Best oil for BMW engines: LL-01, LL-17 FE and what your car needs

The best oil for a BMW is whichever full synthetic carries the exact BMW Longlife approval your engine is listed for. The brand matters much less than that printed approval.

For most US gasoline BMWs, that means BMW Longlife-01 (LL-01), usually in 5W-30 or 0W-40. Newer four- and six-cylinder turbo engines are also listed for LL-17 FE+ in 0W-20, which is what many leave the factory with.

How to read BMW oil approvals

A BMW approval is a license, not a description. BMW tests the oil and the oil company prints "BMW Longlife-01" (or similar) on the bottle once it passes. Words like "fully synthetic" or "European formula" don't count. Koed BMW's official spec page says other specifications and marketing terms "do not indicate suitability for BMW engines."

Each Longlife number covers a different job. Some are for gas engines, some for diesels, some for engines with particulate filters, and some only for specific newer engines.

BMW approval	Typical grade	Use it for	Don't use it for
Longlife-01 (LL-01)	5W-30, 5W-40, 0W-40	Almost all gasoline engines without a particulate filter, including older ones	Diesels with a DPF, M engines that call for 10W-60
Longlife-01 FE	Varies, lower viscosity	Gasoline engines without a particulate filter	Diesels
Longlife-04 (LL-04)	Varies	Diesels with or without a DPF, gas engines with a GPF	Gas engines without a GPF outside Europe, per BMW
Longlife-12 FE	0W-30	Certain diesels from MY2014, gas engines with a GPF	General replacement for LL-01 or LL-04
Longlife-14 FE+	0W-20	Certain gas engines without a GPF from MY2014, sold in Europe, the US and Canada	Diesels
Longlife-17 FE+	0W-20	Certain gas engines with or without a GPF from MY2014	Engines not listed for it, including some M engines
Longlife-19 FE	0W-30	Many diesels that used to take LL-04	Engines not listed for it
Longlife-22 FE++	0W-12	Latest Gen 3 B48 and B58 mild-hybrid engines from MY2022	Older engines, it's not backward compatible

That table pulls from Koed BMW's spec tables, OilSpecifications.org and FCP Euro. Two of them disagree on one point. Koed BMW's table shows LL-17 FE+ with no diesel release, while OilSpecifications.org says certain diesels were added from MY2021. If you have a diesel, go by your own manual.

Which BMW approved oil your car needs

Your owner's manual and your engine code decide it. Here's how the common US cases break down.

Older gas BMWs (roughly pre-2015)

Use LL-01. It covers almost all of BMW's gasoline engines except diesels and M engines, according to FCP Euro.

Turner Motorsport describes BMW's own TwinPower Turbo 5W-30 (an LL-01 oil) as the first US-approved oil for the N20, N54 and N55, and as the oil BMW dealers use.

Newer B48 and B58 cars (about MY2015 onward)

These usually left the factory with 0W-20 or 0W-30 and list LL-17 FE+, LL-01 FE or LL-14 FE+. On Bob Is The Oil Guy, a 2025 thread on a US-market B58 X5 quoted the manual as recommending LL-01 FE, LL-14 FE+ or LL-17 FE+ in 0W-20 or 0W-30. On Bimmerpost, a 2024 230i owner said his manual lists LL-12 FE and LL-17 FE+ in 0W-20 and 0W-30.

You can still run LL-01 5W-30 in most of these. Turner quotes a BMW service bulletin saying cars built from July 2015 on came with 0W-20 or 0W-30, and that 5W-30 is "an acceptable alternative." Some B58 owners run a thicker 0W-40 LL-01 oil instead, and both the Bimmerpost and Bob Is The Oil Guy threads name Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 as an option.

The newest cars with LL-22 FE++

Late B58 TU2 and Gen 3 B48 mild-hybrid engines call for LL-22 FE++ 0W-12. FCP Euro says it isn't backward compatible with older engines. OilSpecifications.org adds that it "must not be treated as a universal upgrade."

Whether thicker LL-17 FE+ or LL-01 oils are acceptable in these engines isn't settled publicly. One Bimmerpost owner flagged the TU2 as the open question. If yours is under warranty, use LL-22 FE++ and ask the dealer before switching.

M cars

Check the manual every time. Koed BMW lists 10W-60 for the S54, S62 and S65. Turner notes BMW's 5W-30 doesn't cover some M3, M5 and M6 engines, though the S55 in the 2015-on M3 and M4 is approved for it.

Diesels

Use LL-04 or whatever newer diesel spec your manual lists, like LL-12 FE or LL-19 FE. Koed BMW's page says 0W-20 and 5W-20 oils are not suitable for diesel engines.

Can you use LL-04 in a US gas BMW

BMW says no for a gas engine without a particulate filter outside Europe. Koed BMW's table lists that use as approved only in Europe, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Owners argue about it a lot. In the 2025 Bob Is The Oil Guy thread, one experienced member said either LL-01 or LL-04 is fine in a B58 because the minimum high-temperature viscosity is the same and US fuel now has low sulfur. That's a reasonable engineering view. It isn't BMW's listing, though, and a warranty claim goes by BMW's listing.

The easy route is to buy an oil that prints both LL-01 and LL-04 on the bottle, so you're covered either way.

Best oils that carry BMW approvals

These were picked because each has a published BMW approval you can verify on the maker's page or a retailer listing. Anything without a named BMW approval was left out, however well it's marketed.

