Best Aftermarket Car Warranty

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Depending on your vehicle manufacturer, your factory warranty is going to expire sometime between when your car reaches 30,000 and 60,000 miles. As expiration approaches, it could be time to start looking for the best aftermarket car warranty plan.

While a manufacturer’s warranty helps fix the issues that occur early in a car’s lifespan, an aftermarket auto warranty can pay for the inevitable repair bills that accrue as your vehicle ages. When shopping for a warranty, it’s important to find a reputable provider that will quickly and reliably pay out claims.

To help you find the best aftermarket car warranty, in this article, we’ll offer some tips on what to look for in an extended warranty provider and recommend some of the best extended car warranty companies. Start comparing plans for your vehicle using the buttons above.

An aftermarket auto warranty is a vehicle service contract offered by an automobile manufacturer or a third-party warranty company that pays for repairs after mechanical breakdowns.

Virtually every manufacturer offers a new car warranty with each vehicle in its fleet. These warranties typically cover most mechanical and electrical components, promising to pay for any repairs that are needed during the warranty term. Warranties generally exclude damage caused by accidents and regular maintenance like oil changes. Exteriors and upholstery often aren’t covered by a new vehicle warranty, either.

Manufacturer warranties are essentially promises that your car will work—that the engine will run and the internal systems will operate correctly, from the air conditioning to high-tech electronics. A manufacturer warranty typically lasts between three and five years or for 36,000 to 60,000 miles. Once this warranty expires, your car is no longer covered and any costly repairs that arise will need to be paid out of pocket unless you get extended warranty coverage.

Many customers elect to extend their warranty coverage. While manufacturer warranties come free with most vehicles, extended warranties—also called extended service plans, vehicle protection plans, or aftermarket car warranties—cost extra. As vehicles age, mechanical breakdowns become inevitable. The best aftermarket auto warranty plans make it easier to plan for the cost of car repairs.

Extended warranties can be purchased directly from your vehicle manufacturer or from third-party providers.

Endurance offers six levels of coverage, each suited to different needs of car owners. Plans range from exclusionary bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage to powertrain coverage designed for high-mileage vehicles and used cars.

Two things that make Endurance aftermarket auto warranty coverage stand out are the high term limits and excellent benefits. Endurance contracts can extend over 200,000 miles. In addition to helping cover repairs, contracts come with one year free of Endurance Elite Benefits, that includes:

CARCHEX is perhaps the most well-known extended warranty provider, and for good reason. The company is one of the longest-lasting warranty providers in an industry that has been changing rapidly.

One reason CARCHEX has stuck around is that it offers superior customer service. In addition to our own positive customer service experience, CARCHEX has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and plenty of positive customer reviews. CARCHEX also has some of the lowest-priced contract options, especially for used vehicles.

Find out how much a CARCHEX aftermarket auto warranty will cost when you reach out for a free, personalized quote below.

Protect My Car has some of the best financing options. Contracts can be financed for terms as long as 60 months. While this may mean a higher overall cost, it does mean lower monthly payments.

There are three Protect My Car contracts available for cars up to 10 years old, and the provider stands out because it has high customer satisfaction ratings, which is fairly unusual for the extended warranty industry. On the BBB, customers rate Protect My Car 4.1 out of 5.0, and on Trustpilot customers rate it 4.4 out of 5.0.

You can look into the Protect My Car aftermarket auto warranty plan options for yourself by clicking below.

CarShield administrators have paid over $1 billion in claims since the warranty company opened in 2005. CarShield offers contracts with unlimited term lengths (as well as set term length options) and some of the lowest monthly payment options we’ve come across. The powertrain warranty contracts offered by CarShield are an especially good option for older vehicles.

CarShield has strong customer ratings on Trustpilot and Google. Large numbers of customers praise CarShield’s customer service and low prices, making it one of our top choices for the best aftermarket car warranty.

There are dozens of car warranty scams out there, and you want to be sure that your provider will pay out when it comes time to file a claim. The worst extended car warranty companies take a long time to approve and pay out claims. Some try to avoid paying claims at all costs.

To research a company’s reputation, check sources like the BBB, Trustpilot, and Google reviews. Keep in mind that every company will have a certain number of complaints depending on its size. Look for positive reviews that mention more than just the signup process. Read reviews by customers who have experienced the aftermarket auto warranty claims process firsthand. Be on alert for BBB advisories or patterns of complaints.

Transparency is vital for the best aftermarket car warranty providers. Does a company offer sample contracts online? Do you understand the contract terms?

Make sure you have a solid understanding of who your claims administrator is and what the policies are. Deceptive companies will litter their contracts with exceptions and fine print that make it difficult to file claims.

Never sign up for a contract or provide your payment information until you have been able to read a contract for yourself. Dubious companies will accept down payments before contracts are signed, but you should never agree to this. The best aftermarket car warranty providers are transparent and straightforward.

Cost is always an important factor to consider. But it can be hard to compare costs across different contracts with various financing and term limits. Some aftermarket auto warranty contracts may have lower monthly payments but higher overall prices. Some contracts may have a lower overall cost but provide shorter coverage.

One metric we use to compare prices among providers is the cost per year of coverage. This is the number you get when you divide the total contract cost by the number of years of coverage. For example, a contract that costs $2,000 and provides five years of coverage costs $400 per year of coverage.

While cost per year of coverage isn’t the only metric by which you should compare costs, it provides a general idea of the relative price of a contract. In our research, we found the average cost per year of coverage to be around $850 for bumper-to-bumper coverage for a vehicle with about 40,000 miles.

Because so many variables impact cost, there is no one best aftermarket car warranty in terms of price for everyone. Some companies may offer better financing terms, while others have better plans for high-mileage vehicles. It all depends on your specific needs.

The value of an aftermarket auto warranty comes from helping customers to plan for the cost of their auto repairs. The best aftermarket car warranty plans will give customers peace of mind by setting a fixed price, which can make them worth it.

Customers can expect to pay only their monthly fee and a deductible when a repair is needed to keep their cars on the road.

In many cases, it is more economical to forego a vehicle service contract and instead start a vehicle repair savings account. In the long run, this can be a cheaper option. However, some budgets may not allow for such saving, and if a repair is needed before the required funds are saved, you could be out of luck.

Those who decide to purchase an extended warranty have the option to choose between a manufacturer's extended warranty and a third-party vehicle protection plan. There are benefits and drawbacks to each.