The stability of nanofluids obtained by dispersing ZnO commercial nanoparticles in ethane-1,2-diol (ED) and in a {ethane-1,2-diol (1) + water (2)} mixture with mole fraction, x(1) = 0.2445 (volume fraction phi(1) = 0.5, mass fraction w(1) = 0.5271), has been analyzed by using two different methods. Density, thermal conductivity and the rheological behaviour have been experimentally determined for different ethane-1,2-diol + water (phi(1) = 0.5) based ZnO nanofluids and also for the base fluid. Density has been measured at temperatures ranging from (278.15 to 363.15) K and for pressures up to 45 MPa using a high-pressure vibrating tube densimeter. Isothermal compressibility and isobaric thermal expansivity coefficients have been determined whereas an analysis of the excess volumes values of different nanofluids reported in the literature is also developed. Thermal conductivity was measured from T = (283.15 to 343.15) K with a device based in the hot-wire technique, and the rheological characterization was performed from T = (283.15 to 323.15) K with a rheometer equipped with a cone-plate geometry. The tests carried out for the nanofluids at different concentrations evidence Newtonian behaviour. Experimental viscosity and thermal conductivity were also compared with the estimations provided by several theoretical modelling. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.