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Brogan Woodburn is a writer for USA TODAY Homefront and has read dozens of extended auto warranty contracts, including the fine print that will tell you whether your car insurance covers slashed tires or can get you a new engine replacement. His editorial experience in the auto industry includes work that appears on MarketWatch and Motor1.com.
Brogan is based in Prineville, Oregon, and enjoys exploring the outdoors in his free time. Having studied guitar at Berklee College of Music, he also performs classical guitar for local events and weddings.
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Most of the best car warranty companies offer similar options when it comes to coverage plans. However, they’re not all the same and have nuanced differences you’ll need to pay attention to while choosing a third-party warranty. For example, some offer freedom to choose any repair shop while others are only valid at a particular dealer.
In the words of Michael Chung, senior director of market intelligence for the Auto Care Association, “If you have provider A and compare their product versus provider B, what are the differences? They’re not necessarily going to be the same in terms of what’s covered.”
So how do you find the best car warranty company for your vehicle? We’ve reviewed the best extended warranty providers in the industry and will give you a detailed look at our top 10 picks in this article.
Endurance offers coverage for up to 8 years or 200,000 miles, but it only offers long-term plans.
When looking at car warranty companies, look at each provider’s coverage options and term lengths compared to what you need. You also want to consider your budget and the monthly or overall costs when choosing a provider. Endurance, Autopom! and Carchex are our top three picks.
Next, we’ll take a deeper look at each of the best extended car warranty companies. We reviewed these companies based on aspects including car warranty cost, coverage options provided, market standing, trustworthiness, transparency and customer experience.
Endurance is an industry leader and a direct provider that administers its own contracts.
What we like
If you’re looking for comprehensive plans that can also cover maintenance, Endurance is your best bet. The company offers six plans including an option that covers maintenance services like oil changes and a brake pad replacement. Most companies in the industry have three or four plans and don’t cover maintenance.
What we don’t like
Endurance offers six plans but you have to reach out to an agent to access all of them. The website only advertises three main plans, which might be the company’s three most popular options.
On Better Business Bureau (BBB) some customer complaints mention denied claims, delayed claims and problems trying to cancel their plans.
Endurance offers a full suite of coverage options from basic to comprehensive as well as maintenance coverage:
Endurance plans can cover up to 200,000 miles.
According to quotes we received, Endurance warranties cost about $97 per month. This is cheaper than the extended auto warranty industry average of $108 per month. However, the cost per year of coverage can be a bit higher than other competitors on the market.
Endurance has a customer review rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars on BBB, which is a fairly respectable rating in the extended car warranty industry. Some customers have had issues with claims taking longer than expected, though. In response, Endurance notified BBB it had hired more claims staff to help speed things up.
Autopom! offers a few simple coverage options and is known for its customer service.
Autopom! shines in the customer service category. It has a 4.9-star rating on Trustpilot and a customer review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on BBB, which is above average for warranty review scores. The company makes sure customers have a positive experience when shopping or filing a claim by having attentive and driven customer service representatives.
Autopom!’s three plans of Exclusionary, Mid-level or Powertrain Plus might not be enough options for some drivers. Also, while Autopom! has good customer ratings, the company doesn’t have many online reviews. There are fewer than 300 in total spread across BBB and Trustpilot, which is low for the auto warranty industry.
Autopom’s plans include these:
Autopom! plans can cover up to 150,000 miles.
Autopom! plans cost about $100 per month on average, which isn’t bad for the industry. Interestingly, we received the cheapest quote of $81.99 per month for an unlimited month-to-month Powertrain Plus plan. The fixed-term plans were more expensive. But if you continue a month-to-month plan for many years, it can become expensive overall.
Autopom!’s customers on BBB praise the company for helping to handle claims issues when they arise. Many reviews speak highly of the owner of Autopom! and say the owner stepped in to make things right.
Carchex has decades of experience handling warranty claims but can also be expensive.
Carchex stands out for its strong industry reputation. It has been in business since 1999 and maintains an A+ rating on BBB. It’s one of the most well-known brands out there so you don’t have to worry about having issues with claims.
Carchex can be one of the more expensive warranty companies. It offers good coverage but monthly rates tend to be above $100 and higher than the average monthly rate we found among providers. That said, we’ve found it’s possible to get discounts from Carchex as a first-time customer.
Here’s what you can get from Carchex:
Carchex plans can cover up to 250,000 miles.
The first quotes our team got from Carchex ranged from $129.99 to $149.99 per month, which are fairly high rates. After a bit of negotiation, the sales team gave some discounts and reduced monthly payments to between $89.99 and $119.99. So, it pays to mention you’re shopping around. These plans included a $200 deductible. Choosing a lower deductible would increase the cost and vice versa.
While Carchex has an A+ rating from BBB, it has a 2-star customer score on the platform. Some customers say Carchex plans have saved them money and covered repairs, while others have had issues with claims being covered. The good thing is that Carchex responds to all complaints and works to make the customer satisfied.
CarShield is a popular extended warranty provider with flexible terms.
