Best Oil for a Toyota Camry

Engine oil is a critical component in smooth and efficient operation of your Toyota Camry.

In this article, we discuss the most important aspects of choosing engine oil, including ASTM methods and results, and ultimately settle on the best oil to use in your Camry.

At the end of this post there are tables with the proper part numbers specifically for Toyota Camry’s based on year (and engine). The tables include:

• Oil Filter Part Numbers
• Engine Air Filter Part Numbers
• Cabin Air Filter Part Numbers

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Table of Contents

• Choosing the Right Type of Engine Oil
• Which Oil Type to Use in a Toyota Camry
• Table of Recommended Oil – Toyota Camry – By Year
• How to Change Oil in a Toyota Camry?
• What Viscosity is Right for Me?
• Why should I use Synthetic Oil?
• Oil Capacity – Toyota Camry – by Year
• Oil Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year
• Engine Air Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year
• Cabin Air Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year
• Why Use These Oils?
• Oil Selection Summary (Camry)

Choosing the Right Type of Engine Oil

I don’t think it is a huge stretch to say that from an overall view, considering reliability, price, and market success, the Toyota Camry is one of the best vehicles ever built! So, it is great you are taking care of it by changing the oil regularly (I recommend every 5000 miles).

The best type of oil to put in your engine depends on a number of factors, and as a result, people will be arguing about this until the end of time. It makes sense, your vehicle is a significant expense and the oil you put into it is its lifeblood… you don’t want to screw this up!

When considering which oil to use, there are mainly 3 things you need to think about when choosing the best oil for your vehicle: mileage, climate, and driving habits. Even though there are a host of other things to consider, such as where you drive, what your daily drive is like, or whether your vehicle has any known problems, I am basing the results of this article on the driving habits of the vast majority of vehicle owners. 

Which Oil Type to Use in a Toyota Camry

Camry (4-Cyl) 2.5L made in 2018 or later (0W-16):

• Best Quality – Genuine Toyota Motor Oil Full Synthetic SAE 0W-16
• Best Value – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-16

This includes the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Toyota Camry (2.5L – 4-cyl).

Camry (4-Cyl) 2.5L made in 2017 or before (0W-20):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 
• Best Value – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-20 Motor Oil

This includes the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2015, and 2017 Toyota Camry (2.5L – 4-cyl).

Camry (6-Cyl) 3.5L made in 2012 or later (0W-20):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20
• Best Value – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-20 Motor Oil

This includes the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Toyota Camry (3.5L – 6-cyl).

Camry (6-Cyl) 3.5L made in 2011 or before (5W-30):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic 5W-30
• Best Value – Castrol 03057 GTX 5W-30 Full Synthetic

This includes the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Toyota Camry (3.5L – 6-cyl).

Table of Recommended Oil – Toyota Camry – By Year

The following is a quick summary of the best oils to use in a Toyota Camry. All the details follow after this list including the part numbers for the recommended oil filter, engine air filter, and cabin air filter.

Read on for more details, but here is a summary:

How to Change Oil in a Toyota Camry?

Changing the oil in a Toyota Camry is easy and can be done by anyone with even a moderate mechanical sense. The whole process takes about 20-30 minutes, and most of the time is spent waiting for the used oil to drain out of the car! All you’ll need is a 14mm socket, funnel, the oil, a drain pan, and an oil filter.

What Viscosity is Right for Me?

When you see the numbers on the bottle like “5W-30”, very simply, the first number corresponds to the viscosity when the oil is cold (think “W” for “winter”). The number before the “W” refers to the viscosity rating at 0°C.

A lower number means there is less thickening of the oil at lower temperatures. The number after the dash (-) refers to the viscosity of the oil measured at 100°C and is an indication of the oil’s rate of thinning at higher temperatures. Visit this post on “Bob Is the Oil Guy” for a more detailed explanation of the SAE numbers. For more information on the API rating, visit Oil Categories (American Petroleum Institute).

Why should I use Synthetic Oil?

You will notice that all of the most recommended oils in the list are full synthetic oils. Why is that? For one thing, some of the newer lighter oils, such as 0W-16 oils only come in synthetic! But overall, synthetic oil is better for your engine for the following reasons:

1. Synthetic oil allows your vehicle to get better gas mileage. Since synthetic oil can be manufactured down to higher viscosity ratings than conventional oils, the oil flows more freely, allowing the engine to not have to work as hard.
2. Synthetic oils can also go longer between oil changes. This not only saves you money, but also reduces waste.
3. Synthetic oils increase engine longevity. If everything else is the same, an engine will last longer if synthetic oil is used because synthetic oil does not break down as rapidly as mineral oils.

Oil Capacity – Toyota Camry – by Year

The following table lists the Oil Capacity for Toyota Camry’s from 2007-2021 with engine displacements of 2.4L (4-Cyl), 2.5L (4-Cyl), and 3.5L (6-Cyl). 

Oil Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year

The following table lists the part numbers for the correct Oil Filters for Toyota Camry’s from 2007-2021 with engine displacements of 2.4L (4-Cyl), 2.5L (4-Cyl), and 3.5L (6-Cyl). Click the part numbers to see price, availability and more information.

Engine Air Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year

When was the last time you changed your engine air filter? Toyota recommends changing the engine air filter every 15000 – 30,000 miles! This is cleaning the air your engine breathes!

