I was in autozone the other day, checked three 5w20's. valvoline exceeds, havoline meets, and coastal is recommended. Does this mean coastal is not approved? Also, is valvoline approved also by exceeding? What are the differences in these wordings?
SM is not european. it's an API standard found in North America from what I've read. ACEA is the Euro specs. look for a 5w-20 SM/ACEA A1 and you'll be good to go.
Could just be the wording that the mfr uses. ie: Two oils could exceed a spec, and one mfr would say "exceeds" while the other might simply say "meets", to show that it satisfies that spec's requirements.
I don't believe there are any bad SM oils, though some are better than others, of course.
If you want oil that legitimatly meets the latest API and ILSAC qualifications you need to look for two things. First is the API "doughnut" found on the back label. It should say it is SM rated. Second if the oil also meets and only if it meets the ILSAC latest standards (GF-4), it can also display the energy saving Starburst symbol, typically on the front label. If you do not have both of these then you do not have the latest standard oil. The fine print on the back label about "meets, exceeds," etc. is meaningless.