This Is Considered The Best Oil Change Chain By Customer Satisfaction
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Need an oil change place that isn’t going to leave you feeling frustrated (or worse, ripped off)? Based on multiple customer satisfaction surveys, Valvoline Instant Oil Change is the place to go. It ranked number one among automotive retailers on both Yelp’s “Most Loved Brands 2025” list and Forbes’ “Best Customer Service 2025” list. Anybody who’s ever had to get out of their car and wait around for their oil change to be done knows at least one reason why: Valvoline lets you chill in the driver’s seat the whole time.
Across both surveys, Valvoline Instant Oil Change stood out for the same reasons: reliable service, approachable staff, clean facilities, and an all-around positive oil change experience. As a company, you don’t get there by excelling in a single region or location, either. Valvoline’s laurels come from consistent high-quality customer service across its network of over 2,000 franchise locations nationwide. Its motor oil is made in America too, if that’s important to you.
Why Valvoline ranks the highest
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The internet seems to agree, even beyond these two surveys. A quick look at Reddit threads in r/Cartalk or similar, you’ll find plenty of people vouching for Valvoline Instant Oil Change over the other guys. The caveat, of course, is that you can always change your own oil without having to visit an oil change chain in the first place. That “just do it yourself” recommendation is fine for people with the skills to do so (not to mention a jack or a ramp plus a paved driveway or parking spot where you can safely get under the vehicle), but for the millions who don’t, Valvoline is a worthy alternative.
It makes sense why. Valvoline’s business is built around the idea that preventive maintenance should be quick and transparent, and that includes letting you stay in your car while their trained technicians change your oil. Their approach soothes a few common pains in one: fewer long waits, less awkward waiting room interactions, and usually a nice coupon or two waiting in your inbox, as well. It’s enough to get them first place in both Yelp and Forbes’s surveys as well as a recent top 40 ranking in the Franchise Times Top 400.
Methodology
To come up with a verdict, Yelp looked at all sorts of brand loyalty markers from customers on its site: Repeat visits to brand pages, high volumes of favorable reviews, strong photo engagement, and continued search interest, just to name a handful or so. Forbes, on the other hand, took a nationwide survey data. They gathered feedback from more than 180,000 consumers evaluating their interactions with thousands of different brands. We also looked to Reddit and other publications (like the Franchise Times, mentioned above) to back up Yelp and Forbes’s praise for Valvoline.
