Background to the System

The European Engine Lubricant Quality Management System (EELQMS) was developed jointly by ACEA (The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), ATC (The Technical Committee of Petroleum Additive Manufacturers in Europe) and ATIEL (The Technical Association of the European Lubricants Industry).

It is designed to promote the development of improved, fit-for-purpose engine lubricants that meet the increasing technical requirements of the automotive industry, and to assist lubricant marketers in assuring the quality of their lubricants and the performance claims being made for them in the marketplace.

Although voluntary, the EELQMS is the only system that can be used to support claims against the ACEA Oil Sequences, which set the minimum performance specifications for lubricants used in different European automotive engine categories, and so enable lubricant marketers to include those performance claims on their product labelling.
Marketers are required by ACEA to sign the EELQMS Marketers’ Letter of Conformance (LoC) if they make an ACEA claim for their products.

The signing of an LoC by the lubricant marketer, who is wholly responsible for the quality of the lubricant reaching the consumer together with any performance claims being made for it, is the final stage in the process to demonstrate commitment to the EELQMS. Signed LoCs are submitted to ATIEL, which administers the EELQMS on behalf of the other stakeholders.

A list of current LoC signatories is available on the SAIL website here.