If you daily a mildly tuned hot hatch, weekend a track-prepped monster, or commute in a remapped diesel estate, you’ve probably got one key question after reading about Motul’s NGEN Core tech: is re-refined engine oil for performance cars actually a good idea, or just eco-flavoured marketing?
In our first feature – What is re-refined engine oil? – we walked through how Motul turns used oil into fresh RRBO (re-refined base oils) base stocks using vacuum distillation and hydrotreatment, and why that supports a claimed 40% carbon saving versus virgin base oil. Here, we’re not looking so much at the environmental benefits, more the performance advantages. LSPI, track days, hybrids, tuned turbos and warranty worries are all things Fast Car fans concern themselves with. So, lets take a closer look at why NGEN could be the right choice for your performance and modified cars..
Modern performance and modified engines are brutal on lubricants:
Any oil, re-refined or not, has to meet these challenges while also keeping aftertreatment systems (GPF/DPF, cats) happy. That’s where API, ILSAC, ACEA and OEM approvals come in.
Motul states that NGEN Core products meet the latest industry standards, including API SP. API SP is specifically tuned for today’s high-output petrol engines, with test requirements aimed at reducing LSPI and timing chain wear, and protecting turbochargers.
That’s a crucial baseline for anything going into turbocharged GDI engines (such as VW EA888, Ford EcoBoost, Hyundai N-series, etc.) and smaller-capacity performance engines that see a lot of part-throttle, low-rpm boost – the prime LSPI zone!
If a given NGEN passenger car grade lists API SP and the correct ILSAC or ACEA category on its data sheet, and your vehicle handbook allows oils to be chosen on that basis (many Toyotas, Hondas, Hyundais and Kias do), then all else equal it can be considered alongside non-RRBO synthetics meeting the same specs. Plus, as the API SP standard is backwards compatible, it’s also suotable for older vehicles requiring previous versiond of API standards too. If you’re unsure, check with Motul and they will be happy to advise.
Re-refined base oil doesn’t get you a free pass on viscosity or approvals. You still need to match the oil to the engine and what the handbook actually says.
Your owner’s manual will usually specify:
For many Asian OEMs, the handbook language is along the lines of “Use SAE 0W-20, API SP or higher, ILSAC GF-6B or higher” rather than naming a proprietary in-house approval. In those cases, a Motul NGEN product that meets the stated API and ILSAC categories and viscosity is a realistic candidate – subject to Motul’s own guidance.
Where the handbook insists on a very specific OEM code and doesn’t clearly permit alternatives, treat that as mandatory. That’s more common with modern European marques, and it’s where NGEN passenger car products are currently more limited, although they are already working on solutions to these limitations.
Picture a UK driver in a Toyota GR Yaris used as a daily plus B-road toy. The handbook typically calls for low-viscosity oil (for example 0W-20) meeting API and ILSAC specifications appropriate for its forced-induction three-cylinder engine.
In this instance the primary factors are viscosity and API/ILSAC level, not a specific OEM code. If Motul offers an NGEN product in the correct viscosity that clearly states the required API SP and ILSAC category on its data sheet, it’s a good option.
For occasional spirited use, a GR Yaris on a suitable NGEN grade should see similar protection to a conventional premium synthetic with the same API/ILSAC tags, assuming sensible warm-up and change intervals.
If you’re running more extreme maps, higher boost or regular track sessions, you’d still want to monitor oil temperature and pressure, log the car where possible, and be conservative with service intervals. NGEN doesn’t change that; it just changes the carbon story behind the base oil.
Think of a mid-2000s Japanese performance car – for example, a Subaru Impreza WRX STI or a similar-era Mitsubishi Lancer Evo – that now lives most of its life as a track car with relatively few road miles.
These are exactly the kind of vehicles NGEN 4 is aimed at. A typical handbook in this era might specify a 5W-40 or 10W-40 oil meeting API SL/SM and an ACEA performance category such as A3/B4, sometimes alongside (or instead of) a manufacturer code. And because the API SP standard is backwards compatible, that means any oil meeting current standards – like NGEN 4 – also meets (or exceeds) the earlier SL/SM requirements too.
