This is my buying guide on the brightest 3156 LED bulbs in 2023. Below is a quick summary of my top recommendations. Scroll further down to read my in depth, hands on reviews, for each 3156 bulb.

BRIGHTEST BUDGET

Alla Lighting
3156 LED Bulbs

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• 2,800 lumens total
• 1-year warranty
• Quick installation
• 6,000K clear white
• 17 watts per set
• ZES SMD LED chipsets
• IP67 rating
• 30,000-hour lifespan

Overall BRIGHTEST

Auxbeam B2 Series
3156 LED Bulb

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• 6,000 lumens
• IP68 rating
• Plug-and-play installation
• 6,500K cool white
• Built-in CANbus driver
• No decoder required
• 2-year warranty
• 50,000-hour lifespan

WORTHY CONSIDERATION

Lasfit 3156 LED Bulbs

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• 2600 lumens
• 1-year warranty
• Fast installation
• 3,000K amber yellow
• 28 watts
• 30 LED chips
• Advanced cooling

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A 3156 bulb is a single filament bulb commonly used for turn signals or reversing lights. Some drivers replace their interior lights with 3156 bulbs too.

There are a stack of manufacturers of this bulb, so how do you know which is the brightest? 

I’m here to help. Cars are my life. I live and breathe them, and I’ve been tinkering with them since I was a kid. 

I know every component and how it works, so I tested eight of the brightest 3156 LED bulbs and found three that I would highly recommend. 

The Auxbeam B3 Series 3156 LED bulbs were the best of the lot. Why?

They offer excellent brightness and a cool white light that makes objects clearer than the yellow of stock halogens. 

Learn more about why these 3156 LED bulbs are so good, as well as look at my other two top picks, brightest budget and a close runner-up.

IMPORTANT! – Make sure you have the correct bulb sizing and fitment so you don’t waste your money, use this handy tool to double check.

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Top of the Pack

When it comes to brightness, the Auxbeam B2 Series 3156 LED bulbs take the cake. Touted at 6,000 lumens, they are incredibly bright, making them ideal for turn signals or brake lights.

My Testing Adventure

As with all my bulb tests, I set up the Auxbeam B2 3156 LEDs 20 feet away from my lux meter, stacking them up against stock halogens that gave me readings of 725 lux in the projector test and 910 lux in the reflector test.

In the projector test, the Auxbeam B2 3156 LEDs boasted an initial rating of 1,186 lux, which is a good 150% brighter than the stock halogens. That’s incredibly bright for reverse lights.

Although it’s unlikely that they’d be left on this long, I kept them running for 27 minutes — about the average US commute time. They fell to 855 lux, which equates to just 74% heat retention.

During the reflector test, the bulbs started with 1,560 lux, dropping again by 74% to 1,154 lux after the 27-minute mark.

The silver lining here was the beam pattern. With such intense brightness, I was expecting issues, but the cut-off point was sharp and distinct. There was no glare, and I could clearly see the vehicle behind me while reversing. The bulbs also exhibited minimal scattering and no glaring dark spots.

The advertised watts are 44 per bulb, and my readings showed each bulb used around 41.6 watts. This is relatively high for reverse lights and raised suspicions about potential heating issues.

Color Temperature 

These lights emit a versatile cool white of 6,500 Kelvins, suitable for any part of the car. This is a massive upgrade from the more yellowish 2,700 K of stock halogens.

Managing the Heat

The Auxbeam B2 Series 3156 bulbs feature a cooling system with an aviation 6063 aluminum profile design to facilitate heat dissipation. Notably, there’s no fan.

Just as I had suspected, they do heat up. My tests pegged them at 193°F, but since tail lights are typically used for only short bursts, this shouldn’t pose a significant issue.

Nice Extras 

The Auxbeam B2 series 3156 LED bulbs come with a built-in CANbus driver to mitigate potential flickering, and the Elecsy-X IC driver works to prevent radio interference. 

