Synthetic oil outperforms its conventional counterparts by an average of 47 percent, according to an American Automobile Association (AAA) independent evaluation.
Synthetic oils performed especially well for vehicles operating in extreme conditions, stop-and-go traffic, new turbo-charged engines and vehicles towing heavy loads.
This conclusion was determined using the results from eight industry-standard American Society for Testing and Materials tests. The oils used in the tests were licensed by the American Petroleum Institute.
“It’s understandable that drivers may be skeptical of any service that is nearly twice the cost of the alternative,” John Nielsen, AAA’s managing director of Automotive Engineering and Repair, said. “While a manufacturer-approved conventional oil will not harm a vehicle’s engine, the extra $30 per oil change could actually save money in the long run by protecting critical engine components over time.”
Very few vehicles require synthetic oil, and many drivers chose conventional oil because it is cheaper.
An AAA survey of U.S. drivers found 17 percent did not believe synthetic oil claims and 27 percent were unsure. This hesitation may stem from the fact two-thirds of drivers do not trust repair facilities.
Switching to synthetic oil would cost drivers $64 extra annually. The average synthetic oil change costs $70 compared to $38 for conventional oil.