Piston is a major contributor for the mechanical losses in an engine. A major portion of oil consumption arises from bore distortion and poor piston ring sealing resulting from the piston ring and/or cylinder bore wear. Controlling the surface finish and texture of piston surface plays an important role with respect to friction (fuel efficiency), wear (durability and running performance) and oil consumption (noxious emissions) of an engine. The use of protective coating systems on piston region components in advanced diesel engine designs is being contemplated for a number of reasons. Coated piston skirts provide a dry sliding surface for engine startup, and feature increased resistance to abrasion and scratching while moving within the engine block. A ceramic coating can also be layered on the piston ring to reduce friction and enhance wear resistance between the ring and the cylinder's inner surface. A piston can be made more efficient with a ceramic coating on its crown which improves the device's heat reflection and transfers part of the detonation energy into the fuel burning phase. This can result in higher fuel burning efficiency and reduced carbon accumulation, which in turn makes detonation more effective. Thus a review is given in this paper. © 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.