The following table lists the part numbers for the correct Engine Air Filters for Toyota Camry’s from 2007-2021 with engine displacements of 2.4L (4-Cyl), 2.5L (4-Cyl), and 3.5L (6-Cyl). Click the part numbers to see price, availability and more information.

Check out this post for instructions on how to change the engine air filter in a Camry.

Cabin Air Filter – Toyota Camry – by Year

When was the last time you changed your cabin air filter? Similar to the engine air filter, Toyota recommends changing the cabin air filter every 15000 – 30,000 miles! This is the air you breathe, take care of it!

The following table lists the part numbers for the correct Cabin Air Filters for Toyota Camry’s from 2007-2021 with engine displacements of 2.4L (4-Cyl), 2.5L (4-Cyl), and 3.5L (6-Cyl). Click the part numbers to see price, availability and more information.

Why Use These Oils?

Read the following specifications for more information on the motor oils recommended in this article.

0W-16 Full Synthetic Oil

Genuine Toyota Motor Oil Full Synthetic SAE 0W-16 meets or exceeds the following specifications:

• API SN
• Resource Conserving (RC) multigrade engine oil
• Toyota Genuine Motor Oil (TGMO) is made by Mobil 1 to Toyota Specifications.
• Why not just buy Mobil 1? While Mobil 1 is also a very good oil, the additive package in TGMO is very different from Mobil 1. For example, the Viscosity index is significantly higher on TGMO than on the corresponding Mobil 1 oil.

Resource Conserving (RC) is a specification that requires further properties, namely:
– Protection of the emission system 
– Protection of turbocharger
– Ethanol-containing fuel compatibility, up to E-85

From the Spec Sheet for Genuine Toyota Motor Oil Full Synthetic 0W-16:

Valvoline Advanced 0W-16 Full Synthetic meets the following specifications:

• API SN
• API Resource Conserving (RC)
• Premium Additive Chemistry
• High Fuel Efficiency and Deposit Protection

From the Spec Sheet for Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic Motor Oil:

0W-20 Full Synthetic Oil

Mobil 1 Extended Performance 0W-20 Full Synthetic meets the following specifications:

• API SN Plus
• Resource Conserving
• SN Plus
• SN
• GF-5
• ILSAC GF-6A
• GM’s dexos 1:GEN2 Licensed
• Wss-M2C947-A, WSS-M2C947-B1

From the Spec Sheet for Mobil 1 Extended Performance 0W-20:

Comparing to Castrol GTX 0W-20:

Castrol 03060 GTX 0W-20 Full Synthetic meets the following specifications:

• API SN
• ILSAC GF-5
  • Improved protection against oil ‘sludge’
  • Formulated to improve fuel efficiency
  • Satisfies ILSAC GF-4 standards
  • Low low HTHS (High Temperature High Shear) (≤ 3.5cP)
• GM dexos1

From the spec sheet for Castrol GTX Magnatec 0W-20:

The following are other good alternative 0W-20 oils to consider:

• Idemitsu Full Synthetic 0W-20 Engine Oil SN/GF-5 – 5 Quart
  • API SN
  • ILSAC GF-5
• Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-20 Motor Oil 5 QT
  • API SN
  • ILSAC GF-5

5W-30 Full Synthetic Oil

Castrol 03057 GTX 5W-30 Full Synthetic meets the following specifications:

• API SN Plus (Approved by the American Petroleum Institute)
• ILSAC GF-5 (International Lubricant’s Standardization and Approval Committee)
  • Improved protection against oil ‘sludge’
  • Formulated to improve fuel efficiency
  • Satisfies ILSAC GF-4 standards
  • Low low HTHS (High Temperature High Shear) (≤ 3.5cP)
• GM dexos1 Gen 2 (GM Specification)
• Ford WSS-M2C929-A and WSS-M2C946-B1 (Ford Specifications)

From the Spec Sheet for Castrol GTX Magnatec 5W-30:

The following are other good alternative 5W-30 oils to consider:

• Valvoline 881164 Engine Oil, 5. quarts
  • Made in USA
• Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 5W-30 Motor Oil (5-Quart)
  • GM’s dexos 1 Gen 2
  • API SN PLUS, API SN-RC
  • ILSAC GF-5
  • ACEA A1/B1 

Oil Selection Summary (Camry)

Camry (4-Cyl) 2.5L made in 2018 or later (0W-16):

• Best Quality – Genuine Toyota Motor Oil Full Synthetic SAE 0W-16
• Most Popular – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-16

This includes the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Toyota Camry (2.5L – 4-cyl).

Camry (4-Cyl) 2.5L made in 2017 or before (0W-20):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20 
• Most Popular – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-20 Motor Oil

This includes the 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2015, and 2017 Toyota Camry (2.5L – 4-cyl).

Camry (6-Cyl) 3.5L made in 2012 or later (0W-20):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20
• Most Popular – Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic SAE 0W-20 Motor Oil

This includes the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Toyota Camry (3.5L – 6-cyl).

Camry (6-Cyl) 3.5L made in 2011 or before (5W-30):

• Best Quality – Mobil 1 Extended Performance Full Synthetic 5W-30
• Most Popular – Castrol 03057 GTX 5W-30 Full Synthetic

This includes the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Toyota Camry (3.5L – 6-cyl).

Thanks for reading this post and thanks for visiting PracticalMechanic.com!

By the way, is your car ready for winter? Checkout the Ultimate Winter Car Preparedness Checklist!

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What is the Best Mobil 1 Synthetic Oil? How to Change Oil in a Toyota Corolla How to Change Oil in a Honda Accord