Most automotive professionals can agree that regularly having the oil changed on a vehicle is one of the best ways to ensure the engine operates long-term. After all, changing that vital fluid ensures that the engine and its various components are properly lubricated, reducing the level of engine-seizing friction and helping to keep the engine from overheating.

However, that all depends on whether or not you are using the correct weight of oil whenever it is changed, as well as installing a fresh oil filter. While this process is one that many vehicle owners can learn and perform entirely on their own, many of us still prefer to simply take our vehicles to a service center and let the professionals do the job. Apart from ease, we do so because taking that measure should ensure that the job is done correctly. Yet that may not always be the case, with a 2026 study from JD Power naming Walmart as one service center you should avoid.

Oil change service centers at the big box retail faction scored just 782 of the available 1,000 points available in the JD Power study, putting Walmart in last place by a relatively wide margin. If the first-hand reviews from Walmart customers collected by Consumer Affairs are any indication, the JD Power score is warranted, with several noting the oil change service was so bad that their vehicle actually broke down soon after.   

This survey isn’t the first hint that oil change services at big boxers like Walmart can be spotty. That being said, Walmart’s oil change services are generally cheaper than having it done by a professional. For what it’s worth, the results of the 2026 JD Power study are largely unchanged from the 2025 study, in which Walmart scored just one point higher at 783. Those numbers account for factors like ease of scheduling, pricing, courtesy, performance, facility, time to complete service, and overall quality of work. JD Power uses those factors to form a numerical index to rate each surveyed service provider. 

It is worth noting that not every company offering oil change services was included in the base set, so there may be worse providers out there than Walmart. According to JD Power, Grease Monkey may also be worth avoiding, with the national oil chain franchise scoring 812 points out of 1,000. In this ranking, Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Jiffy Lube tied for third for the best service providers, earning 823 points a piece. Meanwhile, Take 5 service centers took second place with a score of 833 points and Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers outshined its competitors with a score of 854. 

While several sources of information were consulted in the writing of this article, JD Power’s 2026 study concerning customer satisfaction in specific regards to oil change was utilized as a primary point of information. So too was the 2025 study, as it provided almost identical results in terms of overall ranking and points. Whenever appropriate, first-hand user reviews and alternate sources of information were also consulted to back-up the results of the JD Power study.