Engine Oil Capacity Calculator

Find how much engine oil an oil change takes for your vehicle in quarts and liters, the jugs and bottles to buy, or how much to add from the dipstick.

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Calculator Functions

The calculator gives the amount of engine oil a vehicle takes at an oil change, in US quarts and liters, with the jugs and bottles that cover it. It also works out how much to add when the dipstick reads low.

The vehicle list holds Ford’s refill figures for 2017 to 2026 engines [1] and the Toyota and Mazda engines named in it. For any other engine, choose Custom and enter the figure from the capacities page of the owner’s manual. The Not listed choices give a range to shop by until you have that figure. To work out when the next change is due, use the Oil Change Calculator.

Engine Oil Capacity Formulas

A 2021 Ford F-150 with the 5.0 L engine takes 7.8 qt [1], which is 7.8 × 0.946353 = 7.38 L. One five-quart jug and three one-quart bottles hold 8 qt and leave 0.2 qt. With a quart already on the shelf, B = 7.8 − 1 = 6.8 qt, and a jug with two quart bottles covers it. The calculator picks the containers that leave the least oil over, then the fewest containers.

With and without a new filter

Owner’s manuals often print two refill figures, because a new filter soaks up part of the oil. The calculator uses the with-filter figure, since the filter is normally changed with the oil, and every capacity on Ford’s chart includes the filter [1].

The RAV4 Hybrid takes the same 4.8 qt as the RAV4 [4]. Toyota calls its figure a reference quantity for an oil change, to be confirmed on the dipstick more than 5 minutes after the warmed-up engine is turned off [2], and Mazda heads its table Approximate Quantities [8]. After refilling, the dipstick has the last word.

Capacity by engine size

Engine size alone doesn’t settle the capacity. Ford’s 1.5 L EcoBoost takes 4.3, 5.0, 5.3 or 6.6 qt depending on the vehicle and model year, and its 5.0 L engine takes 7.8 qt in a 2021 F-150 but 10.0 qt in a 2018 to 2023 Mustang [1]. A few engines fall outside the ranges: one 3.5 L Transit engine is listed at 12.0 qt, and the 5.2 L engines of the Mustang GT350, GT500 and GTD and the F-150 Raptor R at 10.0 to 12.0 qt [1]. A Not listed result is a range for that reason, and the amount to pour should come from the owner’s manual.

Topping up from the dipstick

Some owner’s manuals print the amount of oil between the low and full marks. Toyota gives 1.6 qt (1.5 L) for the 2020 RAV4 [3] and RAV4 Hybrid [5], and 1.9 qt (1.8 L) for the 2024 Highlander [7]. A RAV4 reading halfway between the marks needs (1 − 0.5) × 1.6 = 0.8 qt.

Toyota says to add oil when the level is below or near the low mark [3], and to add it slowly while checking the dipstick [5]. Mazda says to bring the level to MAX when it is near or below MIN, and warns that overfilling may cause engine damage [9]. For the Mustang GTD, Ford has the oil added in 0.25 qt steps until the level reaches the middle of the crosshatch marks [1]. Treat the top-up result the same way: pour part of it, recheck, and stop at the full mark.

Limits of This Estimate

• The vehicle list covers only the Ford, Toyota and Mazda engines shown, and the Toyota and Mazda figures are for one model year each. Other years and makers differ, so use Custom with the figure from your owner’s manual.
• A listed capacity is a reference amount [2]. What drains out varies from one change to the next, so check the dipstick after refilling.
• The top-up amount assumes the level rises evenly between the low and full marks. A reading below the low mark only shows that the engine needs more than the low-to-full amount.
• The figures are for a change with a new filter. Changing the oil alone took 0.2 to 0.4 qt less in the engines in the table above.

Sources