits into the factory housing perfectly without any modification. Made of aluminum alloy shell and utilizing IP65 waterproof technology, the built-in powerful fan cools down the heat efficiently and ensures more than 30,000hrs service times. Product Specs Light Source Type - LED Color Temperature - 6500 Kelvin Brightness - 12000 Lumen Wattage - 26 watts Color - Xenon White Lifespan - 30,000 hours Error-less operating on 99% vehicles Check On Amazon Hikari H4/9003 LED Bulbs High Lumens Dual Beam Why do we like these bulbs? ( And why would YOU love them?) HIKARI Thunder LED Headlight Bulbs are the brightest and most efficient headlight bulbs on the market. HIKARI Thunder LED is one of the most efficient LED chips on the market, with +330% brightness when compared to standard headlight bulbs. These bulbs produce over 12,000 lumens of pure high-quality light! HIKARI LEDs also have an advanced error-free cooling system to prevent overheating and constant current technology for burning with no filament degradation. Product Specs Light Source Type -12,000LM Thunder LED Wattage - 30 watts Fit Type - Universal Voltage - 12 Volts (DC) Crystal-Sharp Beam Pattern Lifespan - Near 50,000 Hours CANBUS Built-in/Error Free Check On Amazon SEALIGHT X2 H4/9003 LED Hi/Lo Beam Bulbs, Super Bright Cool White with 20000RPM Turbo Fan Reasons To Trust There Bulbs SEALIGHT X2 H4/9003 LED Hi/Lo Beam Bulbs is a cutting-edge, high-performance and innovative lighting technology. The light tracing system precisely mimics the position of the original halogen filament whose driver side is lower, therefore it avoids wasting lumens and glaring others. With an effective heat dissipation system including an intelligent temperature control chip and 20,000RPM silent turbofan, these bulbs work well in all kinds of conditions. Compared to yellow light, white light is much brighter to see clearly. Product Specs Brand - SEALIGHT Light Source Type - 7035 CSP LED Wattage - 150 Watts Fit Type - Universal Fit Color Temperature - 6500 Kelvin Cooling - 20000RPM Turbo Fan Lifespan - 10 Years Light Output - 20,000 Lumens (10,000 per bulb) Check On Amazon

The Subaru Impreza is a no-nonsense commuter vehicle, of course, if you don’t count the WRX STI versions. That said, it leaves a lot to be desired in the lighting department – the vision in the night is simply not that good. Luckily, improving the front lights on your Impreza is as easy as changing the bulbs. This way your Impreza will be much safer in the night, but it will also look better from the outside.

The two most important lights on the front of your Impreza are the headlight and the fog light. You can use any halogen or LED bulb you want there, but if you’re looking for something that will seriously improve your visibility at night, an HID conversion is a good choice. If you go with HIDs, make sure to get a conversion kit instead of just replacing the bulbs.

A new wiring harness is also required since AC ballasts draw too much power from standard headlamp sockets. The correct way of doing things would be buying an entire new lighting system that has been designed to work together – this includes all components needed to run it properly (wiring harness, relays etc.). This way everything is guaranteed to work as it should.

Indeed, when upgrading to AC ballasts for enhanced headlight performance, it’s essential to consider the electrical demands of your vehicle. Standard headlamp sockets typically can’t handle the increased power draw of these advanced ballasts.

Therefore, a new wiring harness becomes a necessity to safely and efficiently accommodate the higher power requirements. The most effective and reliable approach is to invest in a complete lighting system designed to function as a cohesive unit. This system should include all the necessary components, such as the wiring harness, relays, and of course, the ballasts themselves.

By choosing a system engineered to work together, you ensure compatibility and optimal performance, thus avoiding the pitfalls of mismatched or inadequate components. This comprehensive approach not only guarantees that everything functions correctly but also helps in maintaining the vehicle’s electrical integrity and safety.

However, if you’re NOT looking for a complete new lighting system and just want brighter lights for your Impreza there are few things you can do that won’t require any special equipment or replacement parts. In the next few minutes we will have a look at those very simple changes that will give your Impreza a much better visibility in the night without spending too much money. So let’s see what needs to be done!

