Oil filter K&N or OEM Mazda

PartReview Score

Rank #9 in ranking

123

3.6

Leaks

3.1

Smell/smoke

3.7

Warning light

3.3

No data

PR Score

Ranking

Votes

Reviews

Average rating

Properties

Car

PartReview Score

Rank #10 in ranking

4.2

Leaks

4.6

Smell/smoke

5.0

Warning light

4.5

Owners' choice:

Mazda 3

Reviews

All

K&N

OEM Mazda

OEM Mazda › Oil filter

xc51 19 Jan 2026, 19:30

Rating 5.0

I've taken to buying made in japan mazda rx8 filters for my 2015 impreza.

Vehicle: Subaru Impreza

OEM Mazda › Oil filter

LyleTheEvilRabbit 9 Jan 2026, 21:30

Leaks:

Rating 4.0

The Mazda filter has a higher capacity and larger design compared to the OEM Subaru filter. So, it will hang down slightly lower than OEM. The anti-drain back pressure seems to be similar, but I have never verified myself. I ran this filter on my 2005 Impreza WRX STi for a few years.

Pros: higher capacity, larger design

Cons: hangs down slightly lower

Vehicle: Subaru Impreza WRX

K&N › Oil filter

Mizar97 9 Jan 2026, 21:10

Rating 4.0

Personally I like K&N filters, they come with a nut welded to them so you can use a normal wrench instead of a filter wrench. Gotta be careful not to over tighten them though

Pros: nut welded to them

Cons: careful not over tighten

Vehicle: Subaru

K&N › Oil filter

Motor-Professor6268 7 Jan 2026, 01:41

Rating 4.0

I have a kn 1 on my truck and winter is about every 1k miles I empty it. Its the 6oz canister and usually about half full. From may till like October I dont even have to look in it because it doesnt get more than an oz of oil build up in it. But man winter time with the condensation sucks.

Pros: little oil build up

Cons: condensation sucks

Mileage: 1000 km

OEM Mazda › Oil filter

Netghod 5 Jan 2026, 17:44

Warning light:

Rating 4.0

I’d high recommend doing an oil change with 10w30, putting on a factory oil filter (they’re about $10 at the dealer and come with a crush washer), and seeing how it behaves then. I recommend factory filters because for some very odd reason, I had less (or no) lifter tick when I used factory filters vs. aftermarket.

Pros: less lifter tick

Cons: aftermarket filter lifter tick

Vehicle: Mazda

OEM Mazda › Oil filter

Normal_Example_1568 14 Dec 2025, 04:11

Rating 4.0

Mazda oil filters are good but there are aftermarket filters equal and some are better than Mazda filters. Call the independent shop and ask what oil and filter they use then research it.

K&N › Oil filter

CoconutIntelligent42 3 Nov 2025, 02:54

Warning light:

Rating 3.0

K&N is good but sacrifices filtration for flow for better performance.

Pros: good performance, better flow

Cons: sacrifices filtration

Vehicle: Acura TLX

K&N › Oil filter

ElMurkel 21 Dec 2025, 20:12

Warning light:

Rating 1.0

Not sure about mobil1 filters, but stay away from K&N oil filters. I've just used one for an oil flush after extensive maintenance work, and after just 100 km it had collapsed.

Cons: collapsed after 100km

Mileage: 100 km

K&N › Oil filter

andysgalant69 13 Dec 2025, 00:35

Leaks:

Rating 1.0

K&N filters are some of the worst quality filters on the market.

Cons: worst quality

K&N › Oil filter

YoureMadImBackBigMac 12 Nov 2025, 15:05

Rating 1.0

KN filters are gay, watch freedom worx YouTube video about Oem vs KN filters. You'll wanna swap right back!

Cons: KN filters are gay

Vehicle: Infiniti

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 12

Write your review

Help others - share your experience with this part.

Part:

Manufacturer:

Make:

Model:

Generation:

Review tone

Positive Negative Neutral

Reviews found: 0

Voted AGAINST engine oil RAVENOL on the rating page

The brake pads Motorcraft has only 4 reviews. Maybe add one more?

