The Best Deals on Motor Oil (Updated April 2024)

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Updated 4/19/24:

I always do my own oil changes, so I get to save money on labor, but I also am able to take pride in doing it myself and knowing it’s done correctly. In addition to saving money for not having to pay for labor, I like to find deals on motor oil and stock up on them. Each manufacturer has their own price points and you may have your preference for brand of motor oil, but I’ll lay out the best deals that I’ve come across. Several times a year, I will update this post so that you have the latest and greatest deals on motor oil.

How to Get the Best Deals on Motor Oil

Buying motor oil online is as easy as ever, and it’s also the best place to score a great deal on it as well. If you need oil for your oil change and you need it now, then going to your local in-person store will suffice. But if you want to get the best deal, you’ll need to order it during specific times throughout the year—even if you don’t need it. The reason for this is that there are deals that pop-up online from time-to-time that will allow you to purchase oil at more than half-off the normal retail price.

If you want to save some money and for some reason would rather purchase motor oil in-person, try to do it when the oil is on sale. These stores make circulars available online for viewing so do check these in advance to save yourself a trip to the store. I’m not a fan of the package deals they offer that includes a pre-determined oil filter for your application. Most of the time, I use an OEM oil filter for my car and would rather not be pressured to use an aftermarket one that is part of their package deal. If you can find a sale on only motor oil, or if you can find a package deal that consists of an oil filter that you already intend to use, then by all means go for it. However, know that the store’s sale price will still be higher than if you take advantage of online promotions.

Also, utilize online tools in order to find out when the optimal times are to buy oil. You can use deal sites like Slickdeals to find out when these deals pop-up. You can also utilize tools like CamelCamelCamel to see the price history of a particular item on Amazon to see if the price is higher or lower relative to its historic pricing. You’ll notice that Amazon’s prices tend to fluctuate quite a bit, so it might be worth while to wait. With these sites, you can also sign-up to get notified when there are price drops.

The Best Deals on Motor Oil in 2021 (Updated 3/3/21)

Rebate deals on motor oil are available from different manufacturer’s, and the deals can vary from one to another. In 2021, it seems that some deals have changed from previous years. At the time of this writing in early 2021, it seems that the deals are not as good as in 2020. Hopefully as the year goes on, there are some better deals to be had (this post will be updated accordingly.)

Keep in mind that prices tend to fluctuate and coupons are sometimes offered/retracted, so be aware that the prices below can ultimately change. However, the offered rebates are still valid based off the information provided below.

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Shell $22 Gift Card for Pennzoil Full Synthetic 10-Quart Purchase (valid 2/14/21 to 3/14/21)

Unfortunately, the Pennzoil deal in 2021 now requires you to purchase 10 quarts of motor oil in order to qualify for the $22 Shell gift card. Because you are now purchasing 10 quarts, you are getting about 50% off of 10 quarts versus previous years where the deal qualified for 5 quarts, practically giving it to you for free.

Pennzoil Promotion
Receive a $22 Shell gift card by mail if you purchase 10 quarts of:

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic
Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic
Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage Full Synthetic
Pennzoil Platinum Euro Full Synthetic

* Some important things to note:

• Limited to one per person, household, or address (email and physical). All offer requests include a USPS address verification check.
• Not valid for residents of RI
• If purchasing through Amazon, make sure to submit your invoice which shows “shipped”. If you submit the initial invoice, your submission will likely be rejected.
• Requests submitted online must be received by March 31, 2021 at 11:59 PM CT. Request by mail must be postmarked by March 31, 2021, and received by April 15th.
• For a list of participating retailers, please see link.

I typically make purchases through Amazon as it is convenient for me, however you may also purchase through any of the participating retailers in the link above. Some of other most common retailers on this list are: AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, Pep Boys, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, and more.

I’ve noticed that the pricing for Amazon can vary significantly depending on their availability, so I wouldn’t make the purchase on a 5-quart container of any of these full synthetic oils unless they were in the low-to-mid $20 range. Try the other retailers to check availability and pricing so you can get the best possible deal you can on this rebate.

AmazonBasics, Kirkland, Super Tech Motor Oils

These three motor oils: AmazonBasics (Amazon), Kirkland (Costco), and Super Tech (Walmart) offer a line-up of motor oils that are all manufactured by Warren Distribution, Inc. These motor oils are more affordable than the other offerings such as Mobil1, Castrol, etc. They do all have an API rating of API SN PLUS and are all acceptable alternatives to the more common brand motor oil manufacturers.

If you cannot score a great deal on motor oil and you have no strong preference to the more commonly branded motor oil companies, then purchasing these oils may be the next best thing. Even purchasing these oils at the normal selling price offers a significant value as compared to the more traditional branded oils.

Recognize that depending on where you purchase these oils from, you may have to purchase in bulk packs. From what I can tell online, Costco seems to be the only one out of these three that offer the 5-quart containers in 2-packs and 4-packs. Purchasing the larger bulk packs seem to net you a greater deal. Walmart offers larger bulk packs, but the price per unit doesn’t really seem to go down at all.

As of the time of this writing, the best price you can get on full synthetic oil (per 5-quart container) is at Costco: $12 for Kirkland Signature if you purchase the 4-pack. This compares to Super Tech at Walmart for about $15 and AmazonBasics on Amazon for about $23.

Amazon: AmazonBasics Full Synthetic, Synthetic Blend, Conventional

Costco: Kirkland Signature Full Synthetic

Walmart: Super Tech Motor Oils