Land Rover Engine Oil: Which STJLR Specification Your Engine Actually Needs

BySerge Barrett

Land Rover uses its own internal oil specifications — the STJLR series — rather than relying on generic ACEA or API grades. Because these codes determine the additive chemistry, not just the viscosity, using an oil that meets ACEA C2 but not the correct STJLR code is not equivalent. The wrong specification causes accelerated wear in the turbocharger, DPF clogging on diesel engines, and voided warranty coverage. Understanding which code applies to your engine therefore matters more than simply picking the right viscosity.

STJLR Specifications Explained

Jaguar Land Rover developed six primary oil specifications, and each one targets a specific engine family. Additionally, several codes supersede earlier ones — so older vehicles can legally use newer specification oils where JLR has issued a service compliance note.

  • STJLR 03.5003 — Full SAPS, 5W-30 or 5W-20. Applies to older petrol engines including the 4.2L and 4.4L V8 up to 2009, and the 2.0L turbo petrol up to 2017. This spec is no longer used in current production vehicles, however it remains valid for older models.
  • STJLR 03.5004 — Full SAPS, 5W-20. Used in 5.0L V8 and 3.0L V6 petrol engines up to 2014. Since ACEA A1/B1 has been retired, oils meeting this spec now reference ACEA A5/B5.
  • STJLR 03.5005 — Low SAPS, 5W-30. Required for the 3.0L V6 Td6 diesel engine in Discovery, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport. Because the DPF system requires ultra-low ash content, using a Full SAPS oil in this engine damages the filter prematurely.
  • STJLR 03.5006 — Mid SAPS, 0W-20. The current primary specification for all petrol engines from 2018 onward — including the 2.0L AJ200, 3.0L straight-six, and 5.0L V8 AJ133. This spec supersedes STJLR 51.5122 per JLR service note JLRP00119, therefore older vehicles previously requiring 51.5122 can use 03.5006.
  • STJLR 03.5007 — Mid SAPS, 0W-30. Required for the 2.0L Ingenium diesel engine in the Range Rover Velar D180. Although 0W-30 seems unusually thin for a diesel, the Ingenium architecture was designed specifically for this viscosity. If 03.5007 is unavailable locally, STJLR 03.5005 in 5W-30 is the approved substitute.
  • STJLR 51.5122 — Mid SAPS, 0W-20 or 5W-20. Used in 5.0L V8 and 3.0L V6 petrol engines from 2015 to 2017. Since JLR issued service note JLRP00119 in 2018, STJLR 03.5006 now supersedes this specification for all affected engines.

Oil by Engine Family

Petrol Engines — Current Models

All current Land Rover petrol engines use STJLR 03.5006, 0W-20 full synthetic. This covers:

  • 2.0L AJ200 turbo petrol (Discovery Sport, Range Rover Evoque, Defender P300, Range Rover Velar P250/P340)
  • 3.0L straight-six MHEV (Defender P400, Range Rover P400, Range Rover Sport P400, Discovery P360)
  • 5.0L V8 supercharged (Range Rover SVAutobiography, Defender V8, Range Rover Sport SVR)

Castrol EDGE Professional OE 0W-20 is the factory-specified product, developed exclusively for JLR by Castrol. However, any oil explicitly carrying STJLR 03.5006 approval on the label is acceptable regardless of brand.

Diesel Engines — Current Models

Diesel engines require a different specification because the DPF system cannot tolerate high-ash oil:

  • 3.0L V6 Td6 diesel (Discovery Td6, Range Rover Td6, Range Rover Sport Td6) — STJLR 03.5005, 5W-30 Low SAPS
  • 2.0L Ingenium diesel (Range Rover Velar D180, Discovery Sport D180) — STJLR 03.5007, 0W-30 Mid SAPS. Since this grade is harder to source in some markets, STJLR 03.5005 in 5W-30 is the JLR-approved alternative.

Older Petrol Engines

For vehicles built before 2015 with the 5.0L V8 or 3.0L V6 petrol engines, STJLR 03.5006 is now acceptable as the superseding specification. Therefore, owners of older Range Rover and Discovery models do not need to search for increasingly rare 03.5004 stock.

Oil Capacities

  • 2.0L AJ200 petrol — approximately 5.0–5.5 litres with filter
  • 3.0L straight-six petrol — approximately 8.8 litres (service fill), 10.4 litres (dry fill) in the Defender
  • 5.0L V8 petrol — approximately 8.5–8.8 litres with filter
  • 3.0L V6 Td6 diesel — approximately 7.0–7.5 litres with filter
  • 2.0L Ingenium diesel — approximately 5.5 litres with filter

Do not fill to the maximum mark when cold. Because oil expands as it warms, filling to maximum on a cold engine results in overfilling once the engine reaches operating temperature. Add oil to approximately 0.5 litres below maximum, run the engine to temperature, then recheck and top up to the correct level.

Change Intervals

JLR recommends 10,000 miles or 1 year for most current petrol engines using STJLR 03.5006. Many independent Land Rover specialists recommend 7,500 mile intervals regardless of specification, since real-world driving in stop-and-go conditions degrades oil faster than the official interval assumes. For diesel engines, 10,000 km or 1 year is the standard interval, however heavy towing or sustained high-load use warrants more frequent changes.

Always replace the oil filter at every change. Since the filter retains degraded oil that mixes immediately back into the new fill if not changed, skipping the filter negates much of the benefit of the oil change.

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