Volkswagen uses its own engine-oil approval system alongside industry classifications such as ACEA sequences and API categories. A VW approval is not interchangeable with an SAE viscosity grade: the oil must have the exact VW approval required for the particular engine, as well as a permitted viscosity grade.
Volkswagen Group approval requirements vary by engine, model year, market and service regime. The current owner’s manual, workshop information or under-bonnet oil label takes priority over a general specification list. This is particularly important for later low-viscosity and specialist approvals, which must not be treated as blanket upgrades for earlier engines.
Volkswagen of America’s current engine-oil quality-standard bulletin covers the VW approval families listed below for applicable 1997–2027 model-year vehicles, but excludes some models and directs technicians to vehicle-specific service information. Volkswagen also publishes market-specific requirements; for example, VW 508 88 and VW 509 99 are used in Brazil.
Volkswagen engine-oil approvals
| Approval | Status | Plain-English application note |
|---|---|---|
| VW 500.00 | Obsolete / historical | An early fuel-economy passenger-car engine-oil approval. Retain only as a historical reference for vehicles whose original documentation names it; do not assume a modern oil is compatible merely because it has a similar viscosity. |
| VW 501.01 | Legacy | An older conventional passenger-car approval, principally encountered in older petrol and non-DPF diesel applications. It remains present in Volkswagen’s approved-oil reference material, but is not a general requirement for modern engines. |
| VW 502.00 | Current for specified legacy and selected petrol engines | A high-performance petrol-engine approval widely associated with fixed service intervals. It is still listed by Volkswagen, but applies only where the vehicle documentation calls for it. |
| VW 503.00 / VW 503.01 | Superseded / historical | Earlier extended-drain petrol-engine approvals. VW 504.00 replaced these approval families for their intended applications; use VW 504.00 only where the vehicle documentation permits it. |
| VW 504.00 | Current for specified petrol engines | A modern petrol-engine approval commonly paired on product labels with VW 507.00. It is used in specified vehicles, including some flexible-service applications. It is not automatically interchangeable with VW 508.00. |
| VW 505.00 | Legacy | An older diesel-engine approval. It remains relevant only where explicitly specified, generally for older diesel engines without the later particulate-filter and unit-injector requirements. |
| VW 505.01 | Legacy / current only where specified | A diesel approval associated with certain Pumpe-Düse (unit-injector) engines and other older applications. It is not a substitute for VW 507.00 in a diesel particulate filter application unless Volkswagen documentation expressly allows it. |
| VW 506.00 / VW 506.01 | Superseded / historical | Earlier extended-service diesel approvals, with VW 506.01 developed for certain unit-injector engines. These are historical specifications; some older-engine exceptions mean that substitution with VW 507.00 must be checked against the vehicle documentation. |
| VW 507.00 | Current for specified diesel engines | A low-SAPS diesel approval intended for specified engines, including many equipped with diesel particulate filters. “Low SAPS” means reduced sulphated ash, phosphorus and sulphur to help protect exhaust after-treatment systems. It is frequently paired with VW 504.00 on an oil label, but the applicable half of the pair depends on the engine. |
| VW 508.00 / VW 509.00 | Current for specified low-viscosity engines | Special fuel-economy approvals for designated petrol and diesel engines, respectively. Oils carrying these approvals are normally SAE 0W-20. They are not generally backward-compatible with earlier VW approvals; do not use them unless the vehicle specifically requires VW 508.00 or VW 509.00. |
| VW 511.00 | Current specialist approval | A specialist approval still included in Volkswagen’s current quality-standard material. Its use is engine-specific and must be confirmed from the vehicle documentation; it is not a universal alternative to VW 502.00, VW 504.00 or VW 508.00. |
| VW 508 88 / VW 509 99 | Current regional approvals | Volkswagen Brazil identifies VW 508 88 / VW 509 99 for defined local petrol, flex-fuel and diesel applications. These are distinct from VW 508.00 / VW 509.00 and should not be confused with them or applied outside the relevant vehicle and market documentation. |
For an oil change or top-up, verify the exact VW approval and permitted SAE viscosity in the current vehicle documentation. A statement such as “synthetic,” an API category, an ACEA sequence, or a viscosity grade alone does not establish VW approval.
For background on the engine-oil approval families and the difference between an industry sequence and a vehicle-manufacturer approval, see Volkswagen motor oil specifications explained and why an ACEA sequence is not a vehicle approval.
Volkswagen transmission and driveline fluids
The earlier list on this page mixed genuine Volkswagen fluid part numbers, transmission-fluid designations and broad descriptions. These identifiers are not a universal “VW gear-oil specification” system comparable to the engine-oil approvals above.
For transmissions, transfer cases, differentials, Haldex couplings and e-axles, Volkswagen normally specifies fluid by the exact transmission code, vehicle identification number, repair procedure and current genuine-fluid part number. A part number may be superseded, and a fluid suitable for one DSG, conventional automatic, manual transmission, CVT, differential or Haldex unit may be unsuitable for another.
Historic identifiers previously shown here included G 009 317, G 052 145 A2, G 052 162 A2, G 052 171, G 052 171 A2, G 052 175, G 052 178, G 052 180 A2, G 052 182, G 052 190 A2, G 052 726, G 052 798, G 052 911, G 052 990, G 055 005, G 055 145, G 055 162 and G 055 175 A2. Treat these as historical references only, not as a compatibility chart or purchasing guidance.
Do not select a transmission fluid on the basis of the number of gears, a generic “ATF,” a generic “gear oil,” or an API GL claim alone. For further context, see why universal ATF claims need verification and why an API gear-oil label is not a universal approval.