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Oil Specification by Engine
| Engine | Oil grade | BMW specification | Capacity (inc. Filter) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper C — 1.5 three-cylinder (B38 A15 P, 156 hp) | 0W-20 | BMW Longlife-17 FE+ | No data available |
| Cooper S — 2.0 four-cylinder (B48 A20 P, 204 hp) | 0W-20 | BMW Longlife-17 FE+ | Approximately 5.2 litres — see the note below |
| MINI Cooper E / SE (J01, battery electric) | — | — | No engine oil — there is no combustion engine |
- Correction: there is no diesel MINI Cooper in this generation. This page previously carried a row for “Diesel (Cooper D), 5W-30, BMW LL-04”. MINI UK offers this car as petrol or all-electric only, and the parts catalogue lists exactly two variants for the F65/F66 — Cooper C (B38 A15 P) and Cooper S (B48 A20 P), both petrol. The LL-04 row described the previous-generation F56 Cooper D, which was discontinued before this car, and it has been removed.
Which car is which. F66 is the three-door petrol hatch, F65 the five-door, F67 the convertible, and J01 is the separate all-electric Cooper E and Cooper SE. Only the F65 and F66 take engine oil.
On the Cooper S capacity. The 5.2-litre figure comes from a franchised MINI dealer’s service page and is given there as approximate. We have not been able to source a UK service figure for it, and we found no published capacity at all for the Cooper C’s 1.5 three-cylinder. Fill to the dipstick or the iDrive oil gauge rather than to a number off a web page.
A caution about parts catalogues. Catalogue “approvals” lists for this car show BMW Longlife-04, LL-12 FE and LL-19 FE alongside viscosities from 0W-20 to 5W-40. That is a product compatibility filter, not the manufacturer requirement. The specification that matters is the BMW Longlife number printed on your oil filler cap.
Confidence in this data: High that no diesel exists in this generation, and that the petrol cars take 0W-20 to LL-17 FE+. Low-to-medium on the Cooper S capacity; no data available for the Cooper C capacity.
Checked against: MINI UK’s own model pages, the TecDoc-derived variant list for the F65/F66, a franchised MINI dealer service page, and the Genuine MINI factory-fill oil part number.
MINI shares BMW’s engines and LL specs. The latest models may specify 0W-20 (BMW LL-17 FE+). Capacities vary by engine — confirm by VIN.
Not sure which spec you need? The required BMW LL number is on the oil filler cap; the engine code is in section D.2 of your V5C.
Recommended Engine Oils
Petrol — 0W-20, BMW LL-17 FE+
Castrol EDGE 5W-30 LL
Meets BMW Longlife-17 FE+ for Mini petrol engines.
Any 5W-30 listing BMW LL-17 FE+
Any 0W-20 carrying BMW LL-17 FE+ suits the petrol engines.
Diesel — 5W-30, BMW LL-04
Castrol EDGE 5W-30 M (BMW LL-04)
Low-SAPS 5W-30 carrying BMW LL-04 for the diesel DPF.
BMW LL-17 FE+, LL-04 and LL-17 FE+ — Which Does Your MINI Need?
MINI uses BMW’s Longlife oil system. Petrol engines use 5W-30 LL-17 FE+; diesels use low-SAPS 5W-30 LL-04 to keep the DPF clear. The latest BMW/MINI engines move to a thinner 0W-20 LL-17 FE+, which is not backward-compatible — confirm via the handbook or filler cap before using it.
Oil Change Intervals
MINI condition-based servicing can stretch to ~2 years or up to 18,000 miles, calculated by the car. Many owners halve this (12 months / ~9,000 miles) to protect the turbo, timing chain and (on diesels) the DPF.
Tip: always reset the service counter and fit a new filter with the oil.
Frequently Asked Questions
What oil does a MINI Cooper take?
The 2024-on petrol MINI Cooper takes 0W-20 meeting BMW Longlife-17 FE+, on both the Cooper C 1.5 three-cylinder and the Cooper S 2.0 four-cylinder. The specification printed on your oil filler cap is the one that governs.
Is there a diesel MINI Cooper?
Not in this generation. MINI UK offers the current Cooper as petrol or all-electric only, and the parts catalogue lists just two variants for the F65 and F66, both petrol. A Cooper D existed on the previous F56 generation and took 5W-30 to BMW LL-04, but that car is discontinued and its oil specification does not apply here.
How much oil does a MINI Cooper need?
For the Cooper S, roughly 5.2 litres including the filter — but that figure comes from a dealer service page and is given as approximate. For the Cooper C 1.5 we could not find any published capacity, so we do not print one. Fill to the dipstick or the electronic oil gauge rather than to a figure from a web page.
Can I use 5W-30 instead of 0W-20 in my MINI Cooper?
Not as a routine substitute. BMW Longlife-17 FE+ is a low-viscosity specification and the engine and its emissions hardware are calibrated around it. A thicker oil that does not carry the LL-17 FE+ approval is not an equivalent, whatever the grade on the bottle. Match the Longlife number on the filler cap.
Does the electric MINI Cooper need engine oil?
No. The Cooper E and Cooper SE (chassis J01) are battery-electric and have no combustion engine. They still need brake fluid, coolant for the battery thermal management system and screenwash, but no engine oil.
Other MINI Cooper Guides
How we check fitment for this guide
We cross-reference fitment figures against manufacturer specifications and OE-supplier catalogue data where available, and matched to the standard codes that actually govern fit — battery type/group sizes, wiper lengths and fitting types, bulb fitment codes, tyre size markings, and oil specifications. We work by make, model, year, engine, and build date, because a single model can take different parts across its life. Where the right part depends on your exact vehicle, we tell you to confirm by registration or VIN. More on our method →