Are All Antifreeze Formulations the Same?
Antifreeze is mixed with water to form coolant for internal combustion engines. It can be purchased as a concentrate or as a pre-mixed solution with distilled water (engine coolant).
You can buy antifreeze or pre-mixed engine coolant for your car, but you’ll need to mix antifreeze with water in a 50/50 split.
Mixing Antifreeze Formulations
Types of antifreeze vary in colour because of the additives and inhibitors that are used in each formulation. Antifreeze combines either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol with other chemical inhibitors.
Read up on different engine coolant colours here.
It’s important to top your car up with the same engine coolant or antifreeze formulation that you used last time. This is because mixing different types of antifreeze can produce dangerous chemicals. Drain your old antifreeze/coolant if you’re not sure which type it is and can’t match it. Don’t risk it — mixing coolants can lead to serious engine damage.
Find out how to recycle your old coolant here.
Which Antifreeze for Which Vehicle?
Certain antifreeze formulations are suited to specific vehicles. You can find recommendations in your vehicle handbook or search your number plate in our car lookup tool. This will instantly show you all the antifreeze formulations that can be used in your car.
Explore the differences between antifreeze and pre-mixed engine coolant here.
Follow these simple steps to top up your antifreeze.
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