Does the engine oil you use always have to be the same brand?

25 czerwca 2026

Does the engine oil you use always have to be the same brand that the manufacturer used for the initial factory fill? Many drivers are convinced that switching lubricant brands can negatively affect engine performance. However, as Adam Klimek, TotalEnergies ambassador, explains, this is yet another popular myth that is not supported by vehicle manufacturers’ recommendations.

Factory recommendations concern standards, not brands

In advertising materials, marketing communications, and sometimes even under the hood of a car, you can find recommendations for specific oil brands. However, it is worth remembering that these are for informational or promotional purposes only. The key is the information contained in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Car manufacturers always specify the required quality standards, viscosity grades, and oil approvals. It is far less common—and in practice almost never to find a provision requiring the user to use only oil from a single, specific brand.

The owner’s manual as a reference

A TotalEnergies expert points out that consulting the owner’s manual is sufficient to resolve any doubts. For example, the technical documentation for select BMW models includes information on required standards, such as BMW Longlife-04, BMW Longlife-12 FE, or BMW Longlife-17 FE+. However, there is no requirement to use oil from a specific manufacturer.

The situation is similar for Hyundai vehicles, where the manufacturer specifies quality requirements, such as API SB PLUS/SP or ILSAC GF-6, without assigning them to a specific oil brand. In turn, for some Audi models, information about the required oil is found on a label under the hood—e.g., VW 508 00 / VW 509 00 in the SAE 0W-20 class, also without specifying the oil manufacturer.

When oil is designed for a specific engine

There are also cases where the opposite is true, with the lubricant manufacturer developing a product dedicated to a specific engine family. An example is TotalEnergies Quartz INEO EcoB 5W-20 – an oil designed specifically for EcoBoost engines. In such cases, the information on the packaging serves as a guide for the user, but compliance with specific standards and approvals remains crucial.

Summary: Specifications Over Brand

When selecting engine oil, one should not rely solely on the product brand. The most important factor is meeting the quality requirements specified by the engine manufacturer: standards, approvals, and viscosity grades. Only then can one choose between brands offering oils that comply with these guidelines.

If you have any doubts or lack access to technical documentation, the TotalEnergies oil configurator, available at https://totalenergies.pl/dobierz-olej-0, is a helpful tool. It allows you to select the right oil for a specific vehicle make and model based on official engine manufacturer recommendations.

Another myth under the expert’s microscope

Adam Klimek also discusses the topic of engine oil selection in a video. The video, in which the expert debunks another oil myth, is available on the TotalEnergies YouTube channel:

Aby wyświetlić treść poprawnie zaakceptuj pliki cookies.

About TotalEnergies Marketing Polska
TotalEnergies Marketing Polska has been operating in Poland since 1992 and has an established position in the engine oil market. Its portfolio includes products from two well-known brands: TotalEnergies and ELF. The company is active in the industrial lubricants segment, providing solutions that support the reliability and efficiency of processes in manufacturing plants. Since 2008, TotalEnergies has also offered bituminous products and has been active in the market for industrial specialty fluids. TotalEnergies is also expanding its range of agricultural products under the Agri brand, supporting modern solutions for the agricultural sector.

About TotalEnergies Marketing and Services
TotalEnergies Marketing and Services offers its business and residential customers a wide range of energy products and services – petroleum products, biofuels, electric vehicle charging, LNG for maritime transport, aviation fuels, bitumen, LPG and clean cooking solutions – to support their mobility and help them reduce their carbon footprint. Every day, more than 6 million customers worldwide visit our 13,000 service stations and use related services (mobility cards, car washes, catering, etc.). As the world’s fourth-largest lubricant manufacturer, we design and sell high-performance products for the automotive, industrial and marine sectors. To best meet the needs of our B2B customers, we leverage our sales force, international logistics network and a diverse, tailor-made range of products. We operate in over 100 countries, where our 25,000 employees are close to all our customers.

About TotalEnergies
TotalEnergies is a global, integrated energy company involved in the production and sale of energy: crude oil and biofuels, natural gas, biogas and low-carbon hydrogen, renewable energy and electricity. More than 100,000 of our employees are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible have access to energy that is more reliable, affordable and sustainable. TotalEnergies operates in around 120 countries, and sustainable development is at the heart of its strategy, projects and operations.

Contact TotalEnergies
Bartosz Cyran | bartosz.cyran@proautomotive.pl | +48 662 454 679

Legal Notice
The terms “TotalEnergies,” “TotalEnergies Company,” or “the Company” in this document are used to refer to TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Similarly, the words “we,” “us,” and “our” may also be used to refer to these entities or their employees. Entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly holds an interest are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE is not liable for the acts or omissions of these entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive, and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to numerous risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries undertakes to publicly update any forward-looking information or statements, objectives, or trends contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Information regarding risk factors that may affect TotalEnergies’ financial results or operations is included in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which was filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator, the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) and in Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).