---
title: Kia Telluride oil change: grade, interval, what we check
url: https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/telluride/
business: Xpress Oil & Lube (Xpress Oil & Lube Center)
shops: Reno Northwest: 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523, (775) 787-1000, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Reno South: 4993 Longley Ln, Reno, NV 89502, (775) 828-6996, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-3 pm, Sun closed; Carson City: 1861 E College Pkwy, Carson City, NV 89706, (775) 883-5823, Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed; Gardnerville: 1293 US Hwy 395 N, Gardnerville, NV 89410, (775) 301-5912, Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm, Sat 9 am-3 pm, Sun closed
type: Drive-in oil change and vehicle maintenance, no appointment needed, since 1983
---

Today's coupons

- $10 off full-service oil change
- $5 off smog check
- $25 off transmission fluid service

[See all coupons](https://xpressoilandlube.com/coupons/)

- [Home](https://xpressoilandlube.com/)
- [By vehicle](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/)
- [Kia](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/)
- Telluride

# Kia Telluride Oil Changes: 5W-30, About Seven Quarts

Kia's 2025 Telluride manual lists about 6.87 quarts of full synthetic SAE 5W-30 meeting ACEA A5 for the 3.8L V6. The oil and filter are replaced every 8,000 miles or 12 months on the normal schedule and every 5,000 miles or 6 months under severe use.

★★★★★ 4.7 stars from 952 Google reviews

Ask a parent in South Reno or Somersett what they drive and a lot of them will say Telluride. The three-row Kia arrived for 2020 with a single engine, a 3.8L V6, and it has kept it. That makes the oil side simple: one engine, one grade. The interesting part is how much of what a Telluride does around here lands on Kia's severe list.

## What goes in it

The recommended lubricants page of Kia's online 2025 Telluride owner's manual lists the engine oil at about 6.87 US quarts, full synthetic SAE 5W-30, ACEA A5. That is a heavier grade and a European performance rating, different from the 0W-20 in Kia's four-cylinder models, and we pour a full synthetic carrying that rating.

The automatic transmission holds about 7.4 quarts. AWD Telluride models have a rear differential and a transfer case, each listed at about 0.74 quart of 75W-85 GL-5 hypoid gear oil.

## Kia's schedule, set against a Telluride's week

Kia's manual also says that after 10 years or 100,000 miles it recommends the severe schedule. Severe conditions in the Telluride manual include towing or camping, roof loads, short trips in freezing weather, heavy traffic, repeated mountain driving and dusty roads.

Picture a Telluride on a ski Saturday: kids and gear, a cargo box on the roof, the climb up the Mount Rose Highway in the cold. That is three severe conditions before lunch. A summer trip pulling a small trailer toward Lake Tahoe or the Eastern Sierra is a fourth. We put the 5,000-mile sticker on a lot of these, and on the ones that only commute we will set 8,000 if that is your call.

| Item | Normal schedule | Severe schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Oil and filter | 8,000 mi or 12 months | 5,000 mi or 6 months |
| Automatic transmission fluid | no service required | replace every 56,000 mi |
| Rear differential, transfer case (AWD) | inspect every 40,000 mi or 48 months | replace every 72,000 mi |
| Spark plugs | 96,000 mi | more often in some conditions |

## Coolant and filters

- Coolant: first replacement at 120,000 miles or 120 months, then every 24,000 miles or 24 months, per Kia's normal schedule.
- Engine air filter: Kia says to replace it more often in dust, and Reno averages only about 7.35 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals).
- Cabin air filter: three rows of passengers notice it first in wildfire smoke season.
- Battery check before winter at participating locations; the Reno airport averages 122 nights at or below freezing (NOAA).

## Telluride at our service centers

Pull into any of the four: Mae Anne Avenue in northwest Reno, Longley Lane in south Reno, College Parkway in Carson City or US 395 in Gardnerville. No appointment. We drain the V6, fit a new filter, refill with a full synthetic 5W-30 of the right rating, run the multi-point maintenance check and reset the reminder. If the AWD fluids or the transmission are near a line on your schedule, we tell you, and you decide. Our [differential service](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/differential-service/) and [transmission fluid service](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/transmission-fluid-service/) use the fluids Kia names.