The brake fluid OEM Subaru has only 2 reviews. Maybe add one more?

The brake pads Detroit Axle has only 8 reviews. Maybe add one more?

The brake pads OEM Alfa Romeo got the first review!

The brake caliper OEM BMW got the first review!

The brake pads OEM Infiniti got the first review!

For wiper blades PIAA already 100 reviews.

For battery Energizer already 25 reviews.

In the rating best water pump already 12 brands participate!

In the rating best timing belt already 13 brands participate!

In the rating best head gasket already 3 brands participate!

In the auto rating oil filter for Volkswagen Passat already 5 brands participate!

In the auto rating brake pads for Mazda 5 already 10 brands participate!

In the auto rating tires for Subaru Outback already 50 brands participate!

The glow plug Autolite has only 10 votes! Recommend it?

The fender OEM Volkswagen has only 10 votes! Recommend it?

The brake discs Tesla has only 10 votes! Recommend it?

For cabin filter Fram already 25 reviews.

In the rating best flywheel only 4 brands. Do you know another one?

The brake pads OEM Subaru already has 250 votes!

The engine oil AMSOIL already has 1000 votes!

In the rating best CVT transmission only 4 brands. Do you know another one?

The engine radiator MISHIMOTO already has 300 votes!

Voted AGAINST engine oil RED LINE on the rating page

Voted AGAINST engine oil PENNZOIL on the rating page

Other comparisons

Oil filter Fram or Mann

Oil filter Fram or Wix

Oil filter Fram or Mobil

Oil filter Fram or K&N

Oil filter Mann or Wix

Oil filter Mann or Mobil

Oil filter Fram or Bosch

Oil filter Fram or OEM Toyota

Show all

Which oil filter to choose — K&N or OEM Mazda?

If choosing oil filter across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.

We compare oil filter across these categories:

Comparison of oil filter K&N and OEM Mazda

PR Score.
Overall ranking.
Vote balance.
Average rating.
Number of reviews.
Feature ratings.
Car owners’ choice.

Which oil filter are better — OEM Mazda or K&N?

In March 2026 on PartReview, oil filter OEM Mazda were overall better than K&N.

K&N received a PR Score of 70 out of 100, and OEM Mazda scored 90 points.
K&N ranked 9 in the overall ranking, and OEM Mazda ranked 10.
The average rating is higher for OEM Mazda (4.2) than for K&N (3.6).
Oil filter OEM Mazda have better feature ratings than K&N:
- Warning light - owners believe, that this property for OEM Mazda is better than K&N.
- Leaks - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Mazda is outperforms K&N.
- Smell/smoke - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Mazda is preferred to K&N.

Which oil filter are more popular — K&N or OEM Mazda?

In March 2026 on PartReview, oil filter K&N were overall more popular than OEM Mazda.

By vote balance, oil filter K&N surpassed OEM Mazda:

For K&N, the ratio of positive (214) to negative (91) votes is 123 votes.
For OEM Mazda, the ratio of positive (60) to negative (6) votes is 54 votes.

By number of reviews, oil filter K&N surpassed OEM Mazda:

For oil filter K&N there are 99 reviews: 66 positive, 8 neutral, 25 negative.
For oil filter OEM Mazda there are 21 review: 18 positive, 3 neutral, 0 negative.

Which oil filter do car owners prefer — K&N or OEM Mazda?

In March 2026, according to PartReview, oil filter OEM Mazda led more car-specific ratings than K&N:

OEM Mazda are chosen by owners of cars such as: Mazda 3, and others.

Oil filter K&N have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.

Other comparisons of oil filter

If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.

For example, comparisons of oil filter K&N with: Fram, Mann, Wix, Mobil, Bosch, OEM Toyota, Motorcraft, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, AMSOIL.

Also available: comparisons of oil filter OEM Mazda with: Fram, Mann, Wix, Mobil, Bosch, OEM Toyota, Motorcraft, OEM Volkswagen, OEM Honda, AMSOIL.

You can also see who is better among other oil filter manufacturers: Fram or Mann, Fram or Wix, Fram or Mobil, Fram or K&N, Mann or Wix.