Engine Oil Specifications: The Approval, Not Just the Viscosity
Ask what oil a car takes and you will usually be told a viscosity — 5W-30, 0W-20. That is the answer to a different question. The viscosity describes how the oil flows; the approval describes what it is made of and what it was tested against. Two oils can share a viscosity and meet entirely different approvals, which is exactly how the wrong one gets bought: the number on the front of the bottle matches, and the specification on the back does not.
On most engines that is a question of longevity. On two designs it is a question of damage. Where a particulate filter is fitted, an oil outside the low-SAPS approval leaves ash that collects in the filter instead of burning off. Where the timing belt runs submerged in the oil, the wrong additive chemistry attacks the belt itself, and the material it sheds blocks the oil pickup. Those are the engines whose rows are marked below, and they are the reason this table records an approval rather than a grade.
Oil approvals for 32 of the 33 engines we cover
Hover any approval to see the caveat recorded against it. Each engine’s own page carries the citation behind the figure.
32 oil specifications. Tap a column heading to sort.32 oil specifications.
BMW B38 1.5 / B48 2.0 petrol
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- BMW Longlife-01; Longlife-04 where a petrol particulate filter is fitted(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- BMW Longlife-04 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- BMW Longlife-04 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Fiat MultiJet diesel
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- Fiat 9.55535-DS1 (SAE 5W-30, low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Ford 1.0 EcoBoost (Fox, cam chain)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- Ford WSS-M2C948-B (SAE 5W-20, low-SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- 4.1 L
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Ford 1.0 EcoBoost (Fox, wet cam belt)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- Ford WSS-M2C948-B (SAE 5W-20, low-SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- 4.1 L
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Ford 2.0 EcoBlue diesel
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- Ford WSS-M2C950-A (SAE 0W-30, very low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- 5.3 L
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Honda 1.0 VTEC Turbo (wet belt)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- SAE 0W-20 — ACEA C2(reported)
- Capacity:
- 3.8 L
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Honda 1.6 i-DTEC and 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- 1.5 VTEC Turbo: SAE 0W-20 (API SP / ILSAC GF-6A). 1.6 i-DTEC: SAE 0W-30 (ACEA C2/C3)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Hyundai / Kia 1.6 CRDi (U-series)
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- ACEA C3 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Hyundai / Kia Kappa and Gamma petrol
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- ACEA A5 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
JLR Ingenium 2.0 (diesel and petrol)
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- JLR STJLR.03.5007 (SAE 5W-20, low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Mazda SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-D
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- SkyActiv-G petrol: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). SkyActiv-D diesel: SAE 0W-30, low SAPS (ACEA C3)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Mercedes-Benz OM651 2.1 diesel
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- MB-Approval 229.51 (SAE 5W-30, low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- ACEA C5 — SAE 0W-20 on the 1.5 T, SAE 5W-30 on the 1.0 T(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Nissan 1.6 HR16DE / 2.0 MR20DE
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- SAE 5W-30 — ACEA A3/B4 quoted for the HR16DE; the MR20DE handbook accepts a wider range(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Porsche flat-six (911 / Boxster / Cayman)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- Porsche A40 (SAE 0W-40 / 5W-40); Porsche C40 where a petrol particulate filter is fitted(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- PSA B71 2290 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- PSA B71 2290 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Renault 0.9 / 1.0 / 1.3 TCe (H-series)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- Renault RN17 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- Renault RN0720 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Stellantis 1.2 PureTech (EB2, wet belt)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Stellantis 1.2 PureTech (Gen 3, cam chain)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Subaru Boxer (FB chain / EJ belt)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- FB series: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). EJ series: SAE 5W-30(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Suzuki K-series and BoosterJet (K12 / K14)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- BoosterJet (K14C): SAE 0W-20, API SP — ACEA C3 quoted for the Vitara 1.4(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
