The right grade of oil is vital to keep your Toyota’s engine working at its best. The vehicle specification chapter in the owner’s manual will confirm the right grade for your car and your region.
Engine oil isn’t something you want to compromise on. Using the right lubricant keeps your engine running smoothly and preserves the life of its components. In fact, using the wrong grade of oil could be a costly mistake.
That’s especially true for diesels, which are very sensitive to the wrong grade. The wrong grade of lubricant can cause the Diesel Particulate Filter to fail, which could land you with a four-figure repair bill.
Engine oil: what the digits mean
There are a lot of numbers, letters and jargon surrounding engine oil, which can make finding the right grade confusing.
Essentially, you need to use oil that is the recommended viscosity. This is the ‘thickness’ of the oil and is usually displayed prominently on the packaging. A high viscosity oil will be more treacle-like in consistency, whereas a low viscosity oil is thinner and more free-flowing. Modern Toyota engines generally use low viscosity oils as they reduce friction within the engine, cut down on wear and tear and contribute to better fuel economy.
The following table displays the recommended oil specification
for all current Toyota models and engine types.
| TOYOTA MODEL | RECOMMENDED ENGINE OIL GRADE |
| Aygo | 0W-16 |
| Yaris | 0W-16 |
| GR Yaris | 0W-20 |
| Yaris Cross | 0W-8 |
| Corolla | 0W-16 |
| Camry | 0W-16 |
| Toyota C-HR | 0W-16 |
| RAV4 | 0W-16 |
| RAV4 Plug-in | 0W-16 |
| Highlander | 0W-16 |
| GR 86 | TBC |
| GR Supra | 0W-20 |
| Prius | 0W-16 |
| Prius Plug-in | 0W-16 |
| Land Cruiser (all) | 0W-30 |
| Hilux (all) | 0W-30 |
| Proace (all diesels) | Please refer to your local Toyota centre |
| Proace Verso (all) | Please refer to your local Toyota centre |
Engine oil: older Toyota models
The following table displays the recommended oil specification
for the most frequently requested older Toyota models and engine types.
| MODEL | GENERATION / YEARS | ENGINE | RECOMMENDED OIL |
| Aygo | First-gen / 2005-2014 | 1.0-litre petrol | 0W-20 or 5W-30 |
| Yaris | First-gen / 1999-2005 | 1.3-litre petrol | 5W-30 |
| Yaris | Second-gen / 2006-2009 | 1.3-litre petrol | 5W-30 |
| Yaris | Second-gen / 2009-2011 | 1.33-litre petrol | 0W-20 |
| Yaris | Third-gen / 2011-2017 | 1.33-litre petrol | 0W-20 |
| Corolla | Ninth-gen / 2000-2006 | All petrol and diesel | 5W-30 |
| Auris | First-gen / 2007-2012 | 1.6-litre petrol | 5W-30 |
| Avensis | Second-gen / 2003-2009 | 1.8-litre petrol | 5W-30 |
| Avensis | Second-gen / 2003-2009 | 2.0-litre diesel | 5W-30 |
| Avensis | Third-gen / 2009-2018 | 1.8-litre petrol | 5W-30 |
| Avensis | Third-gen / 2009-2018 | 2.0-litre diesel | 0W-30 |
How a specialist can help
If in doubt, seek help from your local Toyota centre. Our trained technicians and service advisors know Toyota cars inside out, and will be able to advise on the correct oil for your vehicle and maintenance schedule (Proace and Proace Verso). Toyota Genuine Motor Oil has been specifically formulated for use with our engines. You can’t buy better oil for your Toyota.
Whether you replace the engine oil yourself or ask a Toyota centre to do it for you, a regular oil change at the specified mileage or time is important. Even long-life oils become less effective over time, as the repeated cycles of heating and cooling steadily degrades the oil’s properties.
Your local Toyota centre isn’t the only place where you can buy Toyota Genuine Motor Oil. Head over to our eBay store and you can order oil to be delivered to your home or office. Wherever you buy your Toyota Genuine Motor Oil from, using the right grade is vital to preserve the performance, economy and reliability of your car.
Struggling to find sae oil-can i use 5w-30 C2 pupil in my Toyota CHR (ref SO18 EVK)
Hi Karen,
Recommended oil for the C-HR is listed in the article – 0W-16.
Thanks
Hi, folks.
Just wanted to check how much Engine Oil I need for my 1st Gen Toyota Aygo and how to measure it properly. As it has 2 dots to measure between but I had put 1L in and the dark solid colour was only to the 1st mark? i have used 15W-30 Engine Oil I think?
Thank you!
Hi,
This depends on how much engine oil is already in the vehicle. The oil level should be between the first and second dot. Make sure your vehicle is on a flat surface to ensure an accurate reading.
Thanks
Hi there,
Is it recommended to use 0w-16 on older Prius models too? We have a second-generation and a third-generation. They’re both over 100k mileage, if that has any effect. Cheers,
Hi Rich,
Please could you provide us with your vehicle registration so that we can look into this further.
Thanks.
Is there an email address I can send these details to? I could just cell the dealership I guess..
Hi Rich,
We have emailed you directly.
Thanks.
HI, I have 3 Toyotas in my household! Please can you confirm the engine oil required for each ( I think it’s 5W30) – but in particular should it be C3 or A5? Reg no’s:
WV57CZG
GW55FNA
AU05SBX
Thanks
Hi Martin,
Our technical team have advised that you use the Engine Oil 5W30 FE for all of these vehicles.
This can be purchased here – https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOYOTA-Genuine-Engine-Litres-0888080845/dp/B0861BDWJJ.
Thanks.
Hi, what number engine oil can I use for estime 2.4, please advise
Thnaks
Hi Gulnesha,
Please could you provide us with your vehicle registration so that we can look into this for you.
Thanks.
Hi I would like to change engine oil my prius 2015 reg
Which oil you recommend for buy and where I can buy genuine. Thanks
Hi Iftekhar,
Thanks for your comment.
Please provide your vehicle registration so we can look into this for you.
Thanks.
BX15VRR
That’s a import car Prius from Japan
Hi Iftekhar,
We can only advise on vehicles built in the UK market.
As stated in the blog, we recommend 0W-16 engine oil for the UK Prius.
Thanks.
Hi there I have auris 2014 1.6 petrol my registration number is RK14LHW can you please recommend which is the best oil to use? 15W 30 or 0W 20? Has currently 99k every dealership tells me different number and I am confused.
Many thanks looking forward to hearing from you
Hi Christos,
Thanks for your question.
Our technical team have advised the engine oil 0W-20 AFE.
These are all available from a Toyota Centre or our eBay and Amazon stores.
Thanks.
Hi
I have a prius early 2005 bought from new ( MT54 NNU) – what kind of engine oil I need please
Hi Gary,
Thanks for your comment.
Our technical team have advised that this vehicles oil grade is 5W30 PFE C2.
Thanks.
Engine oil for a 2016 Toyota Avensis reg AJ04SAV
Thanks
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your question.
As stated on this blog article, we recommend you use engine oil 0W-30.
Thanks.
Please can you advise which engine oil I should use for 2015 Toyota Verso Icon 1596cc. It is not included in the list shown on you website. Is there any particular brand which I must use or is any off the shelf brand with the specification OK? Many Thanks
Hi James,
Please provide the vehicle registration so we can look into this for you.
Thanks.