Warranties on Hybrid Cars

Hybrid cars tend to come with better warranties than most conventional cars, partially because you are paying more for them up front and also because manufacturers believe in the long-term value of the hybrid. In other words, manufacturers don’t necessarily believe the car will need service during that time because the parts should last at least as long as the car is covered under the regular warranty. But what do these warranties actually do for the consumer?

What’s covered- On a standard hybrid warranty, the battery pack and the hybrid parts are covered for a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles and in some cases 10 years or 150,000 miles, depending on the hybrid you purchase and the state you live in. This covers abnormal failure of the parts and damages caused by that failure or other manufacturer defects in the parts. Most hybrids also come with a standard warranty covering the rest of the car that acts like a warranty on a regular vehicle and usually covers the car for a period of 3 years or 36,000 miles. You may even have a powertrain warranty that covers things like the engine, front and rear-wheel drive, seat belts and airbags, for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Remember that all standard warranties are based on the assumption that you will drive 12,000 miles per year and if you don’t, you’re actually losing some of the worth of the standard warranty when it expires on the year mark.

What’s not covered- If you don’t give your car the love and care it deserves, you’ll be out of luck if it fails. Don’t forget that even conventional cars have a memory and mechanics and warranty fact-checkers can tell if you forgot to get the oil changed for over a year or decided to wash under the hood with dish soap because it was dirty.

Is it worth extending coverage?- If you are purchasing a hybrid, an extended warranty can be worth its weight in gold, especially if your battery pack fails the minute the odometer turns over 100,001 miles. But remember, an extended warranty can be costly depending on the hybrid you buy, the type of warranty, the dealer and even you. However, there are several reputable extended warranties that might even be worth the cash and worth looking into, including Ford’s ESP, HondaCare, Toyota’s Extra Care (restrictions apply), General Motors’ GMPP and WarrantyDirect. But you’ll want to shop around and remember not to allow dealer-specific warranties, non-refundable warranties, non-transferable warranties or programs that require you to pay up front and wait for the company to pay you back. You should also make sure that any warranty you’re about to purchase will let you go to an licensed mechanic, for instance, if you buy the Prius, you can take it anywhere that’s licensed to work with Toyotas and not just the dealer you bought it from.

Remember, there are plenty of things that can void your warranty and you’ll want to make sure you are avoiding every one of them.