Vehicle
How Often Should You Change Your Oil?
4 min read·Updated July 17, 2026
The old "every 3,000 miles" rule is long dead. Modern engines and synthetic oil go much further — but the right interval depends on how you drive.
The modern answer
Most cars using full synthetic oil go 7,500 to 10,000 miles (roughly 12,000–16,000 km) between changes. Always defer to your owner's manual or the vehicle's oil-life monitor — it's tuned to your exact engine.
When to change it sooner
- Lots of short trips where the engine never fully warms up.
- Frequent towing, heavy loads, or extreme heat/cold.
- Dusty or gravel-road driving.
- The car sits for long stretches — change oil at least once a year regardless of mileage.
Time matters as well as distance. Even a low-mileage car should get an oil change annually — oil degrades on its own.
Don't rely on memory or the windshield sticker
Add your vehicle to Upkeepery and it schedules the oil change (and tire rotations, and more), reminding you on time — so you protect the engine without overspending on changes you don't need.