| Core tools | Drain pan, socket or box wrench, filter wrench, funnel, lifting gear |
| Core supplies | Correct oil grade and amount, new filter, new drain plug washer |
| Safety gear | Ramps or jack stands, wheel chocks, gloves, eye protection |
| The one rule | Never go under a car supported only by a jack |
| Optional but useful | Torque wrench, filter pliers, drip mat or flattened cardboard |
| Where sizes come from | Your owner’s manual and your filter, never a generic figure |
Almost everything on this list is a one-time purchase that pays for itself across a few changes, and none of it is specialist equipment. The parts that vary by vehicle are the drain plug size, the filter, the oil grade and the oil capacity, and those four come from your owner’s manual rather than from any general list.
This page is the tools and supplies reference: what each item does, which type to pick, and what happens if you skip it. The step-by-step procedure lives separately in the oil change checklist to follow, so gather from here and work from there.
Drain plug sizes, filter sizes, oil viscosity and oil capacity all differ by vehicle. No generic figure is printed on this page for any of them, because a wrong one costs you a rounded plug or an underfilled engine. Check your owner’s manual or a parts lookup for your exact car.
Table of Contents
The tools you need for an oil change
An oil change needs five tools to do the job and a few more to do it comfortably. Every one of them is generic, sold everywhere, and used for other maintenance jobs afterwards. Nothing on this list is vehicle-specific except the wrench sizes, which your car dictates rather than the tool maker.
| Tool | What it does | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Oil drain pan | Catches the old oil as it drains | Capacity comfortably above your engine’s oil capacity. A sealed pan with a spout lets you pour the old oil into a bottle without a second mess |
| Socket or box wrench | Loosens and retightens the drain plug | A basic socket set covers almost any car. Use a socket or a box end rather than an open-end wrench, which slips and rounds the plug |
| Oil filter wrench | Grips and turns the filter, which is usually too tight and too oily for hands | The right type depends on your filter and how much room surrounds it. See the next section |
| Funnel | Gets the new oil into the filler neck instead of down the side of the engine | A long or flexible neck reaches filler openings buried behind covers and hoses |
| Ramps, or a jack with jack stands | Raises the car so you can reach the plug and filter | Rated above your vehicle’s weight. Ramps are simpler and hold the wheels; a jack always needs stands under the car with it |
| Wheel chocks | Stops the car rolling off the ramps or stands | A pair, placed against the wheels that stay on the ground |
| Gloves and rags | Protects your hands and cleans up the spills that will happen | Nitrile gloves resist oil better than latex. Keep more rags than you think you need |
| Torque wrench (optional) | Tightens the drain plug to the manufacturer’s figure instead of by feel | Covered in its own section below |
Two cheap additions make the job noticeably less unpleasant. A drip mat or a flattened cardboard box under the work area catches what the pan misses and keeps your driveway clean, and a headlamp or work light saves you from working by feel in a shadow under the car. Neither is essential and both are worth having.
You may not need to buy all of it. Many auto parts stores run tool loan programs that cover exactly this kind of occasional item, typically against a refundable deposit, which is worth knowing before buying a filter wrench you will use three times a year. If you are weighing the whole job against a shop visit, the time side of that decision is worked through in how long it takes to change oil.
Choosing an oil filter wrench: the types explained
Oil filter wrenches come in four common types, and the right one depends on your filter’s size and how much space surrounds it. This is the tool people most often buy twice, because a wrench bought without checking the filter frequently does not fit or does not reach. Match the tool to the filter before you buy, not after.
| Type | How it works | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap-style (socket) | Fits over the end of the filter like a socket and turns with a ratchet | Filters in tight spots, and anyone who wants the most controlled grip | Sized to one filter diameter and flute count. Take the old filter with you or look up your filter number first |
| Band or strap | A metal or fabric band tightens around the filter body | Filters with clear space around the sides | Slips on an oily filter, and can crush a thin filter body if you lean on it |
| Filter pliers | Wide adjustable jaws clamp onto the filter | Stubborn filters, and ones already deformed by a failed attempt | Bulky, so it needs room to swing. Often the rescue tool rather than the first choice |
| Three-jaw or claw | Jaws grip the filter end and tighten as you turn with a ratchet | General use across a range of filter sizes with one tool | Needs access to the flat end of the filter, which some engine bays do not give you |
Cap-style is the one to buy if you plan to keep the car, because it is the least likely to slip and it stores in a drawer. Pliers or a three-jaw are the sensible choice if you service several different vehicles and do not want a drawer full of caps. The new filter itself goes on hand-tight, so the wrench is for removal only, and using it to tighten a filter is a common way to make the next change harder than it needs to be.
The supplies you need
Three consumables get used up on every oil change, and one of them is the item most commonly forgotten. Buy all three before you start, because discovering a missing filter with the old oil already drained means the car is going nowhere.
