Motor Oil Feb 2019 Test: Which Brand Wins?
This Feb 2019 head-to-head test of 3 motor oil options has the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video.
Amazon Basics
Price shown in test: under $20 for 5 quarts
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Cold Flow Initial
- 1Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic
finished second, about 2 inches behind Amazon Basics, but beat Valvoline by about 6 inches
- 2Amazon Basics Full Synthetic
won by about 2 inches over Mobil 1, and beat Valvoline by about 6 inches
- 3Valvoline 10W-30 Conventional
finished last, about 6 inches behind both Amazon Basics and Mobil 1
Lubricity Wear Scar
- 1Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic12.4
square millimeters, smallest wear scar of all three oils tested, about 26 percent smaller than Valvoline and about 9 percent smaller than Amazon Basics
- 2Amazon Basics Full Syntheticabout17 percent
smaller wear scar than Valvoline, though about 9 percent larger than Mobil 1's scar
- 3Valvoline 10W-30 Conventional
largest wear scar of all three oils tested, both synthetic oils badly outperformed it in this test
Evaporative Loss
- 1Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic
lost 1 g, from 431 g to 430 g after 2 hours at about 400 F, tied with Amazon Basics for the least evaporative loss, both far better than Valvoline
- 2Amazon Basics Full Synthetic
lost 1 g, from 407 g to 406 g after 2 hours at about 400 F, tied with Mobil 1 for the least evaporative loss, both far better than Valvoline
- 3Valvoline 10W-30 Conventional
lost 3 g, from 442 g to 439 g after 2 hours at about 400 F, the most evaporative loss of all three oils tested
All measurements (2 more)+
Cold Flow After Heating
- 1Mobil 1 Advanced Full Synthetic
flowed in cold temperatures after being heated, though Amazon Basics still flowed better in this retest
- 2Amazon Basics Full Synthetic
flowed better than Mobil 1 in cold temperatures even after being heated for 2 hours
- 3Valvoline 10W-30 Conventionalnot tested
API Rating
- 2Amazon Basics Full Synthetic
rated SN Plus, a higher designation than the SN rating on Mobil 1 and Valvoline, addressing low speed pre-ignition protection relevant mainly to turbocharged direct injection engines
- 1Mobil 1 Advanced Full Syntheticnot tested
- 3Valvoline 10W-30 Conventionalnot tested
How it was tested
- cold temperature oil flow test after 24 hours at 15 below zero Fahrenheit
- lubricity and wear scar test measuring bearing wear
- evaporative loss test heating oil to about 400 F for 2 hours as an approximation of the Noack volatility test
- cold temperature oil flow retest after the evaporative heat exposure
“I'm really impressed with the Amazon Basics full synthetic engine oil testing. It actually performed extremely well against Mobil 1... Would I use this oil in a vehicle? Absolutely.”
