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Best Oil Filters: Standard vs Extended-Life
The right oil filter keeps your engine clean. The best choice depends on how often you change your oil.
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#1 Best overall: standard oil filter
Top pickWorks well for normal oil change intervals and costs less.
Key trade-off: great value, but not made for very long intervals.
#2 For long intervals: extended-life filter
Stronger build and more filtering, made for synthetic oil and longer time between changes.
Key trade-off: lasts longer, but costs more.
Before you buy
- Search with your car's year, make, and model to get the right filter.
- Change the filter every time you change the oil.
- Follow the oil change interval in your owner's manual.
DIY: How to change your oil and oil filter
Safety first: Never work under a car held up only by a jack. Always use jack stands or ramps on flat ground.
- Warm up the engine for a few minutes so the oil drains easily, then turn it off.
- Raise the car safely with ramps or jack stands, and place the drain pan under the oil plug.
- Remove the drain plug and let the old oil drain completely, then put the plug back in and tighten it.
- Remove the old filter with a filter wrench. Some oil will spill, so keep the pan under it.
- Prepare the new filter. Rub a little new oil on its rubber seal, then screw it on by hand until snug, plus about three-quarters of a turn.
- Add new oil of the type and amount in your owner's manual, check the dipstick, and take the old oil to an auto store for recycling.
Ready to do it yourself?