Synthetic Motor Oil (5W-30) 2019 Test: Which Brand Wins?
In our 2019 test we compared 2 synthetic motor oil (5w-30) options head to head. Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30 came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30
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Pennzoil Ultra Platinum
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“Congratulations to Amsoil on winning the trophy... Amsoil is the best motor oil tested. Its playoff performance, combined with the lab test results, make this an oil that I would trust for an extended oil change interval.”
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (8 more)+
Evaporative loss test (200 g of oil, 425 F for 2 hours)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic
started at 430.11 g, ended at 423.73 g, a loss of 6.38 g
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30
started at 404.68 g, ended at 398.81 g, a loss of 5.87 g, about half a gram less than Amsoil, winning this round
Detergents/dispersants (independent lab analysis)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic3,471 parts per million
more than Pennzoil's roughly 2,700 ppm
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30nearly2,700 parts per million
Total base number (TBN, independent lab analysis)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic10
or higher, much higher than Pennzoil's 8 to 8.7 range
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-308
to 8.7, described as very close to Mobil 1, Amazon Basics, and Super Tech
Anti-wear additives (independent lab analysis)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic
between 1,500 and 1,600 ppm, slightly less than Pennzoil's figure in the same range
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30
slightly more than Amsoil, in the 1,500 to 1,600 ppm range
Lubricity/film-strength test (cooked oil, 40 ml heated to 260 F, wear scar comparison)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic
declared the winner of this test ('by far the best product we've tested yet' across the entire oil series); no numeric wear-scar measurement is spoken for either brand in this test, only the qualitative victory statement
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30not tested
Cold oil flow race (oil chilled to -40 F, new AND cooked samples must both finish)
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% synthetic
won the race, described as barely finishing ahead of team Pennzoil in a very tight race
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30not tested
Lubricity/film-strength test
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30
lost this test to Amsoil; no numeric wear-scar measurement is spoken for either brand
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% syntheticnot tested
Cold oil flow race
- 2Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, full synthetic 5W-30
lost a very tight race, finishing just behind Amsoil
- 1Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30, 100% syntheticnot tested
How it was tested
- evaporative/thermal breakdown loss (200 g oil, 425 F for 2 hours, weighed before and after)
- lubricity/film strength via wear-scar comparison on cooked oil (260 F)
- cold oil flow race at -40 F (new and previously-cooked samples of each brand)
- independent lab analysis: anti-wear additives, detergents/dispersants, total base number (TBN)
“Congratulations to Amsoil on winning the trophy... Amsoil is the best motor oil tested. Its playoff performance, combined with the lab test results, make this an oil that I would trust for an extended oil change interval.”
Data notes and caveats
This is the two-product CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE of a much larger multi-episode 'oil playoffs' series; only Amsoil Signature Series 5W-30 and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum are actually tested (per the description's Products Tested list) in THIS video's three head-to-head tests (evaporative loss, lubricity, cold oil flow), which Amsoil wins 2-1 overall. The transcript also references many OTHER brands (Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amazon Basics, Quaker State, Lucas, Super Tech, Liqui Moly, Red Line, Kendall, Castrol, Valvoline, Motul, Penrite, Schaeffer's) purely as historical playoff-bracket context and as reference points on the independent lab's additive/TBN/detergent charts; these brands are NOT tested fresh in this video's own footage, so they are excluded from products[] and only referenced qualitatively in the two tested products' notes fields, consistent with the rule that ranking/product entries should reflect only what this specific video actually tests. No pricing is mentioned for either oil in this transcript. Transcript brand names for the two finalists (Amsoil, Pennzoil) were clean throughout with no mangling requiring resolution, an unusually low-effort case for this channel.