1) Replace stock headlight bulbs with LED or HIDs – Bulbs? What bulbs? That’s right – if you install LED or HID bulbs on your car, this is already an improvement of to 80% on your lighting system. If you have halogen lights, swap those with LEDs as soon as possible – they are much brighter and safer at the same time. If you need to know more about LED headlight conversion kits, just drop by our online store and check out what we have there. We can offer a nice selection of HID headlight conversion kits as well – these kits will fit any Impreza model from 2002 onwards. You can choose from several types of headlights depending on your needs – if you want something that looks good, go for Philips X-treme Vision +100% bulbs which produce incredibly strong beams with a white-ish color temperature. These are great driving lights but if you don’t want to dazzle other drivers on the road go for Philips X-treme Power bulbs. This is a so-called “blue” solution which will give you very strong beams with an intense color temperature, yet still without being too bright. Finally, if you want something that looks good while also matching the original halogen lights in terms of color, get yourself set of Philips Night Vision bulbs. These are 100% compatible with Imprezas starting from 2002 onwards and they are equipped with yellowish H1 light bulbs inside.

2) Use projector retrofit kits – this depends on your car’s model but chances are there are some aftermarket projectors out there for it. Most popular Impreza models can be fitted with Piaa Extreme series projectors which are incredibly bright and produce an amazing beam pattern. You can even get HIDs for them or install regular halogen lamps if you like, the choice is all yours.

3) Use auxiliary LED lights – this is by far one of the quickest and cheapest ways to improve your Impreza’s visibility at night without having to replace any stock components. Auxiliary LED lights come in various shapes and sizes so you can choose something that will fit perfectly under your car’s front bumper. While most people think about front-mounted auxiliary lights, there are also rear modules available so you could totally light up your entire stopping distance. You should definitely have a look at our store because we have a nice selection of auxiliary LED lights available – just search for “Auxiliary LED”, choose your model and order it online.

Headlight Bulbs By Year

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Headlight Bulb High Beam - 9005 Fahren 9005/HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs, 60W 12000 Lumens Super Bright LED Headlights Conversion Kit 6500K Cool White IP68 Waterproof, Pack of 2 Looking for a brighter, longer-lasting headlight bulb? Fahren's 9005 LED headlight bulbs are the perfect upgrade for your car. These bulbs provide 3 times the light of a standard halogen bulb. The whole aviation aluminum body and unique hollow-carved heat sink design keep your bulbs cool even under extended use, while the 12,000RPM turbo cool fan ensures a long lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. Key Features: Top Automotive-Grade LED chip inside Power - 60 W. Light Output - 12,000 Lm Color Temperature - 6500K Check On Amazon Nilight 9005 LED Headlight Bulbs, 350% Brighter Why we picked it:  【350% Brighter Than Halogens】 Equipped with high luminous efficacy CSP chips and 6000K cool white, E1 9005 LED headlight bulbs output 350% more brightness, providing further and wider visibility for you to see the deer, wild animals, falling rocks or other obstacles in advance to ensure safer driving at night 【Ideal Beam Pattern】 Nilight HB3 LED headlight bulb enhances super focused beam pattern for optimal light shape to improve light concentration and clear visibility. 【10 Mins Easy Installation】 All-in-one compact design, the built-in driver for taking up less space in housing, 1:1 mini size as original halogen bulbs for greater compatibility, real plug and play, quickly install in 10 mins. 【50,000 Hours Lifespan】 65% energy saving, brighter light output with much less power consumption. Check On Amazon AUXITO Upgraded 9005 HB3 LED Headlight Bulbs 6000K White, 100W 20000 Lumens 600% Brighter 【300% Brighter Than Halogen】- Top Automotive-Grade LED chips with 60W, 12,000LM per pair, 6500K cool white. Super focused beam pattern design provides a wider and farther lighting range which is 3 times brighter than your original halogen bulb. 【Over 5,0000 Hours Lifespan】 - Whole aviation aluminum body, unique hollow-carved heat sink design, and 1,2000RPM turbo cool fan provide super cooling ability, which ensures a longer lifespan up to 5,0000 hours. 【10 Minutes Easy Installation】- Almost 1:1 mini design same as halogen, perfectly fit into your housing and factory sockets without any modification, just plug and play. Check On Amazon

Subaru Impreza Headlight Bulb Size Chart

How to find the right bulbs for your vehicle?

The 2018 Subaru Impreza uses H11 bulbs for its low beam and 9005 type bulb for its high beam. Older models use H7 bulb for the low beam and 9005 type bulb for the high beam. In order to get the highest-quality headlight bulbs, it is recommended to buy them only from reputable manufacturers. Cheap bulbs may offer better performance on the packaging, but in reality, are not even close to what premium bulbs can do.

