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A bumper-to-bumper warranty provides comprehensive coverage that protects nearly all vehicle systems if your car faces an unexpected mechanical breakdown auto hoods
Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.
Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance and insurance topics.
Most new vehicles come with a bumper-to-bumper warranty and a powertrain warranty. A bumper-to-bumper warranty is the highest level of car warranty coverage available and pays for most repair costs in the case of a mechanical breakdown.
In this article, we at the MarketWatch Guides t eam will explain bumper-to-bumper warranties, including costs and which vehicle systems are usually covered. We’ll also recommend some of the best extended car warranty companies on the market today .
The MarketWatch Guides Team is committed to providing reliable information to help you make the best possible decision about a warranty for your vehicle. Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best extended car warranty companies. We collected data on dozens of auto warranty providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. After 500 hours of research, the end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Learn more about our methodology and editorial guidelines .
A bumper-to-bumper warranty, also called a comprehensive warranty, covers most vehicle parts between your car’s front and rear bumpers. New cars often come with either a three- or five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty that’s part of a limited vehicle service contract offered by the dealership.
Note that new vehicle limited warranty plans only pay for damages needed because of a mechanical breakdown, defective car parts or faulty workmanship. Bumper-to-bumper coverage comes standard on new vehicles along with powertrain, drivetrain, corrosion and rust warranties.
Here are some of the most common bumper-to-bumper warranty lengths offered by automakers under a limited factory warranty :
Typically, a bumper-to-bumper warranty covers repair costs for the following components:
While a bumper-to-bumper warranty offers comprehensive coverage, it won’t cover items like your vehicle’s actual bumpers or body panels. Here are some other standard exclusions:
Bumper-to-bumper warranties aren’t meant to cover damage from car accidents, instances of theft or vandalism or severe weather incidents. You should be able to find coverage for these through a reputable car insurance company instead.
While you get a free bumper-to-bumper warranty when you purchase a vehicle, it rarely lasts for long. You can extend your coverage by either getting a plan from the selling dealership or from a third-party provider like Endurance. Having reviewed all major extended auto warranty companies, we’ll cover some of the best bumper-to-bumper plans here.
If you want an impressively comprehensive bumper-to-bumper warranty, check out Endurance Supreme. The plan is similar to a factory warranty in that it covers any mechanical breakdown except for a short list of exclusions. Endurance provides rental car coverage, trip interruption and roadside assistance as well. Plus, you’ll get one year of extra benefits like key fob replacement and $1,000 toward total loss replacement.
Olive is a modern extended warranty company with a great online experience. You can easily compare coverage plans and purchase your favorite one on the company’s website. The Complete Care plan is Olive’s bumper-to-bumper contract and is sold in all 50 states. The company partners with RepairPal to guarantee that car repairs can be done at local shops.
Titanium is the highest coverage option from Carchex. Like a factory warranty, it covers a wide range of mechanical breakdowns on many vehicle systems unless they’re specifically excluded. Carchex also offers trip interruption, rental car reimbursement and 24-hour roadside assistance. Rental coverage is limited to $100 per day and extends to rideshare companies Uber and Lyft for up to $60 per day while your car is at a repair facility.
Extended car warranty costs vary greatly even between bumper-to-bumper warranty plans. We’ll compare prices from manufacturers and dealers with those from third-party companies.
Sometimes, manufacturers and dealerships provide affordable bumper-to-bumper extended warranties. In other cases, manufacturer coverage can be quite expensive. You could pay anywhere from $500 to $2,000 per year for warranty coverage.
Our research shows that HondaCare ® is an affordable plan that comes with a variety of term lengths. However, other companies can charge thousands for only a year or two of additional coverage. If the dealer is charging $4,000 or $5,000 to bump up coverage for two years, that’s probably not a good deal.
It’s also often unclear whether the manufacturer is offering a plan backed by the automaker or a third party. For example, the vehicle protection plan from GMC is actually administered by Safe-Guard Products International. However, the extended vehicle service plan has GMC branding and customers could assume that GMC is the only company they’ll deal with.
Used car dealerships sell third-party protection plans as well. The difference between dealer plans and leading third-party providers is that dealerships typically only offer a single plan. You don’t have much time at the car lot to read through all the fine print or even to compare other options. Dealers also routinely mark up the prices of their vehicle service contracts.
Our research team found that bumper-to-bumper plans from third-party companies cost an average of $824 per year. So, if the plan lasts for three years, the average cost would be around $2,472 as a rule of thumb. You can use this to estimate whether a coverage plan you find is affordable or expensive compared to the industry norm.
Below are a few sample quotes for bumper-to-bumper plans from third-party providers. You’ll likely notice that the CarShield Diamond plan has an unlimited term length. CarShield works somewhat differently and charges a monthly rate for as long as you keep the warranty.
The two most common types of warranties are bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties. It’s important to know the difference between the two and what they provide, as most dealerships offer both types of new car warranties.
