How many liters of oil does your car use?

Nina Geuskens
20 January 2025

How many liters of oil does a car take? This is a question that many motorists ask themselves, especially when planning an oil change or checking the oil level. The amount of motor oil required can vary depending on the type of vehicle, the size of the engine and the manufacturer's specifications. In this blog, we explain how many liters of oil are needed on average, why it is important to use the right amount and how to easily top up the motor oil.

check engine level

The importance of motor oil

The oil in your car is one of the most important fluids in your car. First of all, it is of course a lubricant, which ensures that the moving parts of your car rub against each other as little as possible. This leads to wear of the parts and negative fuel consumption and less engine efficiency. Motor oil also cools at the lubrication points and has a cleaning effect. It transports small wear particles to the oil filter, from where they are discharged. This prevents blockages in the oil bores. Finally, the oil forms a seal and prevents rust formation.

How many liters of oil does my car hold?

How many liters of oil are in your car depends on the type of car. In a small, light car the oil level is approximately four litres, but larger off-road vehicles can easily require eight litres of oil. You can check how much oil your car needs based on your registration number. For example, you can enter your registration number on oliedienst.nl, after which you will see exactly how much oil your car needs. You can also find this information in the service booklet or in the manual of your car.

Can I estimate how many liters of oil my car uses?

You can also estimate how many liters of oil your car uses. You do this based on the cylinders. An engine block with four cylinders needs about 3.5 and 4.5 liters of oil. A six-cylinder engine needs about 4.5 to 5.5 liters of oil. An eight-cylinder engine uses about 5.5 to 7.5 liters of oil.

When should you top up your oil level?

You need to top up your engine oil after checking the oil level. When the oil is between the minimum and maximum lines, the oil level is OK. When the level has dropped below the lowest mark, you need to top up the oil. You should not only top up your oil level, but also change it sometimes. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that you should change the oil once every 15.000 kilometers or once a year. This is especially important if you use your car for short distances, because in city traffic an engine cannot reach the right temperature and then the oil ages faster.

check oil level

How much oil do you use in your car?

Especially older cars do consume some oil, but the average oil consumption is one liter per 5000 kilometers. If you use one liter of oil per 5000 kilometers and certainly with an oil consumption of 1 per 500, then you should take your car to the garage. This oil consumption indicates mechanical problems, such as a worn or even broken piston ring or stuck scraper rings.

How do you add oil to your car?

You can easily top up your engine oil yourself in three steps:

  • Make sure your engine is cold (turned off for at least ten minutes) and that your car is on a level surface.
  • Pour small amounts through a funnel into the engine. After half an hour check if the engine oil is above the lower markings.
  • If there is enough oil in the tank, don't forget to tighten the cap properly.

You can also have the oil level topped up at the garage.

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