How Long Does an Oil Change Take?

Last verified: May 23, 2026

Reviewed sources: Current official oil change pages from Jiffy Lube, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Take 5, Midas, and Walmart

Oil change time depends less on the oil itself and more on the type of shop doing the work.

A quick-lube chain is built to move cars through fast. A service center is built to combine the oil change with a broader inspection and a more traditional appointment flow. That is why one driver can be done in about 10 to 15 minutes while another spends closer to an hour.

Quick Answer

Current official pages we reviewed showed a pretty clear split:

Take 5: around 10 minutes on current official pages
Valvoline Instant Oil Change: about 15 minutes on current local store pages
Jiffy Lube: 15 minutes or less on current official oil change pages
Midas: about 60 minutes on current official oil change pages
Walmart: no universal quick-time claim on the main oil service page; current official flow emphasizes scheduling rather than a fast-lube timing promise

So the honest answer is: a quick-lube oil change may take around 10 to 15 minutes once service begins, while a service-center oil change can take much longer.

Current Timing Snapshot

Brand	Current official timing signal	What that usually means
Take 5	Around 10 minutes	Drive-thru quick-lube built for speed
Valvoline	About 15 minutes	Stay-in-your-car fast-lube model
Jiffy Lube	15 minutes or less	Fast-lube service clock, not always total visit time
Midas	About 60 minutes	Traditional service-center visit with inspection
Walmart	Schedule-oriented, no broad speed promise	Retail service-bay model

Why the Timing Varies So Much

An oil change is not one universal retail product. The timing changes based on:

quick-lube vs service-center workflow
whether the shop is walk-in or appointment-first
how many cars are already waiting
whether the vehicle needs extra oil or specialty service
whether add-on services are done at the same visit

That is why the same basic maintenance task can produce very different real-world wait times.

Quick-Lube Timing: Fast Once Service Starts

Jiffy Lube, Valvoline, and Take 5 are all telling essentially the same story in different ways: they are built for short service windows.

Jiffy Lube’s current official oil change pages say its Signature Service is done in 15 minutes or less. Current Valvoline local store pages commonly say stay-in-your-car oil changes take about 15 minutes with no appointment needed. Take 5’s current official pages and location pages repeatedly frame the service around about 10 minutes and staying in your car.

If raw speed matters most, these are usually the right kind of brands to look at.

Service-Center Timing: Longer, but More Traditional

Midas is a useful contrast. Its current official oil change page says a Midas oil change takes about 60 minutes and includes the complimentary Midas Closer Look Vehicle Check. That is a very different operating model from a drive-thru quick-lube lane.

Walmart also behaves more like a scheduled service-bay system than a pure fast-lube chain. Its current official oil service pages push scheduling with certified technicians rather than promising a near-immediate in-and-out visit.

Advertised Service Time vs Total Time on Site

This is the biggest thing drivers get wrong.

When a chain says an oil change takes 10 or 15 minutes, that usually describes the service itself once the car is being worked on. It does not always guarantee that your whole visit, including arrival, queue time, upsell decisions, payment, and traffic in the bay, will magically stay inside that same number.

That does not make the claim false. It just means you should read it correctly.

Best For / Not Best For

Best for same-day speed: Take 5

Best for quick-lube speed plus national familiarity: Jiffy Lube

Best for stay-in-your-car convenience: Valvoline

Best for broader inspection-style visit: Midas

Not best for assuming every oil change visit is equally fast: service-center and scheduling-first brands like Midas or Walmart when compared with drive-thru quick-lube chains

How to Save Time Today

Use a quick-lube chain if speed is your top priority.
Go during less busy hours if the location shows wait-time or traffic signals.
Skip extra services unless you actually need them that day.
If using Walmart or a service center, schedule first.

Common Mistake

The biggest mistake is comparing the service time of a quick-lube chain to the total visit time of a service-center shop as if they are the same promise.

They are not. They are different business models.

Our Take

If you want the fastest realistic oil change experience, use the brands built around fast throughput. If you want a fuller service-center visit, accept that the timing will usually be longer. A longer visit is not always worse. It is just solving a slightly different problem.

Bottom Line

How long an oil change takes depends mostly on the shop type. Current official pages suggest quick-lube chains like Take 5, Valvoline, and Jiffy Lube can often complete the service in about 10 to 15 minutes once it begins, while service-center chains like Midas may take closer to an hour. Always separate the advertised service time from your total time on site.

FAQ

Can an oil change really take only 10 to 15 minutes?

Yes, at many quick-lube chains the actual service can be that fast once work begins. Total visit time can still be longer depending on wait conditions.

Why does a Midas oil change take longer?

Midas currently frames the service more like a traditional service-center visit, including a broader vehicle check, so the timing is longer than a drive-thru quick-lube model.

Does an appointment make an oil change faster?

It often helps at service-center and scheduling-friendly shops. At walk-in quick-lube brands, the main benefit may be smaller or unnecessary depending on the chain.

How We Verified This Page

We reviewed current official oil change pages and current local store pages from Jiffy Lube, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Take 5, Midas, and Walmart. Because service-time claims often describe different parts of the visit, we compared both the published timing signals and the underlying service models.

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