Owning a car is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but increasingly, it’s an expensive one. Not only is the cost of purchasing a vehicle always on the rise, but the cost of owning one is, too. In fact, the AAA’s ‘Your Driving Costs’ report for 2024 put the average annual repair costs and maintenance spend at $12,297 (or over $1,000 monthly). And for most Americans, that’s a little too much financial pressure for comfort.

As a result, the majority of drivers are looking for a way to defend themselves from the cost of unexpected repair bills — and an extended auto warranty is the best possible solution. Having one in place can save you not only plenty of money but also a lot of time and stress. Choosing a provider, however, is often the trickiest part.

If you’re currently doing research and can’t decide between Endurance and American Dream Auto Protect, we’re here to help. We’ve put their key plans side by side so you can compare each and decide which is right for you and your vehicle. From basic powertrain warranty protection to fully comprehensive exclusionary plans, all the information you could possibly need is right here in this handy guide.

Meet the Companies

Before we dive into the details, let’s take a moment to look at the warranty companies in question:

Endurance Warranty Overview

Since 2006, Endurance has made a name for itself as America’s most dependable auto protection provider. In the 20 years since opening our doors, we’ve helped thousands of drivers save on the cost of unexpected component failure. And we’re ready to help you, too.

Our wide range of plans has a solution for almost everyone, with coverage options for casual commuters, commercial drivers, and even select luxury car owners. We’re also willing to be flexible, so if our base plans aren’t exactly what you’re looking for, we can tweak terms and pricing to better meet your needs and budget.

As well as market-leading coverage, we also offer some of the best added benefits in the industry. Every single Endurance plan comes with 24/7 roadside assistance (including towing, fuel delivery, and lockout services), rental car reimbursement, and trip interruption coverage as standard. Plus, Endurance customers can unlock a year of Elite Benefits, adding on up to four tire repairs or replacements annually, key fob replacement, up to $500 in collision discounts, and up to $1,000 in total loss protection.*

Our website is regularly updated and packed with features, from a members portal with full details of your contract to a helpful extended warranty blog. We have a team of award-winning customer service advisors available 24/7 to answer your queries via phone or email, or the handy Endurance app puts all of the most important plan information right in your pocket.

American Dream Auto Protect Overview

American Dream Auto Protect is a third-party vehicle service contract provider established in 2021. According to its Better Business Bureau page, in its short time, it has accrued a significant number of negative reviews. Of the 69 ratings currently associated with its BBB page, 57 are 1 star out of five. The business is not currently BBB-rated.

They offer three main plans, ranging from basic powertrain protection to a more comprehensive option. However, when compared side by side, there isn’t much difference between them. Like Endurance, a number of benefits are included with all plans (such as free towing and rental cars), but they don’t go into any real detail about these.

Looking at their website, it is informational and contains useful tidbits about their services. However, they don’t appear to have a customer portal for plan information or a smartphone app. Contact is via phone or email, with the business promising to respond to queries within 24 hours.

Basic Powertrain Coverage

For drivers on a budget, basic powertrain coverage is often the ideal option. By protecting those crucial components that keep your car moving forward, you avoid some of the most expensive car repairs that might crop up.

Endurance’s “Secure Plus” Plan

The Secure Plus auto protection plan is a great option for anyone looking for a solid combination of coverage and affordability. Designed to look out for important components like your engine, transmission, and drive axle, it can potentially save you hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars per year.

American Dream Auto Protect’s “Silver” Plan

The most basic coverage plan available from American Dream Auto Protect, Silver is a very simple powertrain plan with only a short list of covered components. The specific list includes: engine, transmission, cooling, electrical, drive axle, brakes, and fuel delivery.

Key Differences and Summary

Endurance’s Secure Plus plan and American Dream Auto Protect’s Silver plan are similar, but Endurance covers far more components. While American Dream Auto Protect might have cooling coverage over Endurance, Endurance more than makes up for that by including additional protection for your steering, transfer case, and turbo/supercharger.

Endurance’s basic plan covers many more components, offering much better value and peace of mind than American Dream Auto Protect.

Expanded Component Coverage

If you’re looking for a little more than the most basic level of protection, try a stated component extended car warranty. While not fully comprehensive, they’re designed to cover a wide range of parts.