- Fuel:
- hybrid
- Manufacturer approval:
- SAE 0W-20 — ACEA C5 (API SP / ILSAC GF-6A)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Vauxhall Ecotec petrol (1.0 / 1.2 / 1.4)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- GM-LL-A-025, superseded by dexos2 (SAE 5W-30)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Volkswagen Group 1.0 / 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.5 TSI (EA211)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- VW 504 00 (Longlife III)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
Volkswagen Group 2.0 TDI (EA189 / EA288)
- Fuel:
- diesel
- Manufacturer approval:
- VW 507 00 (Longlife III, low SAPS)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- Wet belt
Volkswagen Group 2.0 TSI (EA888 gen 3)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- VW 504 00 (Longlife III); VW 502 00 acceptable on a fixed-interval regime(reported)
- Capacity:
- 5.7 L
- Belt in oil:
- —
Volvo 2.0 VEA Drive-E (D4 / T5)
- Fuel:
- petrol
- Manufacturer approval:
- Volvo VCC RBS0-2AE (SAE 0W-20)(reported)
- Capacity:
- —
- Belt in oil:
- —
| BMW B38 1.5 / B48 2.0 petrol | petrol | BMW Longlife-01; Longlife-04 where a petrol particulate filter is fitted(reported) | — | — |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW B47 2.0 diesel | diesel | BMW Longlife-04 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| BMW N47 2.0 diesel | diesel | BMW Longlife-04 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Fiat MultiJet diesel | diesel | Fiat 9.55535-DS1 (SAE 5W-30, low SAPS)(reported) | — | — |
| Ford 1.0 EcoBoost (Fox, cam chain) | petrol | Ford WSS-M2C948-B (SAE 5W-20, low-SAPS)(reported) | 4.1 L | Wet belt |
| Ford 1.0 EcoBoost (Fox, wet cam belt) | petrol | Ford WSS-M2C948-B (SAE 5W-20, low-SAPS)(reported) | 4.1 L | Wet belt |
| Ford 2.0 EcoBlue diesel | diesel | Ford WSS-M2C950-A (SAE 0W-30, very low SAPS)(reported) | 5.3 L | Wet belt |
| Honda 1.0 VTEC Turbo (wet belt) | petrol | SAE 0W-20 — ACEA C2(reported) | 3.8 L | Wet belt |
| Honda 1.6 i-DTEC and 1.5 VTEC Turbo | petrol | 1.5 VTEC Turbo: SAE 0W-20 (API SP / ILSAC GF-6A). 1.6 i-DTEC: SAE 0W-30 (ACEA C2/C3)(reported) | — | — |
| Hyundai / Kia 1.6 CRDi (U-series) | diesel | ACEA C3 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Hyundai / Kia Kappa and Gamma petrol | petrol | ACEA A5 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| JLR Ingenium 2.0 (diesel and petrol) | diesel | JLR STJLR.03.5007 (SAE 5W-20, low SAPS)(reported) | — | — |
| Mazda SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-D | petrol | SkyActiv-G petrol: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). SkyActiv-D diesel: SAE 0W-30, low SAPS (ACEA C3)(reported) | — | — |
| Mercedes-Benz OM651 2.1 diesel | diesel | MB-Approval 229.51 (SAE 5W-30, low SAPS)(reported) | — | — |
| MG SAIC petrol (1.0T / 1.5T) | petrol | ACEA C5 — SAE 0W-20 on the 1.5 T, SAE 5W-30 on the 1.0 T(reported) | — | — |
| Nissan 1.6 HR16DE / 2.0 MR20DE | petrol | SAE 5W-30 — ACEA A3/B4 quoted for the HR16DE; the MR20DE handbook accepts a wider range(reported) | — | — |
| Porsche flat-six (911 / Boxster / Cayman) | petrol | Porsche A40 (SAE 0W-40 / 5W-40); Porsche C40 where a petrol particulate filter is fitted(reported) | — | — |
| PSA 1.6 HDi (DV6) | diesel | PSA B71 2290 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| PSA 2.0 HDi / BlueHDi (DW10) | diesel | PSA B71 2290 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Renault 0.9 / 1.0 / 1.3 TCe (H-series) | petrol | Renault RN17 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Renault 1.5 dCi (K9K) | diesel | Renault RN0720 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Stellantis 1.2 PureTech (EB2, wet belt) | petrol | PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported) | — | Wet belt |
| Stellantis 1.2 PureTech (Gen 3, cam chain) | petrol | PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported) | — | — |
| Stellantis 1.5 BlueHDi (DV5) | diesel | PSA B71 2312 (SAE 0W-30, ultra-low SAPS)(reported) | — | — |
| Subaru Boxer (FB chain / EJ belt) | petrol | FB series: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). EJ series: SAE 5W-30(reported) | — | — |
| Suzuki K-series and BoosterJet (K12 / K14) | petrol | BoosterJet (K14C): SAE 0W-20, API SP — ACEA C3 quoted for the Vitara 1.4(reported) | — | — |
| Toyota 1.8 Hybrid (2ZR-FXE) | hybrid | SAE 0W-20 — ACEA C5 (API SP / ILSAC GF-6A)(reported) | — | — |
| Vauxhall Ecotec petrol (1.0 / 1.2 / 1.4) | petrol | GM-LL-A-025, superseded by dexos2 (SAE 5W-30)(reported) | — | — |
| Volkswagen Group 1.0 / 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.5 TSI (EA211) | petrol | VW 504 00 (Longlife III)(reported) | — | — |
| Volkswagen Group 2.0 TDI (EA189 / EA288) | diesel | VW 507 00 (Longlife III, low SAPS)(reported) | — | Wet belt |
| Volkswagen Group 2.0 TSI (EA888 gen 3) | petrol | VW 504 00 (Longlife III); VW 502 00 acceptable on a fixed-interval regime(reported) | 5.7 L | — |
| Volvo 2.0 VEA Drive-E (D4 / T5) | petrol | Volvo VCC RBS0-2AE (SAE 0W-20)(reported) | — | — |
Records that name two oils
Some of these records cover more than one engine, and those engines do not share an oil. Where that happens the entry names both. It would be tidier to pick one — and picking one is precisely how an owner ends up putting a petrol approval in a diesel, or a naturally aspirated grade in a turbo.
