Market Research and Consulting...
Lubricants, Base Oils, Additives, Waxes, and More
Petroleum Trends International, Inc. is an independent strategic planning and market research consulting firm.Since 1999, Petroleum Trends International has specialized in custom market research and business consulting services in the lubricant, petroleum wax and fuel space.
JobbersWorld
Retail Lubricant Price Tracker*
Since 2001, through its JobbersWorld
publication, Petroleum Trends
International (PTI) has been tracking and reporting on the price of motor
oils and transmission fluids sold at retail outlets. The Retail Lubricant Price
Tracker
includes pricing by brand name and tiers, including conventional,
synthetic, and mid-tier lubricant brands sold at big box retailers
and auto parts stores.
The following is a sampling of prices
observed by PTI at retail outlets in March 2017.
Retail PCMO Prices at the Leading Big Box Store, 2001 to March 2017
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The retail price of passenger car motor oil (PCMO) at the leading big box store has moved through an interesting period of evolution over the past 16 years. The most noticeable
and expected change is that prices have certainly gone up. In fact, the
average retail price for conventional and mid-tier PCMO has more than doubled over the period, and synthetic PCMO prices are up 84.6% since 2001. But there is more to the story when one focuses on retail price movement over the past five years.
Whereas the retail price of synthetic PCMO continued to climb from 2011 to the first quarter of 2017, the average price for conventional and mid-tier products experienced some flattening over the period. It is important to point out, however, that the mid-tier space is populated by both synthetic blends and PCMO formulated for use in high mileage vehicles and the pricing behavior of each is somewhat different. Further, some marketers offer high mileage oil in both the mid-tier and top-tier synthetic categories. |
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Leading Big Box Retailer Average PCMO Prices By Type
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The average price for motor oil at the leading big box retailer in the
US for the month of March 2017 ranges from $3.73 to $7.66 a quart for
conventional and synthetic motor oils, respectively. Prices remained
relatively unchanged from the previous month. At a price of $10.36 a quart, Pennzoil Euro AV is the highest average price synthetic observed at the leading big box store. Mobil 1 Extended Performance was the second highest priced synthetic at $8.98 a quart. The lowest average priced passenger car motor oil seen is the store brand's private label product. The price observed for these motor oils in March is $2.44 a quart. |
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Leading Auto Parts Average PCMO Prices By Type
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The average price for motor oil at the five of the leading auto parts
stores in the US for the month of March 2017 ranges from $5.41 to $8.92
a quart for conventional and synthetic motor oils, respectively. Prices
remained relatively unchanged from the previous month. At a price of $9.99 a quart, Mobil 1 EP is the highest averaged price synthetic observed at auto parts stores. Royal Purple is a close second at $9.95 a quart. The lowest average price passenger car motor oil seen is the store brand's private label product. The price observed for these motor oils in March averages $4.17 a quart, with two stores selling conventional private label PCMO at $3.99 a quart. |
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Leading Big Box and Auto Parts Average PCMO Prices By Type
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The average price of motor oil at the leading big box store in the US is
14 to 36% lower than the average price at auto parts stores. The
greatest difference is seen in the high mileage motor oil category where
the average price at big box store is 36% lower than the price at auto
parts stores in March 2017. The least difference in price is seen in the synthetic PCMO category. The average price of synthetic at the leading big box store is $7.66 a quart as compared to an average of $8.92 a quart at auto parts stores. This represents a difference of 14%. |
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Leading Big Box Retailer Conventional PCMO Prices
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The price of conventional PCMO at the leading Big Box retailer in the US
ranges from $2.44 to $4.47 a quart in March 2017. The average
price is $3.74 a quart. Castrol is the highest price conventional PCMO at the leading box store at $4.47 a quart. Chevron Supreme and Havoline are the lowest price major brands at $3.47 a quart. Private label remains the lowest price conventional PCMO at the leading Big Box store at $2.44 a quart in March 2017. This price is 45% lower than the highest price conventional on the shelves. |
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Leading Auto Parts Stores Conventional PCMO Prices
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The price of conventional PCMO at the leading auto parts stores in the US ranges from $4.17 to $6.29 a quart in March 2017. The average price for the brand category at all auto parts stores surveyed is $5.41 a quart.
On average, Castrol and Pennzoil are the highest price conventional PCMO at the leading auto parts stores at $6.29 a quart. Valvoline is the lowest price major brand at $4.19 a quart. Private label remains the lowest price conventional PCMO at the leading auto parts stores at $4.17 a quart in March 2017. |
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Leading Big Box Retailer High Mileage and Synthetic Blend PCMO Prices
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Leading Auto Parts Stores High Mileage and Synthetic Blend PCMO Prices
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Leading Big Box Retailer Full Synthetic PCMO Prices
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Leading Auto Parts Stores Full Synthetic PCMO Prices
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* Note: The prices shown are based on a sampling and as such may not necessarily reflect prices at any given store during the survey period or instore and/or online discounts offered at the time of the survey. Petroleum Trends International, Inc. (PTI) accepts no liability for any inaccuracies or omissions in this website pricing data and any decisions based on information contained in the PTI’s website are the sole responsibility of the visitor.