CarShield offers flexible month-to-month contracts. This makes CarShield a good option if you don’t want to commit to a four- or five-year contract. CarShield also offers a specialty EV plan that can cover electric drive components. If a company doesn’t have an EV-specific plan, it might not cover these parts.
CarShield tends to have high monthly rates according to quotes our team received. Looking at the total value of a plan, longer CarShield plans become more expensive than plans from competitors. CarShield does have an A rating on BBB and attempts to resolve customer concerns, but we noticed a pattern of complaints with the company, including allegations of misleading advertising tactics and delayed claims processing.
CarShield offers the following plans:
CarShield plans can cover up to 300,000 miles.
Initial quotes we received from CarShield ranged from $199.99 to $139.99, though discounts brought the range down by $20 a month. CarShield offers unlimited contracts, so you pay the monthly fee as long as you have the plan. Doing this for a year or two is fine, but if you want a longer plan you’ll save money with a provider that offers a fixed price for the term.
CarShield is the most popular warranty provider with a 4.1-star rating from over 44,000 reviews on Trustpilot. However, it has a customer review rating of 1.3 out of 5 stars from over 2,300 customers on BBB. Many positive reviews are about the purchase process, though a number of customers have had issues with claims. One reviewer mentioned a claim was denied because they didn’t have oil change receipts since they changed their own oil.
Omega Auto Care is a longstanding warranty company with a variety of useful benefits.
Omega Auto Care is one of the best car warranty companies because it offers customizable coverage and great benefits. The company offers the standard three benefits of roadside assistance, rental car coverage and trip interruption. Plus, Omega’s plans go beyond the norm with road hazard tire repair and maintenance benefits.
When we conducted our secret shopping analysis we had a hard time getting quotes from Omega Auto Care. The initial customer service reps were helpful but the sales reps were unavailable.
Omega Auto Care offers three main plans:
Omega Auto Care plans can cover up to 250,000 miles.
Our team was unable to secure quotes after reaching out, but customer reviews suggest Omega Auto Care is affordable.
Omega Auto Care has a 3.8-star rating from customers on BBB. The vast majority have a positive experience and many say the customer service team at Omega Auto Care is reliable. That said, a couple of customers noted the claims service time can be long.
MPP offers warranties through dealerships and has been in business for over 40 years.
MPP is a respected warranty company that has helped five million customers since its founding in 1979, according to its website. It offers a huge range of coverage options through dealers in 10 states. You can find plans for new and used vehicles plus other types of coverage like maintenance, GAP insurance and RV coverage.
MPP is only available through dealerships, so you can’t go on its website to purchase a plan. If you happen to come across MPP while shopping for a vehicle, that’s the time to consider the price compared to other options you may have.
MPP has a large menu of coverage options, but only a few may be applicable to the car you’re considering purchasing. It has four plans for new and used vehicles which include factory-level coverage and basic powertrain coverage. It also has extra options:
MPP doesn’t specify a maximum mileage.
MPP costs are based on your vehicle and the coverage you want. You’ll have to contact a dealership to find out if it offers MPP and see what it costs.
MPP has an A+ rating from BBB plus a customer review rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars on the platform. Most customers say MPP is easy to deal with and the mechanics don’t have issues when getting approval for a claim.
Concord Auto Protect offers simple coverage options and low rates.
Concord Auto Protect might not have as many coverage options as other companies, but it’s one of the most affordable options we’ve found. Average monthly rates are well under $100 and the price per year of coverage is also affordable.
Concord Auto Protect doesn’t list sample contracts on its website. This is in contrast to all of our other top picks. Comparison tables can only tell you so much about coverage. It’s important to read the fine print — we wish sample contracts were more accessible.
Concord Auto Protect offers three warranty plans:
Concord Auto Protect doesn’t specify a maximum mileage.
Concord Auto Protect is one of the cheapest warranty companies we’ve come across. Monthly quotes ranged from $70 to $75. Total costs were low compared to the industry average. That said, the quotes we received required a down payment of $300, which is on the high side. Most warranty companies’ down payments are the first month’s payment.
While cheap rates are nice, customer service is important too. Concord Auto Protect has a 2.0-star rating on Trustpilot from 350 reviews. It seems a few customers have had issues getting claims covered. Reviewers have had claims denied for preexisting conditions when the car passed an inspection prior to the warranty.
Olive is a completely online warranty company with an easy-to-use website.
As a newer warranty company, Olive has a standout website that’s functional and easy to use. You can compare plans with a few clicks and access the fine print to see all coverage terms. We also found Olive is affordable for vehicles up to five years old.
Olive’s plans tend to be expensive for older vehicles. Quotes for a 2018 Nissan Altima with 85,000 miles ranged from $150 to $273 per month, which are high rates for the industry. Olive also only offers three coverage options. This might not provide enough customization for your situation.
Olive has a few simple extended warranty coverage plans:
Olive plans can cover up to 185,000 miles.
Olive can be both cheap and expensive. Quotes we received show plans are cheap ($25 to $42 per month) for vehicles up to five years old and expensive ($150 to $273) for vehicles that are nine years old. If you qualify for a lower-end plan, Olive can be a great deal. It’s always good practice to compare quotes.
