Article:
Here in 2026, everything is getting more expensive. So it probably won’t come as any great surprise that even Costco, the wholesale retailer renowned for low prices and letting you return practically anything, in any state of use, at any time, for any reason, has tightened its purse strings with regard to its own motor oil. Not only does 10 quarts of Kirkland Signature full-synthetic now cost $58 when it used to go for as low as $30, but stores are now imposing a two-per-customer, per-week limit.
The obvious culprit is supply, or, rather, a lack thereof. Demand remains strong as ever as global stock has dwindled due to our ongoing Middle East entanglement. As The Auto Wire highlighted in its own story unpacking the factors at hand, motor oil ultimately comes out of the same barrel that also gives us gasoline and diesel, and right now, refineries can earn more money finishing crude into gas compared to what Costco stocks on its shelves. We’re all getting the short end of the stick at the pump as it is, so it’s not difficult to imagine the pressure the motor oil market is facing.