[caption id="attachment_32847" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Engine oil change. Car repair. Service station.[/caption]
Thirty per cent of vehicle technicians remain unsure what oil they should use in any given situation according to a new survey from The Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS). With many mechanics picking oils on price rather than suitability, the trade body is urging workshops to increase education around oils, with access to data a crucial component.
The survey of 12,000 workshop contacts was run in collaboration with Comma Oils, and was released last week at Automechanika Birmingham 2025. "Engine oil choice really matters,” said VLS Chairman Harald Oosting, “but our study shows techs are still picking on price. That's a major concern for us, for workshops and for anyone that drives a car. It might be cheap, but if it’s unsuitable for the vehicle there will be consequences.”
VLS was launched by the United Kingdom Lubricants Association (UKLA) in 2013 in response to growing concerns over products not being able to deliver what they claimed, with the body tasked with investigating when a product is brought to its attention. In 2023 the organisation marked its 10th anniversary with a special White Paper that looked at the 88 cases that had been investigated over the previous decade. At Automechanika Birmingham 2025 VLS also published an updated version of that document, with the number of cases now having risen to 123.
“We’ve seen a significant rise in cases in the last 18 months,” observed Oosting. “Cases are going up because there are problems that haven’t been fixed. However, it’s also happening because people are aware of VLS, and if a product isn’t right they now know where to go.”
Increasing complexity in the market is a major factor. “Passenger vehicle engine oils still make up the vast majority of the cases, but we have also seen an increase in the number of commercial vehicle cases, along with cases dealing with brake fluids, hydraulic fluids and other associated fluids.”
Choosing the right oil has become much more complex. “We are getting products with ever-lower viscosity for more modern vehicles,” said Oosting. “This is just what you need for a car made today, but the average car in the UK is now 10.5 years old, and there are 10 million vehicles on the road that are over 20 years old.”
A blend that once worked for a certain vehicle may not work for its current iteration now either. “Workshops need to realise that just because they used certain product for a particular model a few years ago,” observed Oosting, “it doesn’t necessarily mean it's exactly the same product now.”
Manufacturers are also partly to blame. “Oil companies are all pushing their latest OW-20 or 0W-8 lowest viscosity oils, which is ideal for a newer car, but not for older vehicles.”
When it comes to workshops, there may also be a generational difference at play. “20 years ago,” noted Oosting, “5W-30 covered almost everything, and on that basis older mechanics may make certain choices and have particular preferences. On the other hand, young mechanics that have learnt on modern engines may have a greater understanding of what product is needed.”
Access to information is needed to bridge the gap: “Lubricant providers offer online tools to point techs towards the right product,” Oosting said, “but workshops need to make sure they are using these tools.”
Workshop stocking policy on lubricants is also a factor here. 80% use motor factors to obtain engine oils according to figures from VLS’s White Paper. While 37% opted to have a mix of 10 or more five litre packs on site, some were relying on 60 litre drums and barrels. “If a workshop doesn’t have the right product in stock, there is a danger they just going to use what’s on the shelf. The best workshops will have five or 10 fast movers in stock at all times, and the rest they buy in as they need it. They call the motor factor and they will bring it in.”
Old habits die hard unfortunately. “Despite everything, the problem is that a significant number of workshops would still prefer to have a single oil to fit everything, but that’s impossible now.”
Ironically, oil providers agree with the workshops. “Lubricant companies want to make as fewer products as possible,” said Oosting, “with those products meeting as many specifications as possible.”
In the middle of this equation sit the carmakers. “As we know, over the last few years they have created engines that are so specific and sophisticated you end up relying on the data to make the right choice.”
So what's the solution? “This is why VLS exists,” concluded Oosting. “Through us, you can check the product and see if it can deliver what it claims, and can have confidence that when you buy that oil it can do what it says on the tin.”
For more information on the study, and to view the updated White Paper, visit the VLS website: https://ukla-vls.org.uk/
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