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Why Motor Oil Matters

When you choose high-quality motor oil—like any of the products licensed through the American Petroleum Institute’s engine oil licensing program—you’re doing more than just protecting your engine. You’re also helping to improve fuel economy, protecting against deposits and reducing emissions.

API wants to make sure that when you choose an oil, you get exactly what you’ve come to expect for your car: a high-quality lubricant that protects your vehicle's engine and emissions systems. API-quality oils deliver this level of performance, but finding them in bulk (for example, when the oil is installed from a tank) might be more of a challenge. To make finding the right oil easier, API has established Motor Oil Matters, a program that defines motor oil quality from the point of manufacture to the moment of installation in your engine.

About EOLCS for Oil Marketers

API's Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS) is a voluntary licensing and certification program that authorizes engine oil marketers that meet specified requirements to use the API Engine Oil Quality Marks.

API's Engine Oil Quality Marks—the API Service Symbol "Donut" and Certification Mark "Starburst"—help consumers identify quality engine oils for their gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles.

Oils displaying these marks meet performance requirements set by U.S. and international vehicle and engine manufacturers and the lubricant industry. More than 500 companies worldwide participate in this voluntary program, which is backed by a marketplace sampling and testing program.

You can learn more information about API's licensing and certification program below:

An oil displaying this mark meets the current engine protection standard and fuel economy requirements of the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC), a joint effort of U.S. and Japanese automobile manufacturers. Automobile manufacturers recommend oils that carry the API Certification Mark. See the ILSAC STANDARD FOR PASSENGER CAR ENGINE OILS chart on the next page for descriptions of current and obsolete ILSAC standards.

Service Categories are used in the upper portion of the API Service Symbol to identify specific engine oil performance levels. The API Service Symbol may be licensed for use with passenger car motor oils, diesel engine oils, or both as long as the oils meet the performance requirements of an appropriate API Service Category or Categories.

To view a list of EOLCS-certified companies and brands, visit http://eolcs.api.org.