A basic oil change needs a way to get the car safely off the ground, the correct socket or wrench for the drain plug, a filter wrench sized to the filter, a drain pan, a funnel, gloves and eye protection, and usually a torque wrench for the plug. Most of it is inexpensive and reusable for years.
None of it is exotic. The job trips people up not because the tools are hard to find, but because the wrong size socket, no way to catch the oil cleanly, or a car resting on nothing but a jack turns a simple task into a mess or a hazard. This article goes through what each tool actually does, and what to check before buying any of it.
What do you need to get the car safely off the ground?
You need a trolley jack to lift the car and axle stands to hold it once it is up. The jack is for lifting only — it is never the thing supporting the car while you are underneath it.
A jack is a hydraulic lifting device, not a stand. Seals can fail, valves can weep, and a jack can be knocked. Axle stands are rated to hold a static load and are designed to stay put once set. The car goes up on the jack, then the stands are placed under proper structural lift points and the car is lowered onto them before anyone reaches underneath. This is covered in more detail in why a car should never be supported by a jack alone, and what each device is actually rated to do is explained in what a trolley jack and axle stands are for. Wheel chocks on the wheels staying on the ground are part of the same setup, not an optional extra.
What size socket or wrench actually loosens the drain plug?
The size is set by the car, not by guesswork. Drain plugs come in a range of hex and square sizes across manufacturers, and the only reliable source is the vehicle’s manual or a plug you can measure directly.
A basic socket set covering common metric sizes, plus an imperial set if the vehicle was built to imperial standards, covers most cases. Mixing systems without checking is a common way to round off a plug, which is one reason metric vs imperial tools: what actually matters in practice is worth reading before buying a set. Some plugs sit in a recess where a shallow socket cannot reach the hex properly; a deep socket clears the surrounding metal, which is the difference covered in shallow vs deep sockets: what actually changes.
An old or over-tightened plug can be stubborn. Where a standard ratchet does not give enough leverage safely, a longer breaker bar applies more force without the risk of a short ratchet slipping off the plug — what one is for and when it earns its place in a kit is explained in what a breaker bar is and when you need one.
What’s the difference between a socket, a ratchet and a wrench for this job?
A ratchet drives a socket without lifting it off the fastener between turns, which is faster and safer than a spanner in a tight space. A ring spanner grips more of the fastener’s flats but has to be removed and repositioned each swing.
For a drain plug tucked up against a sump guard or exhaust pipe, a ratchet and socket combination is usually the easier reach. Where the plug is more exposed, a ring spanner works fine too. The trade-offs between the three tool types are set out in socket vs spanner vs ratchet ring: what’s the difference. Drive size matters as well — a smaller drive tucks into tighter spaces but has a lower practical torque ceiling than a larger one, which is why 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sizes: what actually changes is worth checking before assuming any ratchet in the toolbox will do.
What tool removes the oil filter?
An oil filter wrench grips the filter’s outer casing so it can be turned without crushing it. The shape needed — cap-style, strap, or claw — depends on how much clearance there is around the filter and how it is oriented on the engine.
Filters are often hand-tight enough on installation that fingers alone cannot shift them once they have run hot and been torqued on by the last change. A filter wrench applies even pressure around the casing rather than digging into it at one point, which reduces the risk of puncturing the filter and spilling old oil everywhere at the worst possible moment. Which shape suits a given engine bay is something the vehicle’s service documentation or a look at the filter’s actual position will answer better than any general rule.
What do you need to catch and move the old oil?
A drain pan with enough capacity for the engine’s full oil volume, plus a funnel for pouring new oil back in cleanly, are the two items that keep the job from becoming a floor-cleaning exercise.
- A wide, low-sided drain pan is easier to slide under the sump than a narrow one, and matters more than its exact capacity number.
- A pan with a pour spout lets old oil go straight into a sealed container for disposal without decanting twice.
- A funnel sized to the filler neck avoids overshooting and dripping oil down the side of the engine.
Old engine oil is a controlled waste in most places and should go to a garage, recycling point or household hazardous waste facility rather than a drain or the ground — a local council or auto parts retailer can usually confirm the nearest drop-off point.
Do you need a torque wrench for an oil change?
For the drain plug, yes in most cases. Overtightening a drain plug can strip the sump’s threads, which turns a routine oil change into a much bigger repair. A torque wrench lets the plug be tightened to a controlled value rather than “as tight as it will go.”
The correct figure for a given plug comes from the vehicle’s manual, not from feel or from a number picked up online for a different car. What a torque wrench actually measures, and why “snug plus a bit” is not a substitute for it, is covered in what a torque wrench is and why it matters on a car. Oil filters are usually hand-tightened to a point specified in their own instructions rather than torqued with a wrench, but the drain plug is the fastener most worth getting right with a proper tool.
What PPE does an oil change actually need?
Eye protection and gloves are the two that matter here, not general “be careful.” Cracking a drain plug loose can send a jet of oil out sideways before the flow settles, and used oil that has been running hot is unpleasant on skin and genuinely irritating in eyes.
- Safety glasses or goggles protect against the initial splash when the plug or filter first breaks free.
- Nitrile or similar chemical-resistant gloves keep hot, used oil off skin — it carries contaminants from the engine, not just heat.
- Old clothes or overalls are worth having, since drips are close to unavoidable even with a pan in place.
Ear protection is not relevant to a hand-tool job like this one, and there is no meaningful dust hazard, so a respirator is not needed here. What is genuinely needed for a given task, rather than a blanket “wear PPE” line, is a theme covered more broadly across Find Tool’s safety and PPE articles.
What else is genuinely useful but not essential?
A few extras make the job cleaner and quicker without being strictly required for a first attempt.
- A magnetic tray or small dish to hold the drain plug and sump washer so nothing rolls under the car.
- A shop light or head torch, since the underside of a car is rarely well lit even in daylight.
- A basic wheel ramp as an alternative to a jack and stands on cars with enough clearance, though the same rule about never working under a car supported by one device applies regardless of which method is used.
None of these change what the job needs at its core — they change how comfortable it is to do.
How do the tools fit together as a first kit?
Most of what an oil change needs overlaps with a general starter toolkit rather than sitting apart from it. A jack, stands, a socket set spanning the drive sizes and standards a given car actually uses, a torque wrench, a filter wrench matched to the vehicle, and a drain pan and gloves cover the job end to end.
Buying pieces in a sensible order, rather than one expensive set all at once, is discussed in what order a first toolkit should actually be bought in, and the wider question of which specifications on tool packaging are worth paying attention to is covered in which tool specifications are marketing, not useful. For anyone building out a home workshop around basic car maintenance more broadly, Find Tool’s automotive section and the general buying tools guide are reasonable starting points before spending on anything else.
Find Tool publishes general information, not professional advice. Power tools, mains electricity and workshop machinery are genuinely dangerous, and the safe settings, guards and procedures differ between models — always follow the manual and the markings on the tool in front of you rather than a general guide. Never remove or defeat a guard or safety feature. Anything involving fixed wiring, gas or structural work belongs to a qualified tradesperson. Wear the eye, ear and respiratory protection the task calls for.
Featured image: Photo by Shixart1985, source, CC BY 2.0