Peugeot 208 Engine Oil Buyer’s Guide

Featured image: © M 93 / Wikimedia Commons

Engine oil can be a minefield – not only do you have a huge number of grades but you also have different brands, each claiming to be the best or the most effective for your engine. But what’s the truth, and should you be spending more on more expensive oil?

In this article we cut through the noise to help you choose exactly which oil you need for you Peugeot 208 – whether it’s petrol or diesel, old generation or new, this article will show you exactly which grade of oil you need, which brand is recommended and why.

Firstly – it all depends on the engine

Let’s begin by talking about why your engine needs oil. An engine needs oil for lubrication – lots of different pieces of metal (valves and pistons) move at very high speed in your engine, and oil helps keep them moving smoothly.

Without engine oil, the parts would quickly overheat – and when metal heats it expands, which causes the valves and pistons that usually run at very high tolerances to hit each other and cause damage – and once the engine cools down, the internals weld themselves to one another, and the engine never runs again without a rebuild.

Oil also cleans the internals of the engine of impurities and contamination. This is why it’s so important to change your oil regularly, because oil can become contaminated with these impurities and it’s lubrication and cleaning abilities reduce. If you leave it too long, the oil turns to sludge, can no longer circulate around the engine and your engine dies. You also might get strange errors such as engine oil pressure fault, or “engine repair needed”.

Different types of engine need different types of oil, and this is what’s so important when it comes to purchasing engine oil – you need to make sure you pick the right one.

Grade and brand of oil

Engine oil is sold at different grades. A grade generally refers to how thick, or viscous, the oil is. There are two numbers that define this thickness – the first number has a “W” after it, which stands for “winter” – some people think it stands for weight, but this is incorrect. The first number refers to the oil’s viscosity at low temperatures.

The second number simply refers to the oil’s viscosity at higher temperatures – and this is important because the thickness, or viscosity of the oil, will change depending on the temperature. Thinner oils will give better protection to internal engine parts at low temperatures, whereas thicker oils will protect engines at higher temperatures due to their film strength.

Brands are also just as important. There are lots of premium quality brands on the market, such as Shell, Helix, Mobil and Total, and also lots of cheaper, lower quality brands on the market. You may think, for example, that a 5W-30 oil is the same whether it’s a Total brand oil or a cheaper oil such as Triple QX – but this isn’t actually the case, and more expensive oils tend to be more durable and protect the internals of your engine better.

In the UK, all oils will meet a minimum standard for quality – buying a more expensive oil often means you will exceed these standards and take better care of your engine. Often, however, the claims these more expensive oils make are just marketing jargon, so be careful.

Different oil for the old model and new model Peugeot 208

It’s worth mentioning that the two different generations of Peugeot 208 sometimes take different grades of oil. For the avoidance of any doubt, here are the two models:

Older model (A9, manufactured 2012 to 2019)

Newer model (P21, manufactured 2019 to present)

You’ll also need to be sure exactly which engine your car has to avoid using the incorrect grade or brand of oil. You can find this information in your owners’ manual, or failing that, you can call your local Peugeot dealer, give them the registration and they will tell you which engine your car has.

What oil does a Peugeot 208 take?

Below we look through every engine the Peugeot 208 was manufactured with and tell you which grade of oil you need, along with a preferred brand. The preferred brand has been determined after research into which brand Peugeot themselves recommend, or where this information wasn’t available, the oils that industry authorities recommend.

Of course, any oil meeting the correct grade will work, but we’ve recommended premium oils formulated for your engine to ensure optimal performance and long-life. You can buy any of these oils at reputable local motor factors or online retailers.

Generally, oils meeting Peugeot’s PSA B71 2290 specification will be fine for your vehicle. However if you work for Peugeot, and any of the below is incorrect, please let me know!

Best Oil For Peugeot 208 – A9 model (2012 – 2019) – Petrol

1.0L PureTech/VTi

Grade: 5W-40

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Elf Sporti 9 5W-40 High Performance Synthetic Engine Oil OR Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

1.2L PureTech/VTi

Grade: 5W-40

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Elf Sporti 9 5W-40 High Performance Synthetic Engine Oil OR Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

1.4L VTi

Grade: 5W-30

Brand: EITHER Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 Advanced Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil

1.6L VTi

Grade: 5W-40

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Elf Sporti 9 5W-40 High Performance Synthetic Engine Oil OR Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

1.6L THP (GTi)

Grade: 5W-30

Brand: EITHER Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 Advanced Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil

Best Oil For Peugeot 208 – A9 model (2012 – 2019) – Diesel

1.4L HDi

Grade: 5W-30

Recommended brand: EITHER Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil OR Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 Advanced Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

1.6L e-HDi

Grade: 5W-30

Recommended brand: EITHER Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil OR Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 Advanced Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

1.6L BlueHDi

Grade: 5W-30

Recommended brand: EITHER Total Quartz Ineo ECS 5W-30 Advanced Synthetic Engine Oil OR Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30 Advanced Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Petronas Syntium 5000 CP 5W-30 Fully Synthetic Car Engine Oil

Best Oil For Peugeot 208 – P21 model (2019 – present) – Petrol

1.2L PureTech

Grade: 0W-30

Brand: EITHER Castrol MAGNATEC STOP-START 0W-30 C2 OR Shell Helix Ultra Professional AP-L Engine Oil 0W-30

Best Oil For Peugeot 208 – P21 model (2019 – present) – Diesel

1.5L BlueHDi

Grade: 0W-30

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 Formula P Engine Oil 0W-30 OR Castrol MAGNATEC STOP-START 0W-30 C2

What happens if you put the wrong oil in your Peugeot 208?

Modern vehicles such as the Peugeot 208 are designed to use quite thin oil. If you use too thick an oil, it won’t circulate around the engine properly and will lead to oil starvation. Additional problems that can come about from using the wrong type of oil are engine overheating (as the correct type of oil also absorbs some of the heat generated when the engine is working), reduced fuel economy and causing a reduced engine life due to improper lubrication leading to metal-on-metal contact.

Do cars perform better with new oil?

It depends how long it’s been since your last oil change. If you’re changing your oil very regularly (every 10k or more often than once a year) you probably won’t notice much of a difference. However, if you change your oil less often, you’ll probably notice a few things after your car is running on fresh oil – probably better fuel efficiency because of better engine lubrication (the engine not needing to work as hard), as well as slightly improved acceleration and potentially a smoother-sounding engine.

Think of changing your oil not as an upgrade or giving your car a treat – engine oil is the lifeblood of your engine and you should be changing it as often as the manufacturer tells you. It’s just like any other engine service item, like having the timing belt changed – not like putting new brakes on where you’ll feel the car stopping better, or putting new shocks on where you’ll feel the car handle better.

Is it better to run thicker oil in hot weather?

Some people suggest this, as oil tends to be thinner in warmer weather. There isn’t any need to use a thicker grade of oil in the summer months in your Peugeot 208, and you won’t notice any performance benefit or increased engine life because of it.

Is one brand of motor oil better than another?

Generally premium brands will have additives that are formulated to better protect your engine and ensure it lasts as long as possible. Cheaper brands might not have this, which can lead to a lower level of protection for the internals of your engine. You’re very unlikely to notice a huge difference in performance, but we would always recommend purchasing the best oil you can afford for your engine, as long as it’s the correct grade.

Check out some more of our guides on the Peugeot 208!