Buy 5W-30 engine oil

5W-30 is the most common viscosity grade on the road: almost every car built from around 2000 with a long-life service interval runs it. The grade on its own is not enough, though - the approval decides whether a 5W-30 may go into your engine. Select your vehicle in the oil finder and you will only see the 5W-30 oils carrying the approval your manufacturer specifies.

Which vehicle?

Enter your vehicle - we show only what belongs in it.

Benefits of 5W-30 engine oil for cars

The 5 before the W describes cold-start behaviour: the oil stays fluid enough in frost to reach every lubrication point within seconds - and cold starting is where most engine wear happens. The 30 after it is the viscosity at 100 °C, in other words the oil film in a warm engine.

That pairing is why 5W-30 has become the standard:

  • **Less friction than a 10W-40.** The thinner oil costs the engine less pumping work, which shows up in fuel consumption. That is why manufacturers specify it for their published consumption figures.
  • **Long-life capable.** Every extended, vehicle-calculated drain interval assumes a fully synthetic oil of this grade.
  • **Particulate filter safe**, provided it carries an ACEA C approval: low ash, phosphorus and sulphur content (Low SAPS), so the DPF or OPF does not clog.
  • **All year round.** Nobody needs separate summer and winter oils any more; 5W-30 covers both.

What 5W-30 is not: the right choice for every engine. Older designs with wider bearing clearances and high mileage are better served by 10W-40, high-revving performance engines by 10W-60.

5W-30 engine oil: choosing it and using it

Two oils with an identical "5W-30" on the bottle can have completely different additive packages. What matters is the approval in your owner's manual. The most common ones for 5W-30:

  • VW 504 00 / 507 00 - VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat on long-life servicing, diesels with a particulate filter
  • MB-Approval 229.51 - Mercedes-Benz with particulate filter
  • BMW Longlife-04 - BMW and Mini
  • VW 505 00 - older VW diesels without long-life servicing
  • ACEA C3 - the Low SAPS performance class, where the manufacturer does not require an approval of its own

Practical points that regularly go wrong at the checkout:

  • **Choose by approval, not by price per litre.** A cheaper 5W-30 with the right approval always beats a dearer one without it.
  • **"Meets VW 504 00" is not an approval.** If the container only says "meets" or "satisfies the requirements of", the oil manufacturer has declared the suitability itself; the vehicle manufacturer has not tested it. Inside the warranty period that is a difference.
  • **Match the pack size to the fill quantity.** Cars mostly take 3.5 to 7 litres; a 5 litre container plus a 1 litre bottle for topping up is the most common combination.
  • **With an LPG or CNG conversion, check** whether the oil is approved for gas operation - the valve seats work harder there.

Difference between 5W-30 and 10W-40 engine oil

Both are multigrade oils, but they were made for different generations of engine.

  • **Cold start:** 5W-30 is thinner and reaches the lubrication points faster, 10W-40 is sluggish in frost
  • **At 100 °C:** 5W-30 is thinner and has less friction, 10W-40 leaves a thicker oil film
  • **Typical vehicle:** 5W-30 from roughly the year 2000 on with long-life servicing, 10W-40 older engines and high mileage
  • **Base oil:** 5W-30 practically always fully synthetic, 10W-40 frequently semi-synthetic
  • **Particulate filter:** 5W-30 with an ACEA C approval is suitable, 10W-40 is generally not Low SAPS

The practical difference: in a modern engine with narrow oil galleries, variable valve timing and chain tensioners, a 10W-40 is too thick - the oil arrives too late where it is needed. The other way round, an engine with 250,000 km and wider bearing clearances can be better off with the thicker film at operating temperature, because it uses less oil.

So do not change grade on your own initiative. What the manufacturer has approved is what counts; 10W-40 is the right side of the fence if that is your specification.

5W-30 engine oil: when and how to change it

The interval comes from the owner's manual, and there are two systems. The fixed interval names a mileage limit and 12 months - whichever comes first. The flexible long-life interval is worked out by the vehicle itself from driving profile, oil quantity and temperature, but it requires a 5W-30 with a long-life approval.

Short journeys shorten both. It is not the mileage that wears the oil out but condensation and unburnt fuel, which stay in the oil of an engine that never gets properly warm.

An oil change involves:

1. Warming the engine up so the oil is thin and carries the suspended matter out with it 2. Draining it, fitting a **new oil filter** and a new sealing ring on the drain plug 3. Filling about 0.5 litres short of the nominal quantity, running the engine, then topping up on the dipstick after a few minutes 4. Checking the level again after the first drive - the filter fills up 5. Handing in the used oil: we take back free of charge the quantity you bought from us, see used oil disposal

Topping up between changes is normal. Ideally with the same product; on the road, another 5W-30 with the same approval is the right stopgap - always better than driving on with too little oil.

Frequently asked questions

Which cars is 5W-30 suitable for?

Most cars from roughly the year 2000 on, especially those on long-life servicing. Whether it suits your car is decided by the approval in the owner's manual, not by the year of manufacture - for example VW 504 00, MB-Approval 229.51 or BMW Longlife-04. The oil finder shows you the approved 5W-30 oils for your exact engine.

Is 5W-30 better than 10W-40?

Not better, just made for different engines. 5W-30 is thinner in the cold, has less friction and is a precondition for long-life intervals; 10W-40 has a thicker oil film at operating temperature, which suits older engines with wider bearing clearances. The right grade is the one your manufacturer specifies.

Can I put 5W-30 into an engine that calls for 5W-40?

Not as a permanent solution. At operating temperature 5W-30 is thinner, and if the manufacturer expects a 40 grade oil film - under high thermal load, for instance - that film is missing. As a top-up on the road it is the lesser evil; at the next change 5W-40 goes back in.

Which 5W-30 do I need for a diesel with a particulate filter?

A Low SAPS oil, so one with an ACEA C approval (usually ACEA C3) or the matching manufacturer approval such as VW 504 00/507 00. Oils with a high ash content clog the filter, and replacing it costs many times an oil fill.

How many litres of 5W-30 do I need?

Mostly 3.5 to 7 litres on a car, depending on the engine. Buy a little more than the nominal quantity: the figure in data sheets often applies without a filter change, and a remainder in the container is handy for topping up. For many engines the oil finder shows the fill quantity directly.

What does long-life mean with 5W-30?

That the oil is approved for the extended drain intervals the vehicle calculates itself - VW 504 00/507 00 on VW Group cars, Longlife-04 on BMW. Without such an oil the flexible interval must not be used.

Fully synthetic or semi-synthetic for 5W-30?

In this grade practically always fully synthetic: only that keeps the oil pumpable in the cold, shear stable in the heat and resistant to ageing across a long-life interval. A semi-synthetic oil sold as 5W-30 without a manufacturer approval is no saving on a modern car.

Buy 5W-30 Engine Oil: All Approvals | KASOIL