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Buy 0W-30 engine oil
0W-30 behaves like a 5W-30 in a warm engine and is only better at the cold start: in frost the oil reaches every lubrication point faster. For short-journey drivers and cold regions that is a premium worth paying - provided the approval is right. Check it in the oil finder.
The difference from 5W-30 in one sentence
Both grades have the same viscosity at 100 °C, so the same oil film in service. The number before the W only describes how stiff the oil is at start-up: the limits for pumpability and cold cranking sit one step lower for 0W than for 5W. Both meet the standard for a northern European winter - the difference works in the seconds after the start, and it becomes clearer the colder it gets.
Since most engine wear occurs in those first seconds after the start, this is not a cosmetic difference. It shows up most clearly with cold winters, short journeys and vehicles parked outdoors.
Who really benefits
- short-journey drivers: many cold starts a week, the engine rarely gets properly warm
- vehicles kept outdoors in cold regions
- hybrids and stop-start vehicles whose engine restarts constantly
- VW Group long-life vehicles, for which 0W-30 with VW 504 00/507 00 is available
If you mostly cover long distances and park in a heated garage, switching to 0W-30 brings hardly any measurable benefit.
Approvals available in 0W-30
Fully synthetic is a precondition here; a mineral 0W-30 does not exist. Common ones are:
- VW 504 00/507 00 - long-life for VW, Audi, Skoda, Seat
- BMW Longlife-04 - BMW and Mini
- MB-Approval 229.51 and 229.52 - Mercedes-Benz with particulate filter
- ACEA C3 and C2 - Low SAPS for vehicles with a filter
Make sure the approval really is printed on the container and does not just say "meets" - that is the oil manufacturer's own statement, not a release by the vehicle manufacturer.
Price and benefit, realistically
0W-30 usually costs more than the same oil in 5W-30, because the base oil is more elaborate. The benefit is real but limited to the cold-start phase. Order of priority when buying: first the right approval, then the viscosity grade, then the price per litre. A 5W-30 with the right approval is always better than a 0W-30 without it.
A new oil filter goes with it in every case - sending a 0W-30 through an old filter is saving at the wrong end.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run 0W-30 instead of 5W-30?
If the required approval is met, yes - with the same approval the two are equivalent in a warm engine, and 0W-30 starts better in the cold. Many manufacturers name both grades expressly. If your manual names only one, stick to it.
Is 0W-30 worth the extra cost?
With many cold starts, short journeys and a cold parking spot, yes, because that is where the greatest wear occurs. If you mostly cover long distances the measurable difference is small - the money is then better invested in shorter drain intervals.
Is 0W-30 also suitable for summer?
Yes. The second number describes the behaviour at 100 °C, and a 0W-30 carries just as much load there as a 5W-30. Running separate summer and winter oils was necessary in the days of monogrades, not today.
