Anyone who wants to keep their vehicle’s engine in good running condition is going to want to use the best synthetic oil they can buy in it. Using an inferior motor oil in your vehicle will not only result in less than spectacular engine performance, but it may shorten the engine’s useful life as well. Only by using a high-quality oil can a vehicle owner keep their car running the way it should.
Of course, not everyone is sure which synthetic oils are the best and which ones are cheaply made inferior motor oils. After all, there’s a lot of different companies selling oil. And that’s why we’ve decided to do the research ourselves and find the models that are the highest quality and provide the best performance and engine life.
Best Synthetic Oils – Reviews
10Shell Rotella T6 Full Synthetic Diesel Oil
Designed to handle the stresses of diesel-powered engines, this fully synthetic oil from Shell is ready to increase engine performance and life. It’s made with a Triple Protection Plus formula that adds advanced additives that help to protect diesel engines and promote longer operating life. This product is ideal for all kinds of different diesel engines include classic cars, heavy-duty pickups, and even tractor-trailers. It uses improved deposit control that helps to protect the engine from dirt, soot and other particles that wear down most engines. And because it’s completely certified, consumers can trust that it will do its job and keep their diesel engines running smoothly.
9Royal Purple API-Licensed SAE Motor Oil
Royal Purple is a lubricant company located in Texas that’s been making high-quality oils and industrial lubricants for quite some time now, so it’s no surprise that they make one mean synthetic motor oil like this one. This product is Dexos Approved for gasoline engines and is designed to give better wear protection than comparable commercial motor oils. It’s also formulated with additives that provide high-quality corrosion-resistance, help to increase fuel-efficiency, and makes it more compatible with ethanol-based fuels. And since it also helps protect catalytic emission systems, it’s a product that a lot of car owners are probably going to want to check out.
8Valvoline Advanced Motor Oil
Valvoline takes great care in making high-quality motor oils, and their commitment to excellence shows in this full-synthetic oil. This product is designed to not only protect the engine against wear and heat but is also designed to help the engine stay clean in the process. This motor oil helps to reduce varnish and sludge levels, to not only protect the engine but to also help maintain the engine’s proper fuel efficiency. And this product is so good at its job it’s capable of providing 50% more wear-prevention than the next leading motor oil produced by its competitor. That alone makes it a product worth considering.
7Valvoline High-Mileage With Max Life Technology
Without a doubt, engines that have 75,000 miles or more on them need a little bit of help. That’s because it’s at this stage of an engine’s life that impurities can build up in the engine that can cause excessive heat and wear. And temperatures can get so hot in older engines that they can break down conventional motor oils quickly. Fortunately, this synthetic oil is designed to protect older engines from dirt and sludge. It does this by using special seal conditioners that can breathe life back into engine seals to prevent oil leakage. It’s also formulated with special detergents that keep engines clean, so they run better and last longer.
6Mobil 1 Advanced Full-Synthetic Motor Oil
How can the consumer tell if a particular brand of synthetic motor oil is good to use? Well, even though there are a lot of different things that separate the good oils from the merely so-so oils, a clear indicator that an oil brand is of good quality is if it’s the official motor oil of Nascar. Fortunately, this product does bear that distinction. Why would that make it a good motor oil? It makes it a good product because the consumer knows that if it can stand up to the heat and pressure of race cars, then it will be able to withstand the same forces in their car, SUV or van. Simply put, this oil provides excellent wear protection, protects against deposits and helps increase fuel-efficiency.
5Castrol Edge Advanced Motor Oil
This premium full synthetic motor oil is designed to protect engines, even under the harshest of conditions. It’s made with a Titanium-based formula that maximizes engine performance, all while reducing metal-to-metal contact in the engine. This oil is also capable of protecting the engine under high-pressure conditions, and it’s always working to minimize engine deposits for a more responsive engine. This product is completely certified as well, and has the following certifications: GM 4718M, Chrysler MS-6397, API SN, 6094M, ILSAC GF-5 and ACEA A1/B1 certifications. All of which simply means that a whole lot of companies place their trust in this high quality formulation.
4Castrol Power 1 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil
A lot of people talk about how motor oil affects the performance of car engines, but few people talk about how important it is to use high-quality motor oil in a motorcycle. And it’s especially important to use an oil designed specifically for 4-stroke motorcycle engines. Fortunately, this product is more than capable of doing the job. This oil not only meets API SL and JASO MA-2 certifications, but it’s designed to increase the performance of motorcycle engines as well. Thanks to its Power-Release Formula, any motorcyclist can enjoy better acceleration when they use this oil.
3Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic
Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is a synthetic motor oil that’s made from natural gas and is designed to not only protect engines but to also help them achieve their best performance. This product is manufactured according to ILSAC GF-54 standards and is capable of keeping pistons over 60% cleaner than competing motor oils. It’s also designed to be a very stable oil that can perform even under extreme heat or load. And finally, it’s a product that’s capable of delivering some of the best sludge protection available in any commercial oils. All good reasons that some vehicle owners may want to give it a try.