A powertrain warranty covers your vehicle’s most essential components — the engine, transmission and drivetrain. A powertrain warranty that’s part of a manufacturer’s warranty typically lasts longer than bumper-to-bumper coverage, usually with five years or 60,000 miles of protection. You can purchase extended warranty coverage to obtain additional protection that moves past the bumper-to-bumper or powertrain limits through either your dealership or a third-party provider.
Powertrain warranties are cheaper than bumper-to-bumper warranties because they cover fewer parts and offer stated-component coverage rather than an exclusionary contract. See the infographic below for a comparison between powertrain and bumper-to-bumper warranties:
Tom Patterson, vice president of products and services at Protect My Car, says that an extended car warranty can be worth buying because “it prevents you from having to pay for a large repair cost and also provides peace of mind.” However, there are two things to consider before purchasing extended coverage: your vehicle’s reliability and your finances.
You can check reliability and dependability ratings for your vehicle and its manufacturer through websites like RepairPal and J.D. Power . If you had issues with the car while it was under a factory warranty, you may want to consider purchasing extended protection to avoid paying thousands of dollars for expensive repairs out of pocket at the repair shop.
Most dealerships and third-party providers offer a wide variety of protection plans and term lengths. You can typically negotiate with manufacturers and independent warranty providers to find a plan that fits your budget.
Besides protecting your car over the long term, extended auto warranties often come with extra benefits. Most dealers and third-party companies offer the following perks:
After your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty expires, we recommend looking at some of the best third-party providers. Endurance, Olive, CarShield and Carchex are great choices to start with when searching for a high-quality bumper-to-bumper warranty.
Since there are so many options for extended car warranty coverage, it’s wise to compare companies before making any decisions. We recommend checking out the following third-party providers, all of which ranked high ly in our review of the best car warranty companies .
Endurance offers six coverage plans, including an exclusionary option covering all components except for those specifically mentioned in the contract. The company is unique because it provides direct services to customers, meaning it handles all quotes, contracts and claims itself without a third party being involved. In addition, Endurance offers one free year of Endurance Elite Benefits, which provide perks such as roadside assistance and tire repair or replacement .
Endurance currently holds no rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) as it works to address complaints filed by customers. It currently has a score of 3. 7 out of 5.0 stars with the BBB, and 7 6 % of its reviews on Trustpilot are either four or five stars.
Keep reading: Endurance warranty review
Our first choice for comprehensive warranty coverage.
If you’re looking for an easy online shopping experience, look no further than an Olive warranty. You can purchase an extended warranty with this provider fully on your computer or phone, and there’s no waiting period for its bumper-to-bumper warranties to take effect. We also appreciate that Olive offers an online chat feature to connect with customer service.
Olive offers three levels of coverage with a price-lock guarantee, and each one comes with perks such as rental car reimbursement and towing assistance. However, it doesn’t include roadside assistance or trip interruption benefits like most providers. Olive holds an A+ rating and accreditation from the BBB.
Keep reading: Olive warranty review
CarShield is great if you’d rather avoid the long-term commitment of an extended warranty plan due to its month-to-month contracts. You’ll find a bumper-to-bumper warranty, four standard CarShield plans and one choice that covers motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
We like that CarShield’s coverage extends to high-mileage vehicles for up to 300,000 miles, making it a solid pick for an extended warranty for cars over 100,000 miles . Keep in mind that CarShield currently holds a D rating from the BBB due to a high number of unresolved complaints. Reviews on Trustpilot indicate a high level of satisfaction, though, with 76% of over 40 ,000 reviewers giving it either four or five stars.
A reputable extended warranty provider with industry-low rates.
Carchex is one of the industry’s most well-known extended warranty providers. The third-party warranty company is backed by industry leaders like Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com, RepairPal and Carfax. Carchex offers five customizable plans that include both bumper-to-bumper warranties and powertrain coverage.
You’ll find perks such as 24/7 roadside assistance, towing services, rental car reimbursement, gas deliveries and trip interruption benefits with Carchex. The company holds accreditation and an A+ rating with the BBB and gets four or five stars from 8 4 % of the reviewers on Trustpilot.
Coverage for vehicles up to 250,000 miles and excellent customer service.
Here are some frequently asked questions about bumper-to-bumper warranty plans.
A bumper-to-bumper warranty does n’t cover vehicle parts that break down over time like the brakes, brake pads, windshield wipers and tires. These warranties also do n’t cover routine maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations or parts that are damaged by an accident or improper maintenance.
A bumper-to-bumper car warranty could be worth it because it can prevent you from paying for large repair costs out of pocket, providing peace of mind.
Although cost data isn’t readily available from all warranty providers, our research team conducted a survey of 1,000 people and found that the median total extended warranty cost, as reported by survey respondents, was $2,458. Half of the respondents said they paid a total of between $1,6 00 and $3,200 .
Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best extended car warranty companies. We collected data on dozens of auto warranty providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.
Here are the factors our ratings take into account:
*Data accurate at time of publication.
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