ACEA Engine Oil Sequences

About ACEA

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles, ACEA) is the Brussels-based association representing 17 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus manufacturers. ACEA succeeded the former CCMC (Comité des Constructeurs du Marché Commun) in this field. CCMC engine-oil sequences became obsolete in January 1996, when the first ACEA Oil Sequences were introduced.

ACEA Oil Sequences define minimum performance requirements for service-fill engine oils. They are not vehicle-specific oil approvals, and ACEA does not certify or license individual oils. Oil marketers make ACEA claims on a self-certification basis, supported by credible test data and the European Engine Lubricants Quality Management System (EELQMS). A vehicle manufacturer may require additional tests, tighter limits, or a specific proprietary approval.

Always use the oil grade, ACEA category and any manufacturer approval specified in the current vehicle handbook or service information. An ACEA category alone does not establish suitability for every engine.

How ACEA sequence names work

An ACEA claim has a class letter and category number, such as C3 or E11. For industry use, a hyphenated year identifies the implemented severity level, such as C6-23 or E11-24. Product labels and literature normally state the class and category; the year suffix helps distinguish successive technical versions.

• A/B: high-SAPS oils for gasoline and light-duty diesel engines.

• C: catalyst-, GPF- and DPF-compatible oils for gasoline and light-duty diesel engines. These categories use controlled SAPS levels.

• E/F: heavy-duty diesel-engine oils.

SAPS means sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur. HTHS viscosity means high-temperature, high-shear viscosity: a measure of oil-film viscosity under severe operating conditions. A lower HTHS requirement can support fuel economy, but it is not a substitute for an oil category or viscosity grade specified by the engine manufacturer.

Sequence status and claim timing

ACEA now publishes separate light-duty and heavy-duty sequence documents. Older issues are withdrawn after an overlap period. “First allowable use” is the earliest date a claim may be made; “mandatory for new claims” is the point after which new formulations must claim the newer issue; and “may be marketed until” is the final date for continued marketing of a claim to the earlier issue.

The earliest ACEA releases were issued for 1996, followed by 1998, 1999 and 2002 editions. They are historical only and should not be used for new product claims or oil selection.

A/B: gasoline and light-duty diesel engine oils

The current 2023 light-duty sequence contains the following A/B categories. These are high-SAPS categories and are not automatically appropriate for engines requiring a C-category oil for exhaust-aftertreatment compatibility.

• ACEA A3/B4-23: A stay-in-grade oil for passenger-car and light-duty gasoline and diesel engines, including applications with extended drain intervals where the manufacturer specifies them. It has an HTHS viscosity of at least 3.5 mPa·s.

• ACEA A5/B5-23: A stay-in-grade, lower-HTHS oil for specified gasoline and direct-injection diesel engines, including permitted extended-drain applications. Its HTHS viscosity is 2.9 to 3.5 mPa·s.

• ACEA A7/B7-23: A lower-HTHS category with the same 2.9 to 3.5 mPa·s HTHS range as A5/B5, adding performance for low-speed pre-ignition and wear protection in turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engines and turbocharger-compressor-deposit control in modern direct-injection diesel engines.

Historical categories: A1/B1 and A3/B3 are not included in the current light-duty sequence and are obsolete for current ACEA claims.

C: catalyst-, GPF- and DPF-compatible oils

C categories are designed for engines with exhaust aftertreatment systems, but their SAPS limits and HTHS requirements differ. They are not interchangeable merely because they are all C categories.

• ACEA C2-23: Mid-SAPS, lower-HTHS oil for specified gasoline and direct-injection diesel engines; minimum HTHS viscosity 2.9 mPa·s.

• ACEA C3-23: Mid-SAPS oil for specified gasoline and direct-injection diesel engines; minimum HTHS viscosity 3.5 mPa·s.

• ACEA C4-23: Low-SAPS oil for specified gasoline and direct-injection diesel engines; minimum HTHS viscosity 3.5 mPa·s.

• ACEA C5-23: Mid-SAPS fuel-economy oil for engines designed and approved for it; minimum HTHS viscosity 2.6 mPa·s.

• ACEA C6-23: Mid-SAPS fuel-economy oil for engines designed and approved for it; minimum HTHS viscosity 2.6 mPa·s. Compared with C5, it adds low-speed-pre-ignition and wear protection for turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engines and turbocharger-compressor-deposit protection for modern direct-injection diesel engines.

• ACEA C7-23: The newest light-duty category. It is a mid-SAPS, enhanced-fuel-economy category for OEM-approved applications with a minimum HTHS viscosity of 2.3 mPa·s. It is based on C6 performance, except for its enhanced fuel-economy requirement, and was introduced to cover SAE 0W-16 applications.

Historical category: C1 is not included in the current light-duty sequence and is obsolete for current ACEA claims.

E/F: heavy-duty diesel engine oils

The current heavy-duty document is ACEA 2024 Revision 1. It contains E4-24, E7-24, E8-24, E11-24 and the new F01-24 category. The E4 and E7 categories have higher permitted sulphated-ash limits than E8 and E11; E8 and E11 are the controlled-SAPS categories intended to support applications with modern exhaust aftertreatment where specified by the engine manufacturer.

• ACEA E4-24: Heavy-duty category with high cleanliness, wear-control, soot-handling and lubricant-stability requirements for specified applications. It is not the default choice for engines requiring controlled-SAPS oil or particulate-filter compatibility.

• ACEA E7-24: Heavy-duty category for specified severe-duty applications, with requirements for piston cleanliness, wear control, soot handling and lubricant stability.

• ACEA E8-24: Controlled-SAPS heavy-duty category for specified engines, including applications with exhaust aftertreatment where the manufacturer permits it.

• ACEA E11-24: Controlled-SAPS heavy-duty category for specified engines, including applications with exhaust aftertreatment where the manufacturer permits it.

• ACEA F01-24: New heavy-duty category with specific xW-30 viscosity requirements and an HTHS viscosity range of 2.9 to 3.2 mPa·s. It is not a general replacement for E11-24; use it only where the engine manufacturer explicitly requires or permits F01.

Historical categories: E6 and E9 were replaced by E8 and E11 in the 2022 heavy-duty sequence and are obsolete for current ACEA claims. ACEA’s heavy-duty applicability guidance also makes clear that drain intervals, aftertreatment compatibility, fuel sulphur and biodiesel limits remain manufacturer-dependent.

Claims, approvals and compatibility

ACEA categories establish a common minimum performance level; they do not override an OEM oil approval, required SAE viscosity grade, drain interval, fuel limitation or service procedure. Oils may satisfy more than one ACEA category, but that does not mean every category is suitable for every engine. Verify the current vehicle manufacturer documentation before selecting an oil.