A mineral oil is essentially the same as it was when it was pulled from the ground, whereas synthetic oils have been distilled and broken down to their base molecules. They can then be rebuilt, with molecules tailored to provide better protection. Mineral oils will be cheaper, but they’ll also have more impurities and will not provide such smooth lubrication.

Synthetic oil is more than just oil

The cool thing about fully synthetic oils is that clever scientists in laboratories can add to the oil’s makeup to provide better anti-wear, anti-oxidant and anti-corrosion properties. Once the base oil is in place, they’ll typically add zinc, phosphorous and sulphur molecules.

Adding metal to the oil reduces friction

It sounds conuter-intuitive, but some oil companies have had success with adding titanium to the oil. When you turn your engine off, oil drains from the engine back to the pan. By adding titanium, it bonds to the metal parts, which ensures there is a small layer of protection next time you turn your engine on - which is when 75 per cent of engine wear occurs - before the oil has had a chance to flow through it and get up to full operating temperature.

Magnetic particles reduce wear

Another way oil manufacturers have found to reduce wear on startup is to add magnetic particles to the oil mix. When the engine is switched off, the magnetic particles cling to the engine to reduce wear on startup.