Free oil and fluids lookup
What type of oil does my car take?
Enter your VIN, or choose your make, fuel, engine size and year, to see the oil your engine is approved for, how many quarts an oil change with filter takes, and which coolant and brake fluid it uses — from the maker's own owner's manual wherever we can find one, with the source on every line.
Free · no signup · the engine size is in the owner's manual and on the original window sticker
Example result
Matched on
Ford · 1.5 liter · Gasoline · 2019
Oil and fluids for this engine
- Engine oil
- Ford WSS-M2C945-B1 · API SN or SN PLUS (varies by model manual), if Motorcraft is unavailable · 5W-20(2018–2019 · Escape (MY2018), Fusion (MY2019))
- Manufacturer-publishedSource
- Coolant
- Motorcraft Orange Prediluted Antifreeze/Coolant — Ford WSS-M97B44-D2
- Manufacturer-publishedSource
- As listed in the MY2013–2019 manuals checked. Do not mix coolant types.
- Brake fluid
- DOT 4 LV · Ford WSS-M6C65-A2
- Manufacturer-publishedSource
- Motorcraft DOT 4 Low Viscosity (LV) High Performance Brake Fluid in every MY2014-on manual checked (later manuals add 'or ISO 4925 Class 6'). The MY2013 F-150 and Super Duty manuals specify DOT 3 (WSS-M6C62-A or WSS-M6C65-A1).
How to read an oil specification
A US owner's manual names the oil in up to three parts. The viscosity grade (0W-20, 5W-30) says how the oil flows: the figure with the W is its cold rating, the second its thickness at operating temperature. The API service category (API SP) and ILSAC grade (GF-6A) set a minimum standard. Some makers add their own approval — GM's dexos1 Gen 3, BMW Longlife-01, VW 508 00 — and where the manual names one, it's the part that matters most.
An oil can share a viscosity with the right one and still not meet the approval. Check the approval or API symbol printed on the bottle, not just the grade.
How many quarts: oil change with filter
The capacity your owner's manual lists for an oil change includes the new filter. Fill to the dipstick's full mark rather than emptying every bottle in: too much oil is as harmful as too little. Some newer engines have no dipstick and are checked through the instrument cluster.
Coolant and brake fluid
Engine coolant is a maker-specific chemistry, not just a color, so top up with the type your manual names. Brake fluid is graded DOT 3, DOT 4 or DOT 5.1, which are glycol-based; DOT 5 is silicone-based and must never be mixed with the others.
Where we get the figures
Oil specifications and capacities come from manufacturers' own US owner's manuals wherever they're published, and are labeled "Manufacturer-published" with a link to the document. Where a maker publishes nothing we can link, a figure from a dealer or a parts catalog is labeled "Reported". We never use oil companies' product finders, and where we hold nothing for an engine we say so rather than guess.
Oil type and capacity by make
Every engine we hold sourced oil figures for, make by make — with the models it was used in.
- Acura oil type and capacity
- Audi oil type and capacity
- BMW oil type and capacity
- Buick oil type and capacity
- Cadillac oil type and capacity
- Chevrolet oil type and capacity
- Chrysler oil type and capacity
- Dodge oil type and capacity
- Ford oil type and capacity
- Genesis oil type and capacity
- GMC oil type and capacity
- Honda oil type and capacity
- Hyundai oil type and capacity
- Infiniti oil type and capacity
- Jaguar oil type and capacity
- Jeep oil type and capacity
- Kia oil type and capacity
- Land Rover oil type and capacity
- Lexus oil type and capacity
- Lincoln oil type and capacity
- Mazda oil type and capacity
- Mercedes-Benz oil type and capacity
- Mini oil type and capacity
- Mitsubishi oil type and capacity
- Nissan oil type and capacity
- Porsche oil type and capacity
- Ram oil type and capacity
- Subaru oil type and capacity
- Toyota oil type and capacity
- Volkswagen oil type and capacity
- Volvo oil type and capacity
Common questions
What type of oil does my car take?
The oil your owner's manual names for its engine: a viscosity grade (such as 0W-20 or 5W-30) and an API/ILSAC standard, plus a maker approval where there is one (GM dexos1, VW 508 00, BMW Longlife-01). Enter your VIN above to see it for your engine, with the source.
How many quarts of oil does my car take?
It depends on the engine — most four-cylinder engines take between about 4.5 and 5.5 quarts for an oil change with a new filter, and V8s and large diesels take more. The figure above is from the owner's manual. Fill to the dipstick's full mark rather than emptying every bottle in.
Does my car need synthetic oil?
If the manual names a 0W grade or a maker approval such as dexos1 Gen 3, VW 508 00 or BMW Longlife-01, it effectively needs a synthetic, because conventional oils don't meet those standards. Follow the grade and approval your manual names.
Can I look up my oil type by VIN?
Yes. NHTSA's free VIN decoder gives us the make, model year, fuel and engine size, which is enough to find the engine in most cases. Where two engines fit, both are shown and the engine code in your manual settles it.