What's the Difference: Synthetic Oil vs. Conventional Oil

At Holman service centers, we take pride in providing car owners from to and beyond with a range of automotive services as well as our maintenance expertise. We’re here to answer all the questions you may have about your car’s service, including the difference between synthetic vs. regular oil. Keep reading to discover the similarities and differences between synthetic oil vs. conventional oil, then give us a call at to ask any other questions you have—or explore our auto service guide online to learn for yourself.

Synthetic vs. Regular Oil

What is Conventional (Regular) Oil?

Conventional or “regular” oil is a petroleum-based substance that has been used in internal combustion engines for many years to provide lubrication to internal parts and reduce engine wear. Motor oil is essentially distilled from crude oil that’s mined from the ground, and it also serves to protect your car’s engine from high temperatures.

What is Synthetic Oil?

Synthetic oil is petroleum-based like regular oil, but it provides enhanced lubrication properties and is more stable. Synthetic oils oxidize less easily than conventional oils and are also better at retaining protective properties. They’re chemically developed from petrochemicals in intense processes to provide pinpointed properties that make them superior (and also more expensive) when comparing synthetic oil vs. conventional oil. Synthetic oils also

• Are less viscous at lower temperatures
• Offer enhanced engine cleaning properties
• Better protect critical turbocharger parts (when equipped)

Full Synthetic Oil vs. Synthetic Blends

In addition to synthetic oils and conventional oils (often called mineral oils), there are synthetic blends. These, as you might expect, are made up of part synthetic oil and part conventional oil, which helps to reduce the full synthetic oil vs. synthetic blend cost, but also provides the enhanced properties of synthetic over conventional oil.

Note: Some vehicles require full synthetic oil vs. synthetic blends, and that could just include your vehicle! Be sure to check your owner’s manual if in doubt about what kind of oil your car requires.

Schedule an Oil Change in Mt. Laurel Now!

If you’re looking to take better care of your vehicle, an easy way to start is by scheduling an oil change. We make it easy to schedule your maintenance online from the comfort of your home, and with our service specials, you’ll save plenty on your next vehicle service appointment, too. And of course, you can always contact us to ask any questions you have about synthetic vs. regular oil, or anything else!