We may earn a commission from links here. It doesn't change what we recommend.

Oil	Grade	BMW approval	Other approvals	Price seen
BMW TwinPower Turbo Longlife	5W-30	LL-01	API SL, ACEA A3/B3	$17.49 per bottle (Turner)
BMW TwinPower Turbo	0W-20	LL-17 FE+	Not checked	Dealer price
Mobil 1 FS European Car Formula	0W-40	LL-01	MB 229.5, VW 502 00 and 505 00, Porsche A40, API SP, ACEA A3/B4	Varies
Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600	0W-20	LL-17 FE+	MB 229.71 and 229.72, ACEA C5 and C6, API SQ, ILSAC GF-7A	Varies

BMW TwinPower Turbo Longlife 5W-30

This is the BMW TwinPower Turbo 5W-30 dealers pour into LL-01 cars, so there's no argument about approval. Turner describes it as formulated for US fuels. The drawback is price, and Turner's listing shows only API SL, an old API category.

BMW TwinPower Turbo 0W-20

If your car is listed for LL-17 FE+, this is the factory fill. A Bob Is The Oil Guy member names it as the dealer oil for the B58 X5. The drawback is that it's mostly sold through dealers, and I couldn't find a published spec sheet to confirm its full approval list. Search for BMW TwinPower Turbo 0W-20.

Mobil 1 FS European Car Formula 0W-40

The reason to pick it is coverage. Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 carries BMW LL-01 plus Mercedes, VW and Porsche approvals, and Mobil lists its viscosity at 100°C as 13.8 mm²/s. That's a thick 40-grade oil, and B58 owners on Bob Is The Oil Guy call it one of the most proven oils in its class. The drawback: it's not an LL-17 FE+ or LL-22 FE++ oil, and Koed BMW notes higher-viscosity oils can raise fuel consumption.

Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600 0W-20

Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600 0W-20 is one of the few widely sold aftermarket oils with LL-17 FE+ printed on it. It also carries the newest API SQ and ILSAC GF-7A ratings. The drawback is that Liqui Moly's US page doesn't list a price and says it's sold through business partners, so availability varies.

How often to change BMW oil

Follow the car's Condition Based Service (CBS) display at minimum, and consider going shorter. BMW Northwest, a dealer, says CBS typically lands between 10,000 and 15,000 miles in normal driving.

The same dealer says many BMW-trained technicians recommend about 7,500 miles for turbo engines, 5,000 to 7,500 for mostly short trips, and 5,000 for towing or track use. Owners on Bob Is The Oil Guy often run 5,000 to 6,000 miles on turbo BMWs for extra margin.

If your car has BMW Ultimate Care, BMW Northwest says scheduled oil changes are covered for the first 3 years or 36,000 miles on most vehicles. Ask before booking an extra early change, since it may not be covered.

Outside that plan, RepairPal puts an oil change for older BMW 330i model years at about $196 to $242. For more on what a full visit costs, see our guide to car service costs.

Decision checklist

Work through this before you buy oil for a BMW:

Find your engine code (N20, N55, B48, B58, S55 and so on) on the engine cover or in your registration paperwork.
Look up the approved oils in your owner's manual, not a parts store's lookup tool.
Note whether your car has a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) or a diesel particulate filter (DPF).
Pick an oil whose bottle prints at least one of the approvals your manual lists, word for word.
Under warranty with LL-22 FE++ in the manual: use LL-22 FE++ only.
Out of warranty and driving hard on an LL-01 or LL-17 FE+ engine: an LL-01 0W-40 is a common owner choice, at the cost of some fuel economy.
Diesel: never use 0W-20 or 5W-20.

What to do today

Open the owner's manual to the engine oil section and photograph the list of approved Longlife specs.
Check the oil you currently have in the garage. If it doesn't print one of those specs, don't use it for the next change.
Buy enough oil for a full change plus a 1-quart top-up bottle of the same oil.
Set your change interval: the CBS reading or 7,500 miles for a turbo engine, whichever comes first.
If the car is under Ultimate Care, book the change at the dealer so it's covered and recorded.

Common questions

Is LL-01 the same as LL-01 FE?

No. LL-01 FE is a fuel-economy version for gas engines without a particulate filter. You can use LL-01 FE only where your manual lists it.

Can I use 0W-20 in an LL-01 BMW?

Only if your engine is also listed for LL-14 FE+ or LL-17 FE+. Older engines that only list LL-01 should stay on an LL-01 oil.

Can I use LL-01 instead of LL-17 FE+?

In most B48 and B58 engines, yes. Turner quotes a BMW service bulletin calling 5W-30 an acceptable alternative for cars built from July 2015. Confirm your engine isn't an LL-22 FE++ engine first.

Is Mobil 1 0W-40 good for BMW?

Yes, for engines that take LL-01. Mobil's data sheet lists the BMW Longlife-01 approval for Mobil 1 FS 0W-40.

Does BMW use Castrol or Shell oil?

Shell. Turner says BMW switched its official supplier from Castrol to Shell in January 2015, which is the oil inside BMW-branded bottles.

Will non-BMW oil void my warranty?

Not if it carries the BMW approval your manual lists. Keep receipts showing the brand, grade and approval for every change.

Browse more fluid guides in our oils and fluids section.

Sources

Featured image: BMW E90 335i Engine Bay by Zongxianglee, CC BY 4.0. Source