What Extended Warranties Are Available For Your New Chevrolet?

The new models at Twin Falls Chevrolet have many attractions. You may be taken with the latest features or new styling. The absolute cleanliness of a new car vs. an old one is certainly a plus. And, of course, there is the new car warranty. With it comes the confidence that once you have the monthly payment covered, there won’t be any surprises regarding repair bills. Repair bills on the current vehicle may have been what brought you car shopping in the first place. 

Of course, if you plan to keep your car beyond the warranty period, you will no longer be covered for repair bills on a vehicle that is getting to the age where repairs may become common. The answer comes in the form of extended warranties, which can be purchased directly from Chevrolet or by third parties. Which should you consider? 

Chevrolet New Car Warranty Coverage

Let’s start by reviewing the standard new car warranty on every new Chevrolet:

• Bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage: 3 years/36,000 miles
• Powertrain limited warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Anti-corrosion: 3 years/36,000 miles
• Rust-through: 6 years/100,000 miles
• Electric and hybrid components: 8 years/100,000 miles

If you do not plan on keeping your new Chevrolet longer than five years, there is little reason to consider an extended warranty. However, if you keep your cars for over five years and don’t like financial surprises, an extended warranty is something to consider.

Chevrolet’s Own Extended Warranty Plans

Chevrolet offers three different extended warranty plans with three different levels of coverage. One is close to bumper-to-bumper coverage, another is essentially a powertrain warranty, and the third is in between. All three plans have the same 8-year / 100,000-mile term. That term is measured from when the car is new, so the powertrain coverage adds another three years or 40,000 miles. Here are the three available Chevrolet extended warranties:

• Powertrain Plan: Covers the components that move the car, including the engine, transmission, drive axles, and motors in the case of EVs or hybrids.

• Silver Plan: Covers both powertrain and chassis components. So, in addition to the powertrain components, it covers repairs for front and rear suspension, climate control, electrical, steering, and brake components.

• Platinum Plan: This adds electronics to the silver plan, specifically audio, navigation, and technology features such as sensors and ECUs for safety and driver assist technology.

Additional features of all three Chevrolet warranties include within the same 8-year/100K mile term: 

• Roadside Assistance: Provides free towing (up to $100 per occurrence), battery jump-starts, flat tire assistance, emergency fuel and fluid deliveries, and lockout assistance.
• Rental Car Coverage: You will be reimbursed for up to $40 per day for up to 10 days while your car is in the shop for covered repairs. 
• Trip Interruption: When a breakdown occurs over 100 miles from your home, the warranty reimburses up to $200 per day for a maximum of five days to cover emergency travel expenses.

Like other warranties, Chevrolet has a list of exclusions on both its standard and new car warranties, whereby coverage will not be extended. These exclusions include:

• Routine Maintenance – oil changes, wiper replacement, etc.
• Accidents
• Maintenance neglect
• Aftermarket part installations
• Theft or vandalism
• Natural disasters like floods and fires
• Misuse, like off-roading or street racing
• Pre-existing conditions

Third-Party Extended Warranties

Other warranty providers are ready to cover your Chevrolet beyond its standard warranty term. Many of these offer a more comprehensive selection of plans with different coverage and deductible terms. Like Chevrolet’s extended warranties, these are transferable, and many have coverage periods of up to 8-10 years or more and up to 200K—300K miles. Naturally, the costs go up with the term’s length and the coverage’s extent. 

Two other differences between Chevrolet and 3rd-party warranties involve who does the repairs and the parts used. Chevrolet works strictly through its own dealership network of service centers and only uses original Chevrolet parts. 3rd party plans will use a network of independent shops. Some limit their network to Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified shops, but very few, if any, mandate original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. 

Extended warranties are a bit like insurance policies, and choosing whether or not to have one involved is speculating on the odds of an unknown. Both Chevrolet and 3rd-party companies are weighing the odds that you won’t need repair costs that exceed the warranty costs, and if they do, they are buffeted by the other covered vehicles that do not have such repair costs. You are protecting against the opposite case. 

This gives you an overview of the subject of extended warranties. Twin Falls Chevrolet sales and service professionals can provide specific information regarding the cost and coverage of both Chevrolet and 3rd party extended warranties.