Olive’s parent company, Repair Ventures, has an A+ rating from BBB. It also has a 2.0-star rating from customers, but that score only includes 12 customer reviews. This lack of reviews isn’t enough to assess general trends for the company.
Everything Breaks offers multiple extended warranty plans with a unique business model of pre-set pricing.
Everything Breaks has an alternative pricing model to customized quotes. Instead, each plan has one set monthly price as long as your vehicle fits into the requirements. This makes it easy to know what you’d pay for Everything Breaks before reaching out for coverage. Everything Breaks also offers an affordable plan that pays 50 percent of a covered repair (up to $500 per repair and $2,000 per year).
Plans from Everything Breaks may cover fewer parts per system than comparable plans from other companies. For example, the Deluxe plan covers many parts in the steering system but not sensors. On the other hand, Carchex’s Platinum plan (which is about the same level) does cover sensors.
Everything Breaks offers five levels of coverage to choose from:
Everything Breaks plans can cover up to 250,000 miles. The mileage limit for purchasing powertrain plans is 240,000 and the limit for purchasing Topline or Deluxe is 165,000 miles.
Most warranty companies customize your rate for your vehicle, but Everything Breaks takes a different approach. The company has a set monthly price for each plan:
As long as your car is under the maximum mileage limit and qualifies for a plan, those are the rates you pay. If you pay for one or three years upfront you get maintenance benefits as well.
Everything Breaks has an A+ rating on BBB, but it also has a customer review rating of 2.1 out of 5 stars. The A+ rating indicates Everything Breaks responds to all complaints on BBB. Customers have had issues with getting claims covered in a timely manner. One said their repair shop called for multiple days before getting through.
Ally is one of the only major financial institutions to offer an extended warranty program.
Ally is another car warranty company that has a specialty plan for EVs. This is great to see. EVs are becoming more popular, but many warranty companies don’t have updated plans for EV components. Ally’s EV plan is comprehensive and covers most breakdowns with some exclusions.
Ally’s plans are only available from dealerships on new or used cars. If you consider Ally’s coverage and decide you want a plan, you can call Ally to find dealership locations. Also, we noticed Ally doesn’t advertise a maximum mileage for coverage.
Ally Premier Protection comes with four coverage options:
Ally’s plans don’t list a maximum mileage.
Ally offers warranties at participating dealerships, so you’ll have to get in touch with a dealer to find out what an extended warranty would cost. If you get a plan at the same time as purchasing a vehicle, you can usually finance the warranty within the auto loan.
Ally currently isn’t rated on BBB and has a 1.1-star customer review rating. The vast majority of reviews and complaints are about the company’s financial services. Some reviewers say the customer service team isn’t as knowledgeable as they expected and the call center can be difficult to deal with.
You should know a few things when shopping for an auto warranty.
An extended warranty company is either a broker or a direct provider. A broker sells warranty plans that are administered by third-party companies, whereas a direct provider handles all claims itself.
Most warranty companies are brokers. This includes companies such as Autopom!, Carchex and CarShield. Endurance is one of the few companies that handles claims directly.
Both types of companies can have good customer service, though a direct provider can give slightly faster service in some cases.
Most extended car warranty providers offer three main benefits: roadside assistance, rental car coverage and trip interruption coverage. But you’ll find some differences when you shop around.
For example, Olive doesn’t include roadside assistance. On the other hand, Omega Auto Care adds tire repair and maintenance benefits. Endurance also has unique automotive benefits like key fob replacement and collision discounts for the first year.
As you shop around, you’ll see you might be able to get an extended warranty from your car’s manufacturer. However, most automakers don’t sell vehicle service contracts after the factory warranty expires or only sell them on the day you purchase the car.
Manufacturer plans typically require you to visit a dealership for repairs. That makes sense, but it can be a hassle if you move away from a dealer.
On the other hand, most third-party plans let you visit any licensed repair facility. They also typically have higher mileage limits than manufacturer plans.
An extended warranty can be worth it if you understand the fine print and know what car repairs are covered. Even comprehensive coverage has exclusions.
Also, compare the cost of warranty coverage with estimated repair costs for your vehicle. You can use tools like Edmunds or RepairPal to do this. Some vehicles have more expensive repairs than others.
You’ll have more peace of mind knowing the warranty is likely to cover repairs for a car that has high costs of ownership.
While we’ve outlined our top picks here as Endurance, Autopom! and Carchex, the best car warranty company for you might be different based on your situation. Look for a company with options that cover what you need and fits into your budget. You’ll also want to choose a warranty company that’s transparent with sample contracts. It’s a good idea to compare at least three free quotes from different providers before you make a decision.
At Homefront, we analyze, rate and rank top vehicle service contract providers to help you discover the right one for your needs. The best auto service contract companies offer transparency, affordability and expansive coverage options, among other qualities.
We rate companies using our objective scoring methodology. We assess brands on factors that are important to consumers like you — including cost, coverage, market standing, trustworthiness and customer experience. After scoring companies on a 100-point scale, we simplify final scores into the 5-star ratings you see in our content.
BBB and Trustpilot scores are accurate as of June 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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