Protecting your car is incredibly important, no matter what kind of driving you do or what type of vehicle you drive.

When you purchase a new car, it will most likely come with a factory warranty provided by the manufacturer. This warranty is designed to protect you from any repairs that arise due to design flaws or issues at the factory. This warranty will be valid for anywhere between three years or 36,000 miles or ten years or 100,000 miles.

Once this coverage is up, though, you will be solely responsible for any repairs to the vehicle. If you want extra protection after the factory warranty is up, an extended warranty, which is more accurately called a vehicle service contract (VSC), is your best option.

A vehicle service contract is a great way to protect your car as well as your bank account when a repair is needed. There are all kinds of choices available to you when it comes to third-party providers for your VSC. Endurance and North American Auto Care are two of the leading providers in the United States.

By knowing what each of these companies has to offer and how they compare, you can make the right decision for your coverage. With a high-quality extended car warranty in place, you can drive with confidence, knowing you have the protection you need.

Comparing the Warranty Companies

Endurance Company Overview

For over 18 years, Endurance has been helping drivers get the repairs they need when they need them. Our Illinois-based company has a reputation for delivering customized coverage for a wide range of vehicles, with protection plans for cars that other providers won’t cover, such as cars used for rideshare or delivery, salvage vehicles, and Canadian Gray Market cars. You can choose from a variety of pre-made plans or get a plan designed for your specific vehicle so you can get the ultimate coverage for your needs.

Endurance is also known for including a large package of extra perks and benefits to customers. Standard benefits that come with every Endurance plan include 24/7 roadside assistance (with towing, fuel delivery, and lockout services), rental car coverage, and trip interruption protection to give you full coverage when you are on the road. Endurance customers can also get access to Elite Benefits for a small activation fee, which includes tire repair or replacement, key fob replacement, $1,000 toward total loss protection, and more.

Endurance offers mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI) to California residents. Because of strict regulations, Californians can not get coverage with vehicle service contracts. Mechanical breakdown insurance, though, works just like a VSC but is regulated by the insurance industry, opening up protection to drivers who otherwise wouldn’t be able to get it.

North American Auto Care Overview

North American Auto Care has been in business for over a decade and works with dealerships to provide extended coverage to all kinds of drivers. With a specific focus on dealership coverage, the company is well-versed in the needs of used car buyers and sellers all over the country. North American Auto Care’s plans are customized to the specific needs of the vehicle and driver and designed to be as helpful as possible in all types of situations.

Since North American Auto Care is not a direct provider of coverage, the rate and plan that will be available to you will be specific to your vehicle. Because of this, you may want to make sure that the plan that is offered to you at the dealership is exactly what you are looking for. Read the fine print and pay special attention to the components that are going to be covered or, more importantly, not going to be covered.

Coverage Options

Endurance Warranty Plans

Endurance Warranty Services offers a wide range of plans for all kinds of drivers, vehicles, and budgets. While our plans are customized, there are different tiers of coverage you can choose from to get the perfect amount of protection for your vehicle. These include:

• Supreme – Endurance’s Supreme plan is as close as you can get to the original bumper-to-bumper protection that came with your vehicle when it was new. The covered components include things like the cooling system, electrical components, seals, gaskets, and tech features that other providers don’t generally cover.
• Supreme for Highline Vehicles – If you own a luxury vehicle by one of the top automakers like Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, or Alfa Romeo, the Supreme for Highline plan can cover it. If your luxury car has fewer than 80,000 miles on the odometer and is less than eight years old, you can get coverage. This plan also offers a list of exclusions for ease of comprehension.
• Superior – The Superior plan offers essential component coverage for the parts of your car that are most likely to break down, including the engine, transmission, A/C, and more.
• Select Premier – If your vehicle has a lot of miles on the odometer, the Select Premier plan is designed to cover it, even if other providers won’t.
• Secure Plus – The most essential components of your vehicle, like the engine, transmission, and drive axle, are also some of the most expensive to repair. The Secure Plus plan offers affordable coverage for those components on older cars, which almost always need it the most.
• Secure – If you want coverage for your vehicle and are working on a tight budget, the Secure plan is for you. This budget-friendly plan covers your vehicle’s powertrain to help you keep it running smoothly.
• Advantage – Advantage offers comprehensive coverage and up to $3,500 in annual or routine maintenance costs, such as oil changes and oil filter replacements. This can save you a lot of money on the total cost of ownership of your car while also giving you the highest level of protection.

North American Auto Care Plans

Since North American Auto Care is not a direct provider of coverage, they do not make their specific plans public. They do, however, provide everything from basic powertrain coverage to near bumper-to-bumper protection, as well as everything in between.

The level of coverage you get will depend on the dealership you are working with and the specific condition of the vehicle you are buying. Things like the mileage on the odometer, the condition of the engine, and the make and model will all determine what kind of protection plan you will be eligible for.

