best oil and oil filter for Prius

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_BEST_ oil? I don't know.

I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w-30 and a Purolator Pure One PL20195 filter.

The oil is (in my opinion anyway) a good oil made by a large reputable company. The filter is (again my opinion) a good filter, filtering down to smaller size than most. And, it is about 2 x the size of the OEM filter, so there is more room for more gunk. It's reasonably priced (about $6 compared to the $12 Mobil 1 filter) yet it appears to be as good of a filter.

I've had Blackstone labs perform analysis (including Total Base Number, or TBN) after 10k miles and the oil is still good to go.

But, there's probably no best oil just as there is no best toothpaste.

Good Luck!

 

The Prius is not a Corvette or a Porsche. Hence I think that more-than-adequate protection can be provided by using a quality mineral oil and the Toyota-brand filter, and changing both at 5K mile intervals.

The filter costs ~$3 each if you buy a case of 10 from a Toyota dealer selling discounted parts on the Internet. In southern CA, Kragen's sells Castrol GTX or Pennzoil mineral oil for ~$1 per quart net of rebate, if you look for their Sunday LA Times advertisement.

However if you have excess money burning a hole in your wallet and feel a need to buy expensive synthetic oil, then peace.

 

Yeah. About 7 bucks for an oil change every 5k. Probably about 10 bucks if you don't want to screw around with rebates.

It costs me about 30 bucks for an oil change every 10k ($60 if I get the used oil analysis by Blackstone).:wof:

So, um, yeah, I must have a hole in my wallet. No, that's not it, I mean, this is a hobby and I like to give back to the Prius community. That's it, I'll use that story.

 

I am very satisfied with Mobil 1 synthetic oil and Mobil 1 (double) oil filters. I buy the filters in bulk from Kragen on line. The Mobil 1 filter is double capacity and was discussed in detail on previous postings.

 

Mineral oil = regular engine oil; is not synthetic. Some people call this "dino" oil...

 

And if you're lucky, your Toyota dealer gives you two free oil changes per year. Whatever the Toyota spec is for oil and filter should be OK.

 

Mobil-1 (synthetic) now sells a special fuel-efficient oil that can extend millage by 2%, I believe. It's designated 0W30 and 0W50.

 

So where can I buy a 4-quart bottle, or better yet, a 3.9 quart bottle?

 

Buy 5 quart jug of Mobil 1. 5-30 for $24.95 at Walmart. Buy the oem oil filter at the dealer or amazon for $4.

G2 takes exactly 3.5 quarts. No matter where I bring the car (except the dealer worst place ever to get an oil change) I bring them the exact amount of oil so they can’t mess it up. I take 1.5 quarts out of the Walmart jug.

 

I bought a brand new 2012 Prius Two, 4 door hatchback with 1.8L engine. It had a sticker inside the drivers door saying that the engine oil was Valvoline Full Synthetic 0W-20. I currently have roughly 82K miles on it and change the oil and filter every 10K miles. With that said, is Valvoline oil a poor choice for this car? If so, I am wondering why Toyota used it from their factory?

 

Nothing wrong with the Valvoline product. These engines aren't particularly picky about their lube. No idea how you got it, but I wouldn't worry- it is commonly available, usually priced reasonably and works great.

 

Thank you Leadfoot. I don't know how this new car got Valvoline either but I continue to use it every oil change. Also change the filter of course. I see you are a fellow Pennsylvanian. I was born and raised in Harrisburg but moved to Utah at age 15 with family.

 

Something’s not adding up here. How “brand new”? Was it a demo, something similar? I can’t see a Prius coming from the factory having a sticker like that.

FWIW it’s worth, I WAS using Toyota 0W20, and the Toyota filter, till recently and outa the blue the cost through my local dealership went through the roof. Still using Toyota filter, but switched to Costco Kirkland 0W20, for now. Believe it’s made by Warren.

I can’t get too excited about oil; if it meets spec what else do you need.

Toyota Canada says every 8k kms or 6 months, whichever comes first, and that’s what I go by. Doing about 3k kms yearly, we have a VERY babied car.

 

Dino oil is wrong for this car. Even getting the correct weight oil in non synthetic is tough if not impossible. Engine bearing clearances are designed for a thin, tough oil and dino just doesn't cut it.. There are tons of oil evaluations all over the web, some are better than others but for this car any synthetic will work. Regarding filters, I use toyota or fram. Fram for a stupid reason, the bottom has a grippy coating on it so removal is easier if over tightened. I would never use the jiffy lube or such, there is a lot of crap out there that restricts oil flow and lets bigger chunks of crap thru. If you want better mileage and a longer lasting motor use the right stuff.
Relevant story. Just had the motor for my suby rebuilt. Builder said non synthetic for the first 3K miles to let the metal to metal surfaces bed in. Then flip to synthetic. Not use dino forever. But in the end your car, your money.

 

I prefer Toyota filters (my dealer has a discount if you buy them in 3's) but if I'm in a pinch, the WIXX at O'Reillys are my 2nd option.
For oil, I've heard the Toyota synthetic is made by Mobile so I will get Mobile 1. Since my newer Prius takes 0W-16, that can be harder to find so keep a box of Amazon Basic synthetic on hand if the stores don't have any. (But I'm finding it more readily available, so that's good.)
Personally, I change oil every 6-months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. I'd rather use crappy stuff and do it every 6 months than use "good" stuff and leave dirty oil in there for a year. (I no longer let the dealer do my oil changes since I heard they, just like Jiffy Lube and others, use the cheapest bulk motor oil they can find...which is a shame.)

 

Mendel,

I will try to sift through the service records on my Prius to find out how I wound up with Valvoline Synthetic Oil. I bought this Prius brand new with no other owners. 2012 was a long time ago for this old man. I'll get back to you sir. LOL

Bob

 

Mendel,

I just went through my invoices for service on my Prius. I found out that I was mistaken when I said my car came with Valvoline oil from the factory. I beg your pardon. How I got Valvoline oil was at my very first 10K mile Toyota Care service at the Toyota dealer where I bought the car. They changed the oil and filter. The oil used was Valvoline 0W-20 Synthetic Oil, a 90430-12031 Gasket, and a 04152-YZZA6 Replaceable Element; Rotate Tires, and Multi Point Inspection.

You mentioned that something didn't add up regarding Valvoline oil from the factory, you were right and that got me thinking. Mystery solved but I can't tell you why the dealer used Valvoline oil. In any case, I have had no reason to use any other oil as I believe Valvoline oil is a quality product. I stand by changing any engines oil regularly for the longevity of the car.

I have a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer (an Explorer with lock washers). I just barely switched from conventional motor oil to synthetic this past October 2022. The oil and filter in that car was always changed every 3K miles and it runs great. Changing oil is the simplest, cheapest way to keep an engine running without problems.

Thanks again for your valuable input.

Bob