Each bulb is fitted with 12 CSP 3570 LED chips, which explains their exceptional brightness.

Installation

Installation was a cinch. They’re a perfect match to the stock halogens in size and polarity and offer plug-and-play convenience. The whole process took me about five minutes per bulb.

I encountered no dashboard errors or flashing, so in my opinion, there’s no need for a decoder.

Durability and Longevity

With an IP68 rating, these bulbs are resistant to all types of weather, the highest level of protection. I had a chance to test them out in a storm, and they held up incredibly well.

Auxbeam claims these bulbs have a lifespan of 50,000 hours and provides a 2-year warranty.

Feedback from Fellow Drivers

The Auxbeam B2 Series 3156 LED bulbs currently boast an impressive 4.7/5 stars rating.

Many drivers have lauded these bulbs for their ease of installation and extreme brightness.

However, some customers felt they might be too bright for the rear of a vehicle.

The Bottom Line

The Auxbeam B2 series LEDs are among the brightest 3156 bulbs you can find out there. They offer intense brightness and excellent visibility, making them a top choice in my books.

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The Wallet-Friendly Choice

If you’re working on a budget, you can’t go wrong with the Alla Lighting 3156 LED bulbs. Alla Lighting is a brand I’ve always been partial to. Boasting 3,000 lumens, these bulbs offer exceptional brightness at just ⅔ of the price of the Auxbeam B2 series LEDs.

My Trial Run

During my projector test, these bulbs managed to clock in at approximately 1,001 lux. That’s only 185 lux short of the Auxbeam B2 LEDs and still one and a half times brighter than your stock halogens.

Unlike the Auxbeam B2s, the Alla Lighting 3156 LEDs retained their brightness incredibly well, dipping to just 83%, or 832 lux.

In the reflector test, they outshone the Auxbeams with a rating of 1,870 lux, dropping to 83% or 1,554 lux after a while.

The bulbs have a relatively low cut-off point, which resulted in minimal scattering, but the usual weak spot, the lower center, was slightly more noticeable. Despite that, I was impressed by the overall light control and balance on each side.

The Alla Lighting 3156 bulbs are promoted as drawing a mere 8.5 watts of power, and my tests showed they consume about 8.3 watts. This would explain the fantastic heat retention.

Color Temperature 

Alla Lighting offers three color options for its 3156 LED bulbs.

You’ve got a cool white 6,000 Kelvins, perfect as reverse lights, amber/yellow for turn signals, and red for brake lights.

For interior lights, I’d recommend sticking with white as it enhances visibility inside the car at night.

Taming the Heat

The Alla Lighting 3156 bulbs employ an aviation-grade aluminum heatsink for heat dissipation, and it does the job pretty well.

After a run of 27 minutes, my tests showed a temperature of only 141°F. That’s impressive heat management for a bulb without a cooling fan.

Cool Extras 

The units house 6 ZES LED chips that produce a brighter, superior-quality beam. 

One of my favorite features is the gold finish on each bulb. It sets them apart from the competition.

Installation

Just like the Auxbeam B2s, these bulbs follow a 1:1 halogen plug-and-play design. It took me under ten minutes, and I didn’t even need to glance at the instructions.

However, I did have to install a decoder to prevent the lights from flashing. These bulbs consume much less power than halogens, leading the vehicle to misinterpret their functionality.

Durability and Longevity

Thanks to their IP67 rating, these LED bulbs are waterproof. I put them to the test in heavy rain, and they didn’t falter.

Alla Lighting is a bit more cautious in their claims, estimating the lifespan of the 3156 LEDs to be around 30,000 hours and offering a 1-year warranty.

Feedback from the Road

The Alla Lighting 3157 LED bulbs currently enjoy a 4.4/5 stars rating.

Drivers have commended the brilliant illumination of these lights, their easy installation process, and the quality of the materials.

