Why a Bugatti Veyron has 16 oil drain plugs which means an oil change takes 27 hours and costs $21K
Published on Dec 26, 2025 at 8:17 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 09, 2025 at 5:27 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Believe it or not, the Bugatti Veyron has 16 oil drain plugs, which is partly why an oil change it comes with a whopping $25,000 price tag.
Bugatti launched the Veyron in 2005, and it quickly became an automotive icon.
The marque built just 450 examples, all of which were snapped up by wealthy gearheads.
The Bugatti Veyron came with a starting price tag of a whopping $1.9 million, but that’s not where the spending stops.
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The Bugatti Veyron has 16 oil drain plugs, making an oil change hard work
It goes without saying that more expensive cars have more expensive upkeep.
But what you might not expect is that an oil change on a Bugatti Veyron will set you back $25,000 each time.
The carmaker recommends owners take their Veyron in for an oil change once a year, or around every 10,000 miles, but it’s not any old oil change.
For starters, the Bugatti Veyron has 16 oil drain plugs – compared to just one on a typical car.
Why? The Veyron’s 8.0-liter quad-turbocharged W16 engine uses a dry-sump lubrication system that benefits from multiple oil reservoirs and draining points.
They are spread right across its plumbing system to help it keep cool when it’s hitting speeds of more than 250mph.
Each and every one of these drain plugs has to be emptied before the car is topped up with about 16 quarts of high-performance 10W-60 synthetic racing oil, which can cost up to $35 per quart.
The drain plugs then need to be refitted and tested to ensure there are no leaks.
Alongside that, the old filters will be removed and new ones fitted.
But because this is a Bugatti, each filter can cost $1,000 and has to be ordered specially from the carmaker.
In all, the oil change is a mammoth task that can take up to 27 hours to complete, all of which costs money, of course.
And the costs don’t stop there
As well as its annual oil change and service, Bugatti recommends owners change their Veyron’s tires every two to three years, which costs around $30,000.
The marque also suggests that the Veyron’s alloy wheels be changed every 10,000 miles or so, which will set you back $40,000.
And that’s before you get onto insurance prices, which can be pretty eye-watering for a high-performance vehicle like the Bugatti Veyron.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
