A guide to the best engine oil for your Citroen DS3

Quick answer – use a 5W-30 or 5W-40 (depending on your engine) from either Mobil, Total or Valvoline.

It can be tricky to pick the right engine oil for your Citroen DS3. If you get it wrong, you can damage your engine. There are many different brands and grades of oil on the market, and each claim to be the most effective or the best at keeping your engine in optimal running condition.

In this article we are going to show you the recommended oil for each engine variant of the DS3 first generation (2009 – 2018), both petrol and diesel. We’ve used either Citroen/DS recommended oil or the equivalent quality from another brand. 

Which engine do you have?

The type of engine oil you choose depends entirely on the engine you have in your car. This is why it’s a little misleading to say the DS3 takes a certain type of oil because different engines fitted to the DS3 will take different grades of oil. 

This is why it’s very important to know which engine you have. It’s not enough to say that it’s either a petrol or diesel engine – you need to know the variant; the DS3 was manufactured with a range of 1.6L diesel engines and 1.2L/1.4L/1.6L petrol engines, some of which require different grades of oil.

You should look in your owner’s manual to determine which engine variant you have, and if you can’t find it, then you should contact your local Citroen/DS dealer, give them the registration and they will tell you which engine was fitted to your car.

What oil does the DS3 take?

In the next section we’ve gone through every engine fitted to the first generation of DS3, and given you a list of possible choices for oil. All of these oils will meet or exceed Citroen’s recommendation – and if you take your car to the dealer for a service, chances are they will be using one of the oils mentioned here.

Of course, any oil meeting the correct grade will be fine, but we’ve recommended premium oils formulated for your engine to ensure long-life and optimal performance. These oils are available online, or at your local motor factors.  

Best Oil for Citroen DS3 – Petrol (2019 – 2018)

VTi 82 (2012+) 1.2L

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

VTi 95 (2009 – 2012) 1.4L

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

PureTech 110 (2015+) 1.2L

Grade: 5W-40

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

PureTech 130 (2016+) 1.2L

Grade: 5W-40

Brand: EITHER Mobil Super 3000 X1 5W-40 Premium Fully Synthetic Engine Oil OR Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil

VTi 120 (2009 – 2015) 1.6L

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

THP 155/207/210 (2010+) 1.6L

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 Citroen DS3 – Diesel (2019 – 2018)

HDi 90 FAP (2009+) 1.6L

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

HDi 110 FAP (2009+) 1.6L

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

e-HDi 90 Airdream (2010+) 1.6L

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

BlueHDi 120 (2014+) 1.6L

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

How much oil does the DS3 take?

The diesels will generally take 3.8L. The petrols take between 3.1L and 4.2L. You should buy a 5L can of whichever oil you choose, and not worry too much about exactly what measurement of oil you have put in your engine – you should be more concerned about where the oil level sits on the dipstick. If it’s too low or too high it can cause damage to your engine.

Does thicker oil protect the DS3’s engine better?

This is a common misconception. The engine will be designed to run on one grade of oil throughout its life, and you shouldn’t mix and match oils depending on the age of the engine or the temperature outside. Thicker oil is not necessarily any better than thinner oil, as thicker oil can cause increased energy consumption, heat generation and poorer fuel consumption. 

That being said, using a very slightly thicker or thinner oil likely won’t cause any lasting damage to your engine. 

What brand engine oil is best?

This is not really a question anyone can answer since there’s no real empirical data out there of how long an engine lasts if it’s run on only one brand of oil versus another. All manufacturers of oil will claim their oil is the best and most effective at caring for your engine, but ultimately you should go with a premium brand that is recommended by the manufacturer.

Citroen and Peugeot (PSA group) have always recommended Total oils (probably because they are also a French company) but in my experience dealers will either use Total or Mobil depending on what’s available. I would say as long as the oil meets the grade and specification and isn’t the cheapest oil available on the market, you will probably be fine.

Will the wrong oil damage my DS3’s engine?

If it’s one grade thicker or thinner, it probably won’t do any lasting damage. If it’s significantly thicker or thinner, then it will cause damage. Only use the correct oil specification – there is no benefit to using thicker or thinner oil than the manufacturer recommends in your engine.

We’ve written a significant amount of content on the Citroen DS3, so if you’re experiencing problems or need advice, check out some of our other articles!