- Honda 1.6 i-DTEC and 1.5 VTEC Turbo — 1.5 VTEC Turbo: SAE 0W-20 (API SP / ILSAC GF-6A). 1.6 i-DTEC: SAE 0W-30 (ACEA C2/C3)
- Mazda SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-D — SkyActiv-G petrol: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). SkyActiv-D diesel: SAE 0W-30, low SAPS (ACEA C3)
- MG SAIC petrol (1.0T / 1.5T) — ACEA C5 — SAE 0W-20 on the 1.5 T, SAE 5W-30 on the 1.0 T
- Subaru Boxer (FB chain / EJ belt) — FB series: SAE 0W-20 (API SP). EJ series: SAE 5W-30
Not established
One record carries no oil approval, and deliberately so. An engine whose timing drive we cannot resolve cannot have a settled oil answer either, because the two follow the same fitment. Publishing a plausible approval here would be worse than publishing nothing: nothing sends the owner to the handbook, and a VIN check settles it in minutes.
Common questions
- What is an oil approval, and why isn't the viscosity enough?
- The viscosity — 5W-30, 0W-20 — describes how the oil flows. The approval describes what it is made of and what it has been tested against: VW 504 00, Ford WSS-M2C950-A, BMW Longlife-04, PSA B71 2312. Two oils can share a viscosity and meet completely different approvals. Buying on the viscosity alone is the single most common way the wrong oil ends up in an engine, because the number on the front of the bottle matches and the approval on the back does not.
- What actually happens if I use an oil with the wrong approval?
- It depends on the engine, and on two designs in particular. On an engine with a diesel or petrol particulate filter, an oil outside the low-SAPS approval leaves sulphated ash that accumulates in the filter rather than burning off, and the filter blocks. On a wet-belt engine — where the timing belt runs submerged in the oil — the belt is attacked by the wrong additive chemistry, sheds material, and that debris blocks the oil pickup. Both are mechanical damage rather than inconvenience, which is why we treat this field the same way we treat a cambelt interval.
- Why does one engine here list two different oils?
- Because it genuinely takes two, and averaging them would be how the wrong approval reaches an owner. Several records cover more than one engine: Honda's 1.5 petrol and 1.6 diesel take different oils, as do Mazda's SkyActiv-G and SkyActiv-D, Subaru's FB and EJ, and MG's two turbos. Where that happens the entry names both rather than picking one.
- Why is one engine listed as not established?
- The Ford 1.5 and 1.6 EcoBoost record cannot tell you whether a given car has the wet belt or the chain, because Ford fitted both and nothing outside the VIN distinguishes them. An engine whose timing drive is unresolved cannot have a settled oil answer either, so we publish neither rather than guess at one. A dealer VIN check settles it.
- Where do these come from?
- Published oil-specification references and manufacturer documentation, cited on each engine's own page. Our build refuses to publish an oil approval that carries no citation at all, and flags any entry that records a bare viscosity with no approval behind it. Always confirm against the handbook or filler cap for your specific vehicle — approvals are revised, and a later car in the same family can call for a different one.
Why this sits on a service-record site
Because on 18 of the engines listed above, the oil is not maintenance paperwork — it is a mechanical input. A belt running in oil, or a filter that has to burn its ash off, turns “serviced on time, to the right specification” from an administrative detail into the thing keeping the engine alive. That is what makes a documented service history worth reading rather than merely worth having, and it is why a gap in the record on one of these engines is a mechanical question rather than a negotiating point.
Related: wet belt engines, cambelt intervals and gearbox oil intervals.