Change your oil when your car’s oil-life monitor or maintenance schedule says so, and at least once a year even if you drive very little. Most modern cars calculate the interval from how they’re driven rather than using one fixed mileage. Ford, for example, allows up to one year or 10,000 miles on the 2022 F-150, while Chevrolet and Honda rely on an oil-life percentage plus a yearly limit.
How often do manufacturers say to change oil?
Here’s what three owner’s manuals actually say:
| Vehicle and system | When to change | Time limit |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Ford F-150, Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor | When the oil-change message appears; the interval “may be up to one year or 10,000 mi”. Change within two weeks or 500 mi of the message. | Don’t exceed one year or 10,000 mi between services |
| 2023 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Engine Oil Life System | When CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON appears, change the oil “as soon as possible”. | Oil and filter must be changed at least once a year |
| Honda Maintenance Minder (2020 Fit) | Oil life is calculated “based on the engine operating conditions”; messages appear once oil life drops below 15%. | If no service message appears within 12 months of a reset, change the oil every year |
Sources: 2022 F-150 owner’s manual, pp. 642 and 646; 2023 Silverado 1500 owner’s manual, p. 341; Honda, 2020 Fit Maintenance Minder System.
The common thread: follow your car’s monitor, and don’t let more than a year pass. A blanket “every 3,000 miles” or “every 5,000 miles” rule isn’t in any of these manuals.
Watch: When to Change Engine Oil
Editorial correction: the video's 5,000-mile rule and broad severe-service statements are not universal. Use the exact schedule or oil-life instructions for your vehicle; the checklist below supersedes those generalizations.
How often to change synthetic oil
Use the same interval your manual gives. In these manuals, the interval comes from the oil-life system or schedule, not from the oil type. The 2023 Silverado’s V8s, for instance, already require full-synthetic oil meeting dexos1 (manual, p. 340), and the oil-life system and yearly limit still apply. Putting synthetic in an engine that doesn’t require it doesn’t give you permission to stretch the interval. See synthetic vs. conventional oil for the differences that do matter.
When to change oil: a checklist
- Find your schedule. Look in the owner’s manual for the oil-life monitor or maintenance schedule for your exact model year and engine.
- Respect both limits. Change at the monitor or mileage trigger or the time limit, whichever comes first.
- Act on the message promptly. Ford, for example, asks for the change within two weeks or 500 miles of the message appearing.
- Reset only after an actual oil change. Ford and GM both tell you to reset the system after changing the oil, not after topping it up.
- Check the level between changes, using the method in your manual. Our guide shows how to check engine oil level correctly.
Warnings don’t wait for the schedule
A red oil-pressure warning isn’t a “change oil soon” reminder. Stop safely, switch off the engine and check the oil, as your manual describes. Low level is one possible cause, but a normal dipstick reading doesn’t prove the pressure is safe. See oil pressure light: what to do.
Dark oil on its own isn’t a reliable signal either. See what engine oil color can and can’t tell you.
Frequently asked questions
How often should you change your oil?
When your oil-life monitor or maintenance schedule says so, and at least once a year. In the 2022 F-150 that’s up to one year or 10,000 miles; GM and Honda use an oil-life percentage plus a yearly limit.
How often should you change synthetic oil?
At the interval your manual gives. In the manuals cited here, the interval comes from the oil-life system or schedule rather than the oil type, and the yearly limit still applies.
What if I drive very little?
Use the time limit. Both GM and Honda tell you to change the oil at least once a year even if the oil-life system hasn’t asked for it.
Should I reset the oil-life monitor after topping up?
No. Reset it only after an oil and filter change, as Ford and GM instruct.
Sources
- Ford, 2022 F-150 Owner’s Manual, p. 642 (Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor: up to one year or 10,000 mi; change within two weeks or 500 mi; reset after each oil change) and p. 646 (do not exceed one year or 10,000 mi between service intervals). Accessed October 1, 2026.
- Chevrolet, 2023 Silverado 1500 Owner’s Manual, p. 340 (full synthetic dexos1) and p. 341 (Engine Oil Life System: CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON; change at least once a year; reset). Accessed October 1, 2026.
- Honda, 2020 Fit Maintenance Minder System: oil life calculated from engine operating conditions, messages below 15%, yearly oil change if no message within 12 months. Accessed October 1, 2026.
