Costco Restricts Motor Oil Buying As Kirkland Brand Hits Record High Prices

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One of the easiest ways to cut down on mechanic fees is to do basic car maintenance yourself, including changing the engine oil. Of course, to do so, you need fresh oil, which has historically been quite easy to get from stores, including Costco. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. Not only has the retailer had to dramatically raise prices on its motor oil, specifically its Kirkland-branded products, but it has also limited how much customers can buy in one shopping transaction.

Prices of Costco's motor oil have jumped significantly in recent months. For instance, two 5-quart jugs of 5W-30 Kirkland full synthetic motor oil currently costs $57.99 on the Costco website, a big increase from the $30 to $35 range they used to sell for. The product page also now reads: "Limit of 1 Transaction Per Membership, with a Maximum of 2 units every 7 Days." Thus, if you need more oil than that, you'll have to turn to a different retailer, wait a week to stock up, or stop buying oil until Costco lifts its motor oil purchase restrictions — if ever.

If you've followed the news throughout 2026, this move by Costco isn't too surprising. The supply of crude oil-based products has faced major shake-ups this year due to seemingly unending supply chain disruptions and more.

Several factors influence motor oil pricing. These include oil quality and standards, which Costco and Kirkland need to meet. Some Kirkland oil is Dexos1 Gen 3 certified, which has costs that Costco inevitably passes on to consumers. The American Petroleum Institute also set new motor oil standards in 2020, requiring products to pass seven lab tests to be shelf-ready. This means more time and effort spent on Kirkland oil, bumping up prices in response.

Of course, we can't discuss oil in 2026 without mentioning the supply disruptions caused by the Iran War. Full synthetic motor oil requires large amounts of Group III base oils, and these are predominantly made by refining crude oil. The U.S. imports around 40% of its crude oil from the Middle East, and with refineries down and supply disrupted, the cost of what little oil makes it to the U.S. has gone up across the board. This is also why gasoline prices continue to rise and why U.S. diesel prices have hit an alarming first-time milestone.

Time will tell what becomes of Costco's Kirkland oil, both in terms of price and availability. Hopefully, it won't be long before international tensions ease and the cost and accessibility of crude oil return to relatively normal levels.