Engine burning oil: causes, engines to avoid and affected cars

An engine that uses oil is burning it, most often because the piston rings or valve stem seals no longer do their job. The real danger is driving with a low level: on several engines known for this fault, engine failure is the risk. Check the dipstick regularly, especially if the car has no oil level warning.

The most common causes

• Piston rings: poorly designed or clogged rings let oil into the combustion chamber. This is the fault of pre-2013 Audi and Volkswagen 1.8 and 2.0 TFSI (EA888) engines, which could use more than a litre every 1,000 miles (GetCarwise, Audi Q3; FixMyCar, Audi A4).
• Valve stem seals, which harden with age: high consumption and blue smoke on start-up, for example on BMW V8s (Euro Premium Parts; Caradisiac, BMW 6 Series).
• The turbo, whose seals can let oil through: see whistling turbo and blue smoke.

Engines known for burning oil

1.2 PureTech (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel)

The 1.2 PureTech is known for using a lot of oil, which can lead to engine damage if the level is not watched; Stellantis extended its warranty, and engines built since 2023 are no longer affected according to Caradisiac (Caradisiac). Citroën UK attributes the fault to the piston rings on engines built from April 2014 to July 2018 (Citroën UK). See our 1.2 PureTech engine page.

1.2 TCe (Renault, Dacia, Nissan)

The 1.2 TCe's excessive oil consumption can lead to engine failure; French consumer group UFC-Que Choisir served formal notice on Renault, Nissan and Dacia, which use this engine (Fiches-auto). On the Nissan Juke, timing chain failures of the 1.2 DIG-T are linked to oil starvation, on engines built up to 11 May 2016 (CarVerif). See our 1.2 TCe engine page.

2.0 TFSI (Audi, Volkswagen)

First- and second-generation EA888 engines (up to 2012-2013) use a lot of oil; the third generation, from 2013, largely solved the problem (GetCarwise, Audi Q3; GetCarwise, Audi A5).

1.5 Blue dCi (Renault, Dacia)

Some 1.5 Blue dCi engines built between May 2018 and March 2020 use more than 0.5 litre per 1,000 km; the fault is fixed by a software update or, in some cases, an engine swap (L'argus).

When should you worry?

There is no single threshold: it depends on the engine and the manufacturer. The cases cited by the sources often exceed 0.5 litre per 1,000 km, and reach a litre per 1,000 km or more on the worst-affected engines. Have the consumption measured by the brand's network if it seems abnormal: this is often a condition for any goodwill payment.

Before buying a used car

Unexplained oil consumption, frequent top-ups or blue smoke are reasons to walk away (CarVerif, Dacia Sandero III). Check the dipstick cold, ask for service invoices and, for a PureTech or 1.2 TCe, proof of any manufacturer cover.