What engine oil does your car need?

Not the “best” one, and not the most expensive one, but the one that meets your engine manufacturer's requirements. That's what this whole site is about.

Choosing oil in 7 steps All sections
An engine oil filler cap marked Engine Oil

Choosing engine oil in 7 steps

The whole guide
  1. In place of a foreword The author explains why the oil-selection scheme laid out on the site is the only correct one for long engine life.
  2. How does it usually start? Which oil to buy, which filters, do you need to flush the engine, and just how often, in thousands of kilometres, do you actually need to change the oil?
  3. Step one: finding out the manufacturer's recommendations Find out why choosing an oil should start with studying the service book and the car manufacturer's recommendations.
  4. Step two: so what was in there before? Find out how to assess the oil previously put in your engine and check its consumption against the manufacturer's norm.
  5. Step three: analysing the current situation We compare the engine manufacturer's approval with the oil actually in use: if everything matches, there's no need to change brands, except in the case of elevated oil consumption.
  6. Step four: analysing the market We draw up a list of oils from various brands certified to the approval you need, paying attention to the approvals themselves rather than the manufacturers' marketing claims.
  7. Step five: choosing the grade and viscosity of the oil We narrow the list of oils down by type and viscosity: the older the engine and the higher the mileage, the higher the viscosity needed within the range the manufacturer allows.
  8. Step six: making the choice of oil In essence, after steps four and five, all that's left for us is to pick an oil from among several brands from various manufacturers.
  9. Step seven: buying the oil Buy oil from a trusted seller or an official representative, so you don't end up with a counterfeit behind a nice-looking label.

Site essentials

Technical data

All classifications

SAE viscosity

Viscosity value table

API classes

All API classes

ACEA classification

What ACEA codes mean

Manufacturer approvals

What an approval is and why it matters

Engine oil manufacturers

Quick tips

All tips

Industry news

All news

Engine oil can suit your engine, or not. An expensive, high-quality oil that's the wrong fit will wreck your engine far faster than a suitable oil of average quality. That's what this site is about.

There's no promotion of any manufacturer or brand here. The site was built purely in the interest of car owners, and it isn't a business project.

Serhii Maslov, site author

The main questions, answered, are right here

The site has been running since 2008.