From road trips to everyday use, it’s a great feeling to own a car and know that it can get you from point A to point B at any time. While having a car has endless transportation benefits, routine maintenance must be performed to keep your vehicle running. You can also expect the occasional mechanical fix when necessary.

As a car owner, you may wonder how to bring ownership costs down over time and keep it affordable. Unfortunately, owning a vehicle will always require certain costs. Maintenance is necessary. Repairs are likely. Accidents can happen. Luckily, you can get auto protection coverage to reduce unexpected issues and high repair costs.

While your car insurance company can help you reduce any costs you incur due to an accident or theft, your factory warranty or a vehicle protection plan can help cover maintenance and repair costs. The right car protection plan could save you thousands per year. In 2020 alone, drivers in the U.S. spent a total of $175 billion on repairs and maintenance for their vehicles. It’s also worth considering that the older the vehicle is, the higher the likelihood that you’ll have to pay for repairs, with the cost of maintaining a 10-year-old car over double that of a 5-year-old one.

Whether you recently purchased a new car and you’re coming to the end of the manufacturer’s warranty, or you’ve just bought a second-hand vehicle with a few extra miles on it, it’s important to protect it. And one of the best ways to protect against unwanted repair and maintenance bills is to consider an auto protection plan.

Different Types of Protection for Your Vehicle

When you buy a new vehicle at a dealership, the manufacturer includes what is known as a factory warranty or manufacturer’s warranty in the price. This type of warranty covers the different components of your car for a certain period of time after your purchase. With this type of protection, you know that your warranty won’t leave you paying high pricing out-of-pocket if anything goes wrong.

The two most common types of factory warranties are:

Bumper-to-Bumper Warranties

Also known as ‘exclusionary,’ this extensive warranty covers most systems and parts inside the vehicle, from the front bumper to the rear bumper, just like the name says. This type of warranty plan is so comprehensive that, unlike other coverage plans, a bumper-to-bumper warranty will only list the parts of the vehicle that are not covered in the contract.

Powertrain Warranties

This warranty protects the parts that make your car move, such as the engine, driveshaft, transmission, and front and rear-wheel drive systems. When dealing with this type of warranty, you might hear the expression ‘stated component’ because a powertrain warranty will only list the parts covered, contrasting with ‘exclusionary’ warranties.

Regardless of the type, factory warranties typically last between three to five years or until your vehicle reaches 36,000 or 60,000 miles. Learn more about the different types of warranty coverage.

Extended Warranties & Vehicle Service Contracts

While manufacturers’ warranties are excellent, they don’t last forever. In fact, many last no more than five years or 60,000 miles. That means you’d no longer be covered if you drive a mile over or have the keys a day longer than the cutoff. It also means that many used cars will often not have an active factory warranty. Luckily, there are ways for you to extend your original warranty or get coverage from a third-party warranty provider once your car’s original coverage expires. 

Shopping around and comparing plans is important when you need a vehicle protection plan after your warranty expires. Not just to get the right price but to ensure you select the best coverage and provider for your particular needs. For example, you can often get an extended warranty with your dealership or automaker. You can also get coverage from third-party extended car warranty companies like us at Endurance, CARCHEX, CarShield, Protect My Car and more. However, while you will often hear coverage from third-party providers like us referred to as extended warranties, they are actually vehicle service contracts (VSCs). Still, regardless of their official term, plans from providers like us can help get you the same kind of breakdown protection or better, often for a more affordable price.

For instance, at Endurance, we help you find the right price for your budget while ensuring you find the best coverage for your vehicle. Because of this process, we’re proud to offer the most comprehensive—and flexible—vehicle service contracts in the country.

For an even more in-depth breakdown of why Endurance may have the perfect vehicle protection plan for you, we’ve compared our plans to another provider of auto protection plans. Read how Endurance compares to CARCHEX extended warranties.

The Companies

Endurance Warranty 

Since 2006, Endurance has been giving drivers confidence for the road ahead thanks to comprehensive and affordable coverage options that can fit nearly every vehicle and budget. For example, whether you have a car up to 20 years old, a high-mileage vehicle, a select high-end luxury vehicle, or if you use your car for rideshare or delivery services, you can get peace of mind with an Endurance auto protection plan. Even cars with a salvage or rebuilt title and Canadian Grey Market vehicles can get coverage from Endurance. 

Along with expanded eligibility, you can also enjoy flexible payment plans and complimentary benefits that come with every Endurance plan, including 24/7 roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement, and trip interruption coverage. Plus, all Endurance customers can have repairs done at any certified repair facility or ASE Certified mechanic, including any repair shops located at your dealership. All new Endurance customers are eligible for an entire year’s worth of FREE  Endurance Elite Benefits for additional benefits and perks, including tire coverage, collision discounts, key fob replacements and up to $1,000 in total loss protection. 

Endurance is also the direct administrator of our plans, meaning you’ll have a member of the award-winning Endurance customer care team available to help with everything from getting a quote throughout every step of your claims process with no middleman or run around. It also means that most Endurance plans are transferable, so you can use your award-winning Endurance coverage to help upsell your vehicle if you ever look to sell it with your coverage still active. Or, if you have second thoughts about your level of coverage, don’t worry, as you’ll have a 30-day money-back guarantee for a full refund to help ensure that your plan is exactly what you need.