Because many of these cars are now semi-dedicated track toys – with hard use on circuit, but limited annual mileage – there are some top tips to look after things when running NGEN 4. Firstly, warm the engine properly before loading it. Secondly, run a suitable NGEN 4 viscosity and spec. And finally, shorten oil change intervals compared with road-only use. Of course, this is just good practice regardless of which oil you are running, but using NGEN 4 in this instance allows you to combine serious performance use with a cleaner sustainability story.
Alternatively, if NGEN 4 is not suitable, you or your engine builder may prefer to consider a dedicated track or competition-based product like Motul’s 300V or 8100 Power range). As ever, Motul are only a phone call or an email away to advise you if needed.
Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, hybrids and mild hybrids – where engines cycle on and off constantly – are a growing part of the enthusiast fleet. NGEN Hybrid already exists as a dedicated product in Motul’s range, built around the same RRBO concept.
A typical example might be a Toyota C-HR Hybrid or a Honda Jazz Hybrid used as a commuter and family car. These engines hammer the oil with repeated start–stop sequences, short cycles of load and coast, and long calendar life between services.
Here, the handbook usually specifies an API/ILSAC profile and low-viscosity oil aimed at fuel economy and cold-start behaviour. That’s exactly where NGEN Hybrid is focused. As long as the NGEN Hybrid product matches the viscosity and API/ILSAC levels specified in the manual, and you follow Motul’s advice on drain intervals and usage, then using re-refined base oil essentially makes no difference to the engine. It still sees a modern, fully-formulated lubricant designed to cope with the hybrid duty cycle.
From a warranty standpoint, the critical thing is compliance with what the handbook actually permits. For many OEMs, that means correct viscosity grade, correct API category, and correct ILSAC category (and any relevant ACEA notes).
If your manual says “use API SP, ILSAC GF-6B, 0W-20” and an NGEN product matches that description, you’re on solid technical ground – though it’s still smart to keep receipts and data sheets. Where a handbook demands a very specific, branded OEM approval and doesn’t offer a global-spec alternative, you should wait until a suitable NGEN product with that approval exists.
Motul positions NGEN Core as a flagship sustainability technology, not a budget line, and leans on its long history of bringing new lubricant concepts to market. That heritage, combined with transparent communication about the current API/ILSAC focus and NGEN 4’s “1990–2009” sweet spot, is part of how it builds trust with technically literate enthusiasts.
For maximum confidence – especially with higher-value or heavily modified cars – speak to your tuner or engine builder and share the latest data sheet.
Even on the right oil, performance cars can suffer from sticky rings, dirty injectors and pre-MOT emissions jitters. Motul’s UK literature talks about bundled “pre-MOT emission solutions” that combine fuel and oil additives to clean combustion and exhaust systems before the test.
In our third feature – Can additives save money? – we look at how these additives interact with NGEN oils, when they genuinely reduce fuel and maintenance costs, and when they’re just expensive perfume for a tired engine.
If you drive a performance or enthusiast car whose handbook allows oil choice based on API/ILSAC (and possibly ACEA) rather than a tightly defined OEM code, and you can find a Motul NGEN grade that matches your handbook viscosity, and matches the API/ILSAC (and any ACEA) categories specified, then there’s no technical reason to dismiss it purely because the base oil is re-refined. You can get equivalent performance with a cleaner sustainability story, which is a rare win–win in the car world.
If you’re running a 1990–2009 performance machine that aligns with NGEN 4’s approvals, it’s an especially neat fit – a car from the golden era of turbo saloons and rally reps, running on a modern circular-economy oil that still understands its spec sheet.
If, on the other hand, you’re in a very new European model that insists on specific OEM approvals, or a wild track-only build with exotic hardware, treat NGEN as something to revisit as and when Motul launches new approvals and grades – and stick, for now, with oils that clearly meet your car’s more demanding specification set.