Synthetic Motor Oil (5W-30) 2020 Test: Which Brand Wins?
This 2020 head-to-head test of 2 synthetic motor oil (5w-30) options has the measured results for each. See how they ranked and watch the full test video. Shoppers cross-shopping 5w30 oil, 5w 30 synthetic motor oil, 5w30 synthetic oil and sae 5w 30 engine oil land here for the head to head that settles it.
Kirkland Signature
Price shown in test: $24.99 for 10 quarts (about $12.50 per 5 quart equivalent, referenced again in the closing verdict)
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (8 more)+
Claims
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
advanced wear protection, controls thermal breakdown, Dexos 1 Generation 2 approved, helps prevent low-speed pre-ignition in modern turbocharged direct-injected engines, controls friction and wear better than the API SN Plus requirement especially during cold starts, protects against high-temperature shearing, meets SAE 5W-30 API SN Plus/SN/SL and ILSAC GF-5/GF-4 or previous standards
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30
superior protection, better fuel economy, superior wear protection, cleaner engine, excellent performance; captioned as 'Generation 1 Dexos 2 approved' (kept verbatim; this phrasing is oddly inverted compared to Kirkland's 'Dexos 1 Generation 2' claim just before it in the transcript, possibly a caption transposition, not corrected); self-rated 3 stars for reduced engine wear, 3 stars for combatting sludge and deposits, 3 stars for extreme temperature protection; meets API SN Plus/SN/SM/SL and ILSAC GF-5/GF-4
Evaporation Test 420 F 2 Hr
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
started at 430.14g, ended at 422.45g, a loss of 7.69g
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30
started at 411g, ended at 403.33g, a loss of 7.67g, technically the smaller loss of the two brands by 0.02g
Lubricity Film Strength Test
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
wear scar on the bearing virtually identical to Supertech's, described as the closest comparison seen in a long time; Kirkland narrowly edged out Supertech in this specific test
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30
wear scar on the bearing virtually identical to Kirkland's; narrowly edged out by Kirkland in this specific test
Cold Oil Flow Race
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
new Kirkland finished fourth (last) of four lanes; cooked Kirkland finished second
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30
new Supertech finished third of four lanes; cooked Supertech finished first, winning the race outright
New Oil Lab Analysis
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-3065
to 75 ppm moly (anti-wear additive), similar boron/calcium/magnesium (detergents and dispersants) to Supertech, slightly higher phosphorus and zinc than Supertech (attributed to normal batch variation), similar viscosity to Supertech, flash point 430F (same as Supertech), TBN in the 6.5 to 7.4 range (same range as Supertech, exact individual split not given)
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-3065
to 75 ppm moly (anti-wear additive), similar boron/calcium/magnesium to Kirkland, slightly lower phosphorus and zinc than Kirkland (attributed to normal batch variation), similar viscosity and the same 430F flash point as Kirkland, TBN in the 6.5 to 7.4 range (same range as Kirkland, exact individual split not given)
Blender
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
Warren Distribution, Omaha, Nebraska
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30not tested
Used Oil Real World Test
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
tested in the narrator's own Chevrolet Suburban over about 4,300 miles (249,402 to 253,694 miles); wear metals (aluminum, chromium, iron) within normal range; copper and lead slightly elevated but attributed to a previously used product called Engine Restore, not this oil; used-oil viscosity 58, within the normal 56 to 63 range; flash point normal; TBN 2.7, described as still in excellent shape, oil judged to have had life left in it
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30not tested
Oil Filter Inspection
- 1Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic SAE 5W-30
no large debris chunks found; one particle of roughly 30 microns found under a microscope (most filters catch particles 20 microns or larger; a human hair is about 75 microns for scale); minimal contamination overall
- 2SuperTech Full Synthetic 5W-30not tested
How it was tested
- evaporative loss / thermal breakdown resistance: 200g of oil heated to 420F for 2 hours, weighed before and after
- lubricity/film strength: 40ml of heat-exposed oil in a bearing wear test cup for 10 minutes, wear scar size compared
- cold oil flow race: new and heat-cooked samples of both brands raced side by side after being chilled to 40F overnight
- independent oil lab analysis of new oil: anti-wear additives (moly), detergents/dispersants (boron, calcium, magnesium), phosphorus and zinc levels, viscosity, flash point, and TBN (total base number)
- real-world used-oil analysis after an actual oil-change interval in the narrator's own vehicle: wear metals, viscosity, flash point, and TBN versus new-oil baseline (Kirkland only)
- oil filter debris inspection under a microscope for wear metal particles (Kirkland only)
Data notes and caveats
This video is a genuine, explicitly declared near-tie across nearly every test rather than a data-quality problem: the narrator directly calls the evaporation test a tie despite Supertech's marginally lower loss ('almost too close to call... I'm going to call this one a tie'), calls the lubricity test 'virtually a tie' despite Kirkland narrowly edging it, and calls the cold oil flow race 'definitely the closest race we've ever seen' despite Supertech winning outright; no single overall brand winner is declared, so winner is null per the explicit-tie handling rule rather than a low-confidence flag, and confidence is high because the underlying transcript and chapter alignment are unusually clean. The video's biggest finding is not brand-versus-brand: after comparing lab analysis results across all three budget synthetic oils the channel has now tested (Amazon Basics, Supertech, and Kirkland, the first only referenced from a prior video and not retested here), the narrator concludes 'they're all from Warren Distribution and I believe they're all the exact same motor oil with just a different type of container.' The video's closing verdict answers the title's actual question (is Kirkland trustworthy/safe) rather than crowning a winner, landing on Kirkland as the explicit value pick given its lower price for equivalent lab results and a clean real-world wear outcome in the narrator's own vehicle.