Assessing Customer Service

Endurance Customer Service

One of the things that sets Endurance apart from other providers is the company’s dedication to customer service. Endurance’s award-winning customer service team is frequently called out in consumer reviews as being exceedingly helpful and willing to work on any situation. This, combined with a mobile app that makes your plan accessible 24 hours a day, makes it incredibly easy to solve any issue you might be having with your protection plan. If you are looking for a company with a dedication to customer service and the ability to walk you through your repair with ease, Endurance is going to be your best option.

North American Auto Care Customer Service

North American Auto Care is another provider dedicated to customer service. Since they work with the dealership where you buy your vehicle, you have a direct line to them, with the dealership as an intermediary. This makes getting your claim approved easy and also allows you to get repairs done at the same place where you bought your vehicle. If this is a convenient option for you, it could end up saving you a lot of time and energy when you need a repair done on your vehicle.

Claims Process Comparison

Endurance Claims Process

With an Endurance protection plan in place, getting repairs done for your vehicle is incredibly easy. All you have to do is take your car to the certified repair shop of your choice, present your Endurance contract to the shop manager, and pay your deductible if you have one. From there, the shop service manager will work with Endurance to find out if your specific plan will cover the repairs that need to be done on your vehicle. Then, you can use your rental car coverage to get transportation while your car is being worked on. Endurance’s claims process is designed to be as easy and hassle-free as possible, so you don’t have to dread taking your vehicle to the shop.

North American Auto Care Claims

Since North American Auto Care is not a direct provider of coverage, repairs that you need will have to be done at the dealership where you bought your vehicle. If the repair is covered under your customized plan, all you have to do is take your car to the dealership’s service center and they will handle everything regarding your claim. While this may be convenient for some people, it may not be for others. If, for example, you don’t live near the dealership where you purchased your car, North American Auto Care may not be your best option for coverage.

Additional Benefits and Perks

Endurance Benefits

Endurance is well known for offering top-notch coverage as well as several extra perks and benefits to help keep you safe. Standard benefits include 24/7 roadside assistance, rental car reimbursement to help keep your life on track while your car is in the shop, and trip interruption coverage that will help you pay for accommodations if you get stranded with a broken-down vehicle. For a small activation fee, you can also get access to Endurance’s Elite Benefits, which include tire repair or replacement, key fob replacement, $1,000 toward total loss protection, and more. All of these extra benefits are there to give you peace of mind, knowing that you have protection in place whenever you are out on the road.

North American Auto Care Benefits

One of the downsides of working with North American Auto Care as your vehicle service contract provider is the fact they don’t offer much in the way of extra benefits. While 24/7 roadside assistance is available, that is more or less the only extra benefit that is included with coverage. They have other options that you can purchase, such as AC coverage, tire coverage, and GAP insurance, but these products are not included in your plan and will cost extra if you want to take advantage of them.

Customer Reviews and Ratings

Endurance Warranty Reviews

Endurance is highly regarded by customers across the country with many reviews praising the customer service team and the company’s transparency. Endurance currently holds a high star rating on Trustpilot, with over 7,000 reviews in total and many reviewers commenting on the excellent service they have received. Though we are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we’ve earned an A- consumer rating with over 3,600 reviews (as of May 2024).

Customers have also felt that the claims process was easy and that any issues they encountered with getting the repairs they needed were handled professionally and promptly. This kind of support can be incredibly helpful when trying to get repairs done on your vehicle.

North American Auto Care Reviews

Like most extended warranty providers, North American Auto Care has received positive reviews, with a few depicting varied experiences. Customers have been confused about what components are covered in their plans, which has led to disappointments when bringing their vehicles to the dealership for service. Some reviews have also mentioned that the customer service was less than spectacular, with some consumers feeling talked down to and not receiving the help they needed.

While these reviews may be concerning, it is also important to remember that some of the responsibility lies with the dealership that sold the customer the policy. Be sure to ask as many questions as possible when signing up for coverage with the dealer, and know as much as you can about your specific policy and how much it will cost.

Get the Best Care for Your Vehicle With Endurance

When the time comes to get coverage for your vehicle, you want to be sure that you make the right decision. By knowing what your options are for coverage and how different providers compare, you can find a plan that will give you the peace of mind you deserve whenever you are behind the wheel.

Endurance offers a wide variety of customized plans, the most comprehensive protection on the market, and an award-winning customer service team. With lots of standard benefits and extra perks to keep you driving safely, Endurance will help protect your vehicle for many years to come.

Take advantage of our 30-day money-back guarantee and contact our award-winning customer service department at (800) 253-8203 for a FREE quote. You can also shop online to see your price right away.

Check out all things automotive, including comparisons with other providers like CarShield and CARCHEX, repair facility reviews, mechanical breakdown insurance, FAQs, and more on the Endurance Warranty blog.