2Castrol GTX Magnatec Motor Oil
Castrol GTX Magnatec is a synthetic oil that’s been used by drivers for unparalleled engine protection for almost two decades now. That’s because this formula is one of the best motor oils currently available. It’s not only capable of reducing engine wear, but it also adds a layer of protection to engines that helps keep them safe even during engine warmup periods. Since this oil clings better than conventional oils, it’s capable of even protecting engines that have sat for a while without being started. And since it meets all applicable oil certification standards, just about anyone can use this oil to protect their gasoline engine.
1Mobile 1 High-Mileage Advanced Full Synthetic

Since everyone agrees that high-mileage engines need special protection from heat and pressure, it’s time to look at a synthetic motor oil that’s designed to provide that protection. And this formula is such a motor oil. It’s designed to keep older engines running good as new and to help them from future oil leaks and sludge. It’s also designed to reduce deposit levels, so car owners can squeeze as much life out of their engines as they can. And since it actively reduces sludge levels, it also happens to increase engine performance, so even old cars can run like new ones.
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A Guide To Synthetic Oil
There was a point of time when only a select number of people would consider buying a synthetic motor oil over a conventional motor oil. That’s because people believed some of the myths that surrounded this product. Some people believed that synthetic motor oils shouldn’t be used while a car is being broken in, shouldn’t be used in high-mileage cars, and shouldn’t be used in cars with only standard engines. All of those are untrue, by the way. Generally speaking, there’s no reason why any synthetic motor oil shouldn’t be able to be used in place of any conventional motor oil—as long as they’re the proper grade and weight.
Of course, it can be a bit difficult for some car owners to determine which oil is the best synthetic oil for them. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be difficult to purchase a good synthetic, especially since there are so many excellent brands currently available. To help our readers sort out the good from the bad, we decided to write this article on synthetic oil. Hopefully, it will enlighten people to the benefits of synthetic oil and help them choose one that’s right for their vehicle.
What Is Synthetic Motor Oil?
Synthetic motor oil and conventional motor oil are both made from oil obtained through the refining process. The only difference is that most synthetics are further process and have ingredients and carrier oils added to them to increase their performance levels. As a general rule, most synthetics outperform most conventional motor oils, so there’s no reason for any car owner to abstain from using them.
The Benefits Of Synthetic Motor Oil
As we’ve stated earlier, synthetic oils offer the vehicle owner some real benefits, even though their reputation has been unfairly maligned over the last few years. Let’s take a look at some of these benefits to see how synthetic oils can be used to improve car performance, keep the vehicle running and save the car owner a little bit of cash in the process.
Better For Car Performance: Synthetic oil keeps an engine running smoother because it’s a product that clings better to engine parts. And the main reason that it’s capable of clinging so well, is because synthetic oils are generally thinner than conventional oils. Although many people mistakenly believe that thinner oil means its inferior, in reality, the exact opposite is true. A thinner oil clings better and helps to reduce engine wear better than thicker conventional oils.
Better For Engine Longevity: Another positive in favor of synthetic oils is that these oils do a better job of maintaining engine life. That’s because conventional motor oils tend to break down thermally, which leads to a variety of problems such as oil sludge, oxidation, and eventually, evaporative loss of the oil. Synthetic motor oils don’t have these problems, however. They don’t break down, don’t contribute to oil sludge and are generally pretty resistant to evaporative loss. And since many of them have cleaning agents and detergents added to them, they can even improve engine life in some instances by removing particles that may have previously built-up in the engine.
Generally Inexpensive To Use: Although the cost difference between conventional motor oil and synthetic oil is generally negligible, synthetic oil does have one advantage over its conventional counterpart: it doesn’t need to be changed as often. As a general rule, convention motor oils need to be changed every 3,000 to 3,500 miles to avoid them breaking down. Synthetic oils, on the other hand, only need to be changed every 7,000 to 8,000 miles. Some people have even gone 10,000 miles between oil changes using synthetic motor oil, although we definitely cannot recommend anyone waiting that long between oil changes.
Buying The Best Synthetic Oil For Your Car
Now that we’ve talked about how synthetic oils have been maligned over the years and how most people can benefit from using them, it’s time to talk about how to choose the best synthetic oil for your vehicle. The following tips will help anyone interested in buying a synthetic motor oil find one that’s suitable for their vehicle.
- Check with your vehicle’s manual to determine the type of oil needed.
- Buy a motor oil that has the proper weight for your vehicle.
- Use synthetic oil blends for new cars and full synthetic oils for older cars.
- Buy a motor oil from an established brand.
- Consider high-mileage formulas for vehicles with over 75,000-miles on them.
And there’s only one final thing we need to discuss before we go. To get the most out of your synthetic motor oil, it must be changed regularly. Although synthetics are well known for only needing to be changed every 7,000-miles or so, be sure to not push it beyond that point if you want to maintain proper engine performance.