Some drivers did encounter CAN bus issues, but these were resolved, just like with mine, by installing a decoder.

The Bottom Line

For those on a budget, the Alla Lighting 3156 bulbs are a bright, efficient, and highly dependable option.

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The Lastfit 3156 LED bulbs are undoubtedly a worthy choice to consider, and they’ve rightfully earned a place in my top three picks. They emit 2,600 lumens, providing exceptional brightness and improved visibility.

Putting Them to the Test

In my projector test, these bulbs found a middle ground between the Auxbeams and the Alla Lightings, scoring 1,053 lux. After 27 minutes, they had dimmed to 939 lux, a dip to only 89% – which I found to be excellent.

In the reflector test, they started off with 2,080 lux, which dropped to 89% or 1,855 lux later on. These bulbs proved to have fantastic heat retention.

They’ve got a clear and sharp cut-off point that prevents any dark spots or scattering. I was genuinely impressed by their broad beam pattern.

These bulbs are my second choice, mainly because, much like the Alla Lighting ones but unlike the Auxbeam B2 LEDs, I encountered some flickering issues. I had to install a decoder to rectify this.

While they’re advertised to draw 28 watts, I observed them pulling about 26.2 watts. This is lower than what the Auxbeams consume but higher than the Alla Lighting bulbs.

Color Temperature 

In contrast to the Auxbeam B2 and Alla Lighting LEDs, these bulbs come in at 3,000 Kelvins, rendering an amber-yellow light that gives off a slightly yellowish-white glow. This works well for tail and signal lights, but I personally favor white.

Keeping Things Cool

The Lastfit 3156 LED bulbs employ an intelligent temperature control system, along with an aviation aluminum heatsink. 

After a 27-minute test, they stood at 154°F, making them considerably cooler than the Auxbeam B2s.

Cool Additions 

Each bulb hosts 30 top-quality LED chips, which explain their brightness and broad beam pattern. 

I’m a fan of their cool design—they look like something you’d find on a space shuttle. They’re definitely not your typical 3156 bulbs.

Installation

Much like the Auxbeam B2 and Alla Lighting LEDs, it took me around five minutes to install each light, thanks to their plug-and-play design.

Durability and Longevity

Lasfit hasn’t specified the waterproof rating or expected lifespan for these 3156 bulbs. But based on their other products, the IP rating is likely to be 68, and the longevity, around 30,000 hours. Their 1-year warranty backs up this assumption.

Road Testimonials

The Lastfit 3157 LED bulbs are relatively new to the market and have fewer than 100 customer reviews so far. They’re currently rated at 3.9/5 stars, but I expect that to rise. 

Drivers have been quick to commend these lights for their intense brightness and enhanced visibility. The simplicity of the installation process has also been highlighted. 

Despite being marketed as CAN bus ready without any hyper-flash, many customers, including me, found that a decoder was necessary. 

The Verdict

The 3156 LED bulbs from Lastfit are definitely worth considering. They offer excellent brightness levels, visibility, and overall longevity—all at a great price.

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Things to Consider When Picking the Brightest 3156 LED Bulbs

Many drivers believe the 3156 and 3157 LEDs are interchangeable, which isn’t technically correct. While you could put a 3157 into a 315 socket (with a bit of manipulation), it doesn’t work the other way around.

3156 bulbs are single filaments and are best used only for reverse/backup and turn signal lights. 3157s are double filaments and can also be used as daytime running lights ((DRLs).

Generally, 3156 bulbs aren’t as bright as 3157 and tend to draw less power.

As always, before replacing stock bulbs, ensure that your vehicle’s make and model accept the 3156 bulbs.

I recommend you upgrade 3156 bulbs from halogen to LEDs. The stock bulbs come in an average Kelvin color of 2,700 which is yellow. 

I don’t know about you, but when I’m hunting around in the back of the car for something lost, I want the light to be clear. The 6,500 Kelvins of LEDS highlight objects inside and outside the car so much better.