Subaru Impreza Headlight Bulbs 2018-2019

Table below shows the different type of bulbs that are available for Subaru Impreza. For high beam bulb, choose 9005 or HB3, not HIR2. To make things much easier for you to compare what’s out there, the table also shows the price for each bulb at CarID. Price shown is what you can expect to pay at a retailer. You may find them cheaper if you buy online, particularly from third-party vendors and marketplaces like Amazon & eBay. The best approach is to check this list before heading to your local auto parts store so you don’t end up overpaying. Whatever bulb you end up choosing, make sure they are made for your car to guarantee safety and optimal light output.

How to upgrade the headlights of Subaru Impreza?

There are several ways to improve the lighting of your Impreza. The most popular one is installing brighter bulbs in place of the original ones. If you want to install brighter bulbs, HID bulbs are recommended. They not only produce brighter light, but they tend to have a cooler temperature which helps significantly in night driving and also improves the looks of your vehicle. They even last longer than halogen bulbs. They’re more expensive to buy though.

LED bulbs are also a good option because they produce stronger light than regular halogen bulbs. However, most LED bulbs don’t reach as far as halogen or HID bulbs, and I would strongly recommend against them. There are some LED bulbs available with the ability to change the temperature and color for those who are concerned with the looks of their Impreza.

A cheap way to make your Impreza look even better is add-on LED daytime lights or LED strips. These not only look great when matched with the lines of the Impreza, but they tend to illuminate close subjects better, like on a parking lot. They can work as a fog light as well. They should be mounted in the bumper or next to the headlight.

LED strips are sold mostly in red color because it’s cheap to produce, but you can also find them in white and blue colors. Blue is especially popular at night time for its cold look, while white ones are preferred during daytime by those who want their Imprezas to have brighter lights with a bluish tint. If you decide on buying LED strips make sure they fit your 13-14MY Impreza because there are plenty of different kinds out there. I don’t really recommend them though, unless you refuse to install proper LED turn signal indicators like STI Style LED Indicators .

On all cars there are two main types of bulbs: low and high-beam. High-beams are usually marked with a “H” in most cars’ manuals, but not your Impreza. The different high-beam bulbs mainly differ in their shape; some of them might even fit without any modifications to the wiring or the headlight housing itself.

As stated earlier there are plenty of ways to improve lighting on your Impreza: halogen / LED bulbs, fog lights and driving lights (halogen and HID), etc… But I would like to mention another trick we can do here: imitating STI’s blue headlights . It is possible because the LEDs used for turn signal indicators also emit white light when turned on. However it requires plenty of work and it’s not cheap either (around $400).

Here is the official STI owner’s manual with detailed instructions on how to do it. This article below has more information on installing LED bulbs in your Impreza, though this process might be different for some models.

What color temperature to choose?

People buying new bulbs often overlook this, but the color temperature is critical, especially for those seeking better-looking headlights. It is generally accepted that the cooler the light, the brighter the output, but things are not as simple. Take a look at the list below to see what color temperature suits your needs the best:

• Around 3000K – very warm light. Best used in the fog;
• 4300K – considered to be a “natural white light”. Can be used in all conditions, but doesn’t look as sharp;
• 5000-6000K – white and clear light, almost “icy”. Looks much better and works great in night conditions;
• 7000-8000K – these bulbs offer the coolest temperature output, with the 8000K looking slightly blueish. Choose these if you’re into the ice-blue look.

Light bulbs replacement guide

As we’ve previously mentioned, the Impreza has two bulbs in each headlight – one for the low beam and one for the high beam. Both of them are protected with rubber seals which keep things like water and moisture out of the headlight innards. The rubber seals are easily removed by rotating them counterclockwise.

However, the bulbs are a bit trickier. They are not threaded – instead, they are fastened with a spring mechanism. In order to remove the string, you need to squeeze the prongs together and free them from the retaining ridge. The bulb should come right out. When putting the new bulbs in, be sure you hold the prongs squeezed.

Before changing the headlight bulbs, you will need to remove the fastener that holds the windshield washer fluid reservoir on the driver’s side, and air filter exhaust on the passenger side. Both are fastened with a hex bolt.

See Also

How to Get Your Subaru Impreza Shiny Again: A Guide to Rust Removal and Maintaining Its Appeal

How To Prepare Subaru Impreza For Off Road

Subaru Impreza Bad O2 Sensors: How to Diagnose & Fix

See More

Subaru Impreza headlight bulb    Subaru Impreza bulb size   Subaru Impreza bulb size chart

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