If you think all that sounds too good to be true, don’t worry, as thousands of Endurance customers leave 4- and 5-start customer reviews on trusted sites like Consumer Affairs, Trustpilot, Google and more. In fact, you can hear directly from an Endurance customer named Nate to learn why he recommends an auto protection plan from Endurance.

CARCHEX

CARCHEX is well-known for extended vehicle protection or extended warranties and acts as a consumer advocate to help drivers throughout the ownership of their vehicles. As a reseller, CARCHEX is not a direct administrator but has a known reputation for extended vehicle coverage. CARCHEX is a prominent name in the industry and offers vehicle protection products to its customers from other vehicle service providers.

Like Endurance, CARCHEX also provides its customers with several complimentary benefits, all of which are also included with every Endurance plan, including roadside assistance and towing, trip interruption service, and rental cover coverage.

The Plans

With both Endurance and CARCHEX, you’ll have access to a wide range of coverage options. It’s worth doing your research when picking the coverage so you can find one that’s right for you. To help you get started, below is a rundown of the different auto protection plans offered by Endurance and CARCHEX.

Endurance Vehicle Protection Plans

Supreme

This exclusionary coverage plan protects your vehicle from sudden breakdowns and has a small list of excluded components. This plan is ideal if you rely heavily on your car’s reliability and want the closest option to a manufacturer’s warranty.

Supreme for Highline Vehicles

Luxury cars can be a thrill to drive, but they often can be some of the least reliable cars on the road. And that’s exactly why many warranty providers skip over them for coverage but not Endurance. With the Highline protection plan, an extension of the comprehensive Supreme plan, select luxury vehicles less than eight years old and with less than 80,000 miles can get covered with Endurance.

Superior

The Superior plan offers the most comprehensive component coverage, featuring hundreds of specific components and bolstering the highest level of stated component coverage available.

Select Premier

This is the ideal plan for drivers with high-mileage vehicles up to 150,000 miles. This package features select lubricated internal parts of the engine, transmission, and drive axle assembly. Other vital components such as electrical, cooling, A/C, heating, and fuel systems are also covered in this plan.

Secure Plus

A level up on the Secure plan with Endurance, a Secure Plus plan offers protection against vital vehicle components like your brakes, engine, transmission, air conditioning, and steering. Electrical components and other parts also are included in this coverage option.

Secure

The Secure plan can give you basic powertrain coverage at just $79 a month. It helps protect the most essential parts of your car that often cost you the most money at a repair facility, including lubricated parts of the engine, transmission, and water pump. 

Advantage

For even more comprehensive coverage that can also save you $3,500 a year on regular maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations or alignments, and even state safety inspection services, look no further than Advantage. This plan also comes with expanded eligibility, including vehicles up to 20 years old regardless of mileage and special, one-time services that include a battery replacement, cooling system maintenance and more.

CARCHEX Warranties

Titanium Coverage

This is the most extensive protection plan offered by CARCHEX and can often be comparable to a factory warranty with a smaller list of excluded components. They also provide maximum breakdown protection for your vehicle. CARCHEX offers a handful of providers to choose from for this coverage.

Platinum Coverage

Just shy of “bumper-to-bumper” coverage, this is the highest level of stated-component coverage offered by CARCHEX and includes all the major systems in your car. The contracts cover hundreds of specific components, including all of those listed in the Gold, Silver and Bronze plans.

Gold Coverage

A flexible coverage package suitable for vehicles with over 60,000 miles. This plan covers components from the major systems across your vehicle and can be considered flexible in terms of coverage and cost.

Silver Coverage

More than a standard powertrain warranty, this plan covers your vehicle’s essentials and major systems, such as your electrical, air conditioning and fuel delivery systems. There are different term lengths and contracts available through multiple providers.

Bronze Coverage

This is the simplest plan offered by CARCHEX. The Bronze package offers basic coverage for common or expensive repairs for your engine and transmission and is equivalent to a powertrain or drivetrain warranty.

The Endurance Difference

Whether you are looking at an extended car warranty, a vehicle service contract, or any other type of auto protection plan, choosing the best coverage for your vehicle is an important decision. Select a plan that will offer you the best pricing option for your budget and provide you with flexible, comprehensive coverage and the best customer service available. Be sure to look carefully at the specific parts and exclusions that come with your chosen level of coverage for an even more informed decision.

Thankfully, you may not have to search for long as Endurance is one of the country’s leading providers of vehicle protection. Our plans were crafted by auto industry experts and offer coverage for all needs and all budgets.

Other Endurance Benefits

Each Endurance auto protection plan comes with a host of great features at no extra cost, including 24/7 roadside assistance and towing, substitute transport, and trip interruption reimbursement. Customers also receive FREE Endurance Elite Benefits for a full year with any plan, giving you access to even more everyday driver benefits like key fob replacements and up to two replaced or repaired tires per year.

To learn more about the coverage plans available at Endurance, call us today at (800) 253-8203. Or, to get started protecting your vehicle with award-winning Endurance coverage, request a free, no-obligation quote or shop online today. You can also visit the Endurance blog for all you need to know about protecting your vehicle.