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 lookingh so much at teh 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..

Performance 101: what your oil has to deal with

Modern performance and modified engines are brutal on lubricants:

• High specific output: Big power from small capacity means high cylinder pressures and temperatures.
• Turbochargers: Tiny, fast-spinning shafts that cook oil if it can’t handle heat or coking.
• GDI and LSPI risk: Gasoline direct injection engines can suffer low-speed pre-ignition if the oil’s volatility and detergent chemistry aren’t right.
• Long service intervals: OEMs still want extended drain intervals, even with performance variants.

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.

NGEN Core, API SP and LSPI

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. Exact suitability still needs to be confirmed from Motul technical data and your vehicle handbook.

Matching re-refined oil to your performance engine

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.

Check 1: Handbook first, then Motul data

Your owner’s manual will usually specify:

• A viscosity grade (e.g. 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30), and
• Either a global spec (API, ILSAC, sometimes ACEA), or an OEM-specific standard, or a combination.

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.

Check 2: How hard are you really using the car?

• Fast road / mild remap: A correctly specced NGEN Core oil that meets the API/ILSAC requirements from your manual should cope fine, as long as oil temps stay sensible and you respect recommended or slightly shorter drain intervals.
• Track days / regular hard use: You may favour a slightly higher HTHS (high-temperature, high-shear) viscosity (often reflected in an alternative viscosity the manufacturer lists for “severe” use) and shorter intervals.
• Big power builds: At this point you’re outside OEM intent. You and your engine builder should choose an oil based on bearing clearances, oil temp/pressure data and experience. NGEN might still be suitable, but that’s a case-by-case engineering decision, not something to assume.

Scenario 1: Toyota GR Yaris daily

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.

Scenario 2: Honda Civic Type R on road and track

Now consider a current-shape Honda Civic Type R used for fast road driving and a handful of track days each year. Honda’s manuals typically reference viscosity options (for example 0W-20 or 0W-30) along with API and ILSAC specifications, sometimes backed up by regional advice for “severe” driving.

In this case your logic tree looks like:

• Does an NGEN passenger car product exist in your preferred viscosity grade?
• Does its technical sheet confirm API SP (or whatever API category Honda specifies) and the right ILSAC level? [VERIFY FROM MOTUL TECHNICAL DATA]
• Are you prepared to shorten intervals around track use (e.g. fresh oil before and after a cluster of events)?

If you can tick those boxes, there’s a strong argument for using an NGEN grade in a largely stock, sensibly driven Civic Type R. You get the environmental upside of re-refined base stocks without stepping outside the handbook’s guidance. For heavily modified, high-boost builds used predominantly on circuit, you and your engine builder may still choose a very specific non-NGEN oil based on data and experience.

Scenario 3: Hybrid daily driver

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.

Warranty, perception and peace of mind

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.

How this ties into additives and running costs

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.

Bottom line: should you run NGEN in your performance or modified car?

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.

The post Can Re-Refined Engine Oil Be Used In Performance and Modified Cars? appeared first on Fast Car.

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