- The correct oil, in the correct amount. Your owner’s manual specifies both the viscosity grade, written like 0W-20 or 5W-30, and the engine’s capacity. The US Department of Energy notes that using the manufacturer’s recommended grade rather than the wrong one can improve gas mileage by 1 to 2 percent, and the grade is chosen for how the engine is built, not just for economy. Buy slightly more than the stated capacity so you have some for topping up later.
- A new oil filter. Matched to your engine by part number, not by eye. Consumer Reports advises fitting an original equipment or premium-grade filter rather than a budget one. What the filter actually does, and what happens when it is left in too long, is covered in what happens if you don’t change your oil filter.
- A new drain plug washer. Most drain plugs seal with a soft crush washer or gasket that deforms once and does not seal properly the second time. They cost pennies and they are the difference between a dry plug and a slow drip. A leak that appears right after a change usually starts here, which is the pattern traced in why a car leaks oil after an oil change.
- Somewhere for the old oil to go. An empty, clean, sealable container, usually the bottles the new oil came in. The EPA points out that used oil should be collected in a leak-proof container and taken to a collection point, and that used filters should be drained and recycled too. Most places that sell oil accept it back at no charge.
Buy the oil to the capacity figure rather than rounding up to a whole extra quart and pouring it all in. Going past the maximum mark causes its own problems, set out in what happens if you put too much oil in your car.
Don’t skip the safety gear
The most important tools on this list are the ones holding the car up. A jack is a lifting device, not a support, and it can fail or slip while you are underneath. Washington State’s occupational safety program, working with NIOSH, documents fatal crush incidents from exactly this and recommends supporting vehicles with lifts or jack stands rather than jacks alone when working underneath.
Ramps are the simpler option for an oil change because the wheels stay on them and there is no transfer step to get wrong. If you use a jack, raise the car, put stands under the manufacturer’s designated support points, lower it onto the stands, and only then go underneath. Chock the wheels still on the ground either way, and work on flat concrete rather than a slope or gravel.
Caution: hot oil causes burns. Warm oil drains better than cold, but oil straight from a fully warmed engine comes out hot enough to scald through a thin glove. Run the engine briefly, then let it stand for fifteen to twenty minutes before you pull the plug, and wear gloves and eye protection when you do.
The point where this becomes a shop job is worth naming plainly. Have a mechanic do it if your car has no accessible jacking points, if it sits too low for ramps, if you have nowhere flat to work, or if the drain plug is already rounded off from a previous change. None of those is a reason to improvise a support.
Do you need a torque wrench?
A torque wrench is not essential for an oil change, but it is the tool that separates a plug that seals from a plug that leaks or strips. The drain plug threads into the oil pan, and on the aluminum pans common in modern cars those threads strip easily. Overtighten by feel and you can turn a five dollar washer into a pan replacement.
Manufacturers publish a torque figure for the drain plug, and it varies enough between vehicles that no general number belongs on this page. Look yours up in the owner’s manual or a service listing for your car, then set the wrench to it. The filter is different and does not need one, since filters go on hand-tight to the point where the gasket contacts, then usually a specified fraction of a turn further, which is printed on the filter itself.
Without a torque wrench, snug beats forced. Tighten until the plug seats against its new washer and stops turning easily, then add a small amount and stop. Check under the car for drips after the first drive, because a plug that was slightly loose tells you quietly before it tells you loudly.
Frequently asked questions
What tools do I need to change my own oil?
You need a drain pan, a socket or box wrench for the drain plug, an oil filter wrench, a funnel, and ramps or jack stands with wheel chocks. Add the correct oil, a new filter, and a new drain plug washer. Gloves, rags and eye protection round it out.
What size wrench do I need for an oil change?
Drain plug sizes vary by vehicle, so a basic socket set covers almost any car rather than a single size. The oil filter wrench must match your filter’s diameter and type. Check your owner’s manual, or take the old filter along when sizing a cap-style wrench.
Can I change my oil without ramps or a jack?
Some vehicles sit high enough to reach the drain plug and filter without lifting, but many do not. Use ramps or jack stands if you cannot reach both safely with the car on the ground. Never crawl under a vehicle supported only by a jack.
Do I need a new drain plug washer every time?
Fit a new drain plug washer at every oil change. Most are soft crush washers designed to deform once against the pan, so a reused one seals less reliably and is a common source of a slow drip afterwards. They cost very little and are sold to match your plug.
What to do now
Gather the five core tools, being a drain pan, a socket or box wrench, an oil filter wrench, a funnel, and ramps or a jack with stands. Add wheel chocks, gloves and rags, then buy the correct oil grade and quantity, a new filter, and a new drain plug washer before you start. Look up your car’s drain plug torque and filter size rather than working from a general figure. Set the car on ramps or on jack stands with the wheels chocked, and never go underneath one held up by a jack. When the change is done and the engine has run briefly, confirm the level on the dipstick using how to check your engine oil level.
For intervals, oil types, leaks and everything else in this system, see the complete oil and engine oil guide, or browse the wider automotive care and repair section.