### Sources

- [ownersmanual.kia.com/full_webhelp/ON/2025/en_US/topics/chapter9_8.html](https://ownersmanual.kia.com/full_webhelp/ON/2025/en_US/topics/chapter9_8.html) (Kia 2025 Telluride owner's manual, recommended lubricants and capacities: engine oil 6.87 US qt full synthetic SAE 5W-30 ACEA A5; ATF 7.4 US qt; rear differential and transfer case 0.74 US qt 75W/85 GL-5. Read 2026-10-15)
- [ownersmanual.kia.com/full_webhelp/ON/2025/en_US/topics/chapter8_4.html](https://ownersmanual.kia.com/full_webhelp/ON/2025/en_US/topics/chapter8_4.html) (Kia 2025 Telluride owner's manual, scheduled maintenance: 3.8 GDi oil and filter every 8,000 mi or 12 months normal, 5,000 mi or 6 months severe; ATF no service required normal, 56,000 mi severe; rear differential inspect every 40,000 mi or 48 months normal, differential / transfer 72,000 mi severe; spark plugs 96,000 mi; coolant 120,000 mi or 120 months then 24,000 or 24; severe schedule after 10 years or 100,000 mi. Read 2026-10-15)
- [ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/products/land-based-station/us-climate-normals) (NOAA 1991-2020 normals, Reno airport: 7.35 inches precipitation, 122 freezing nights. Read 2026-10-15)
- [dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm](https://dmv.nv.gov/emission.htm) (Nevada DMV emission control program. Read 2026-10-15)

### Your service center: Reno Northwest

- Call [(775) 787-1000](tel:+17757871000) Mon-Fri 8 am-5 pm, Sat 8 am-4 pm, Sun closed
- Address 6100 Mae Anne Ave, Reno, NV 89523

[Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=6100+Mae+Anne+Ave%2C+Reno%2C+NV+89523&destination_place_id=ChIJ3dFA7yBEmYARYg1CtQTi_Bk)

### What a customer said

Carson City Such a great place! In and out super fast and quality job done!

[All reviews](https://xpressoilandlube.com/reviews/)

### Related

- [Kia oil change](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/)
- [Kia Sorento oil change](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/sorento/)
- [Hyundai Palisade oil change](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/hyundai/palisade/)
- [Oil change for SUVs and crossovers](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/oil-change/suvs/)
- [Road trip prep from Reno: Tahoe, the Bay and the desert](https://xpressoilandlube.com/guides/road-trip-prep-tahoe-and-beyond/)
- [Reno Northwest service center](https://xpressoilandlube.com/locations/reno-mae-anne/)

Drive in. No appointment. Drive out.

Locally owned in Northern Nevada since 1983. No appointment, no pressure: we tell you what the inspection found and you decide.

[About us](https://xpressoilandlube.com/about/)

## More Kia

[### Kia Sorento oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/sorento/)[### Kia Sportage oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/sportage/)[### Kia Forte oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/forte/)[### Kia Soul oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/soul/)[### Kia K5 oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/k5/)[### Kia oil change Learn more](https://xpressoilandlube.com/vehicles/kia/)

## Questions people ask

Still have a question? Call your service center or drive in; there is no appointment to make.

### What oil does a Kia Telluride take?

Full synthetic SAE 5W-30, ACEA A5, about 6.87 US quarts, per Kia's 2025 manual.

### How often should a Telluride get an oil change?

Every 8,000 miles or 12 months on the normal schedule, every 5,000 miles or 6 months under severe conditions.

### Is 0W-20 okay in a Telluride?

Kia lists 5W-30 for the 3.8L V6. We follow the manual.

### Does a Telluride registered in Reno need a smog check?

Yes, yearly after the first three registrations in the Washoe testing area (Nevada DMV). Both Reno service centers do [smog checks](https://xpressoilandlube.com/services/smog-check/).