A guide to the best oil for your Peugeot 107

Sometimes engine oil can be confusing due to the different number of grades and brands that exist in the marketplace. You also need to consider what type of engine you have, whether it’s petrol or diesel as well as whether you need to be paying more for a more premium brand.

In this article we look at choosing the correct oil for your Peugeot 107. Fortunately this is easier on the 107 than on most cars because there were only ever two engines fitted to the Peugeot 107 - a 1.0L petrol engine made by Toyota and a 1.4L diesel engine made by Peugeot/Citroen. In case you’re wondering why a Peugeot car would have a Toyota engine, the 107 was a joint venture between PSA Group (the parent company of Peugeot and Citroen) and Toyota, and therefore the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1 are the same cars, fitted with the same engines.

We’ll also look at the kind of oil you should be choosing, whether it’s worth going for a more expensive brand and more importantly, how often you should be changing out your oil to ensure your engine lasts as long as it can. I’m a mechanic and have been for ten years, and I’ve done more oil changes on the Peugeot 107 than I can count - so I’m more than qualified to help you pick the best oil for your car.

Your engine

Engine oil lubricates the internal parts of the engine. It also serves to take some of the heat away from the moving parts (although this is mostly done by the cooling system). Therefore, a fresh, good quality oil free of contaminants is essential to keep your engine running smoothly.

For the Peugeot 107, the diesel and petrol variants take different grades of oil. We’ll touch on what this means exactly in a moment, but you need to understand which one you have to ensure you purchase the correct oil - putting the wrong grade of oil into your engine can cause damage (although the grades on the 107 are so similar it’s unlikely to do any real harm.)

Engine oil becomes contaminated over time just by driving the car - so it’s important to change it out every 12,000 miles because contaminated, used oil does a poorer job of lubricating the engine’s moving parts than fresh oil. In fact, leave it too long and the oil can even stop lubricating the engine’s moving parts completely, turning into a thick, viscous sludge.

Grade and brand of oil - does it matter?

The grade matters, but generally the brand doesn’t. There’s a lot made of premium oils, and most of it is marketing fluff. Generally you won’t notice any material impact on your car’s performance by using a more expensive oil. However, if you really care about your car and want it to last as long as possible, it could be worth investing in a premium oil.

The grade of oil refers to how thick the oil is - this is when you start to see figures like 5W-40 and 5W-30. Don’t worry too much about exactly what this means (although I have explained it in other articles if you’re interested) - just know that the grade your car needs is the grade you need to buy - don’t buy anything else.

The correct oil for your Peugeot 107

We’re covering the entire production run of the Peugeot 107 here - from 2005 to 2014.

As we’ve mentioned, the Peugeot 107 is effectively the same car as the Toyota Aygo and the Citroen C1. As such, the engine choices in all three models are very similar. You have the 998cc, 68hp petrol engine which is a Toyota unit and is very reliable - or you have the much rarer 1.4HDi 54hp diesel engine which is a PSA unit - also very reliable engines. I actually don’t believe the Toyota Aygo was ever fitted with the diesel engine - so diesel models are limited to Peugeot and Citroen examples.

Because the engines are the same, the oil they take is also the same. However, you will need different grades of oil for petrol and diesel models. Below we’ve outlined both types of Peugeot 107 engine and which oil they take. It’s worth mentioning that we’ve recommended a brand of oil based on what the manufacturer usually recommends - for example, Toyota dealers tend to use Mobil oil, so that’s what we’ve recommended for petrol models - additionally, Peugeot dealers tend to use Total oil so that’s what we’ve recommended for diesel models.

You don’t have to go by our suggestion - any matching grade oil will be fine.

Petrol - 1.0L 12V

Grade: 5W-40

Recommended Brand: Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

Diesel - 1.4 HDi

Grade: 5W-30

Recommended Brand: Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil

Frequently Asked Questions

How much oil should you put in your Peugeot 107?

The petrol engine takes 3 litres exactly. The diesel engine takes 3.8 litres. A 5L bottle of oil will be fine for one oil change - but in all honesty don’t worry about putting an exact amount of oil in when you change your oil. There will always be some residual oil left in the system that you won’t get out simply by draining the oil out. Always put in a smaller amount, and check the dipstick. If you’re between the minimum and maximum mark, you are fine and you don’t need to put in any more oil, even if you’ve put in less than the full oil capacity.

Is it OK to add oil between oil changes?

There is usually no need to top up your oil, unless it’s below the minimum mark. Neither engine fitted to the Peugeot 107 is known for burning excessive oil (it isn’t fitted with those terrible PureTech engines that other Peugeots are fitted with that burn oil like they burn petrol) so I wouldn’t worry too much about this - check the dipstick every two weeks and ensure the level is between the minimum and maximum. If it is, don’t worry about topping it up. 

You may find that as your engine runs over 100,000 miles it does start to burn a little bit of oil. In this case, just top it up with a bit of oil as and when you check the dipstick and find it below the minimum mark.

How often should a Peugeot 107 be serviced?

Generally both engines fitted to the Peugeot 107 are very reliable. The diesel is a little bit more sensitive to poor servicing but the Toyota engine is pretty bulletproof. That being said, both engines need servicing at around the 12,000 mile mark, or one year - whichever is sooner. If you do a lot of miles, or your car is susceptible to what’s considered arduous conditions - lots of short journeys where the engine doesn’t get up to temperature, or a dusty environment or poor quality fuel, you may want to service every 6,000 miles or six months instead to ensure your car remains in excellent mechanical order.

What colour should oil be on the dipstick?

This depends on the engine you have, and also how many miles it’s done. For example, you’ll notice that even if you put fresh oil in a diesel engine, as soon as you run the engine the oil will instantly go from a healthy tan or caramel colour to a dirty black. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had customers come back and say “you didn’t change my oil because it’s black” when in fact we did, it’s just that because of the carbon inside a diesel engine, it causes oil to go black pretty much immediately.

In a petrol engine however, an oil will go from being a tan colour when it’s fresh, to being a dirty brown colour when it’s used. When you dip the oil and rub it on a piece of tissue paper, if it’s tan it’s probably fine, and if it’s a dark brown or even black colour, it’s time for an oil change. However, I wouldn’t base your oil changes on the colour of your oil - base your oil changes and servicing on the miles your car has done since your last service. If it’s been 2 years since you last serviced your Peugeot 107 and the oil is a tan colour, you should still get it changed.

We've written loads of articles on the Peugeot 107/Citroen C1/Toyota Aygo - so if you're thinking of buying one, check out some of our other content.