Endurance’s “Superior” Plan

An inclusionary plan offered by Endurance, Superior betters the coverage of Secure Plus by piling on protection for your cooling system, suspension, fuel system, and additional electrical systems. There’s also the option to cover more high-tech components if you’d like to.

American Dream Auto Protect’s “Gold” Plan

While American Dream Auto Protect’s Gold level of coverage is supposed to be a significant step up from their basic Silver package, the only real difference is the addition of steering to the list of protected systems. When you consider that this is already covered in Endurance’s Secure Plus plan, American Dream Auto Protect Gold is still a very basic protection program.

Key Differences and Summary

While neither plan is comprehensive, Endurance Superior offers a higher level of coverage and, therefore, has better money-saving potential. While American Dream Auto Protect’s Gold plan covers your powertrain and cooling system, plus the steering system, Endurance Superior covers all of that and much more.

Endurance’s Superior plan covers a much wider range of components and systems than American Dream Auto Protect Gold.

Fully Comprehensive Coverage

Some vehicle service contract providers offer exclusionary plans that are as close to an original factory warranty or manufacturer’s warranty as you can get. Others can’t quite meet those levels of comprehensiveness, however.

Endurance’s “Supreme” Plan

The most comprehensive package offered by Endurance, Supreme is an exclusionary plan that covers almost every component and system between your bumpers, including seals, gaskets, and even some more advanced components.

American Dream Auto Protect’s “Platinum” Plan

Platinum is described by American Dream Auto Protect as a comprehensive plan that covers all powertrain and electrical systems. Listed components on top of American Auto Protect Gold include navigation/GPS, air conditioning, seals and gaskets, plus suspension.

Key Differences and Summary

While Endurance Supreme is a plan with exclusions, American Dream Auto Protect Platinum is simply a stated component package with slightly more comprehensive coverage than Gold. Additional covered components include air conditioning and suspension, both of which are covered under Endurance’s stated component Superior plan.

American Dream Auto Protect’s Platinum plan may be their most comprehensive on offer, but unlike Endurance Supreme, it isn’t exclusionary.

Comparing Added Benefits

Third-party extended warranty providers usually include added benefits with their plans to give you the most possible bang for your buck. Some offer more than others, however:

Endurance Warranty Benefits

• 24/7 roadside assistance: Getting caught out by a breakdown is bad enough without being stranded by the roadside. To make sure you’re taken care of, the second thing that doesn’t go to plan is that every Endurance program comes with 24/7 roadside assistance (including towing, fuel delivery, and lockout services).
• Trip-interruption costs: If you’re on a trip far from home and your car lets you down, we’ll cover the cost of meals and accommodation to keep the inconvenience to a minimum.
• Replacement travel reimbursement: To get you back on the road as soon as possible, we’ll reimburse you for the cost of replacement travel if your car is in the auto shop for longer than expected.
• RepairPal Network: Partnering with RepairPal, Endurance offers access to over 3,500 ASE-certified repair shops and mechanics nationwide. Find a shop you want, and take your car there for your covered repairs.
• Endurance Elite Benefits: For a small activation fee, Endurance customers can add on up to $2,000 in benefits. This includes complete tire coverage, key fob replacement, up to $500 in collision discounts, and up to $1,000 in total loss protection.*

American Dream Auto Protect Warranty Benefits

• Roadside assistance: American Dream Auto Protect states that 24/7 roadside assistance is included with their plans, but their website doesn’t elaborate on this. We can assume it includes towing, but other than that, details are thin on the ground.
• Rental cars: There’s a brief mention of rental car reimbursement being an American Dream Auto Protect benefit, but it isn’t clear whether this is included in all plans.

Benefit Differences

At Endurance, we understand that breakdowns don’t just result in a repair bill, so we make sure to include plan benefits that protect you from every angle. American Dream Auto Protect doesn’t include anywhere near as many perks, however, which doesn’t do very much for driving confidence.

Endurance offers far more standard benefits than American Dream Auto Protect, making it an obvious winner in this category.

Reputation and Customer Reviews

An extended vehicle warranty isn’t worth a whole lot if you can’t rely on your provider, so it’s crucially important you research their reputation and read reviews.

Endurance Reviews

With almost 20 years in business, Endurance has had plenty of time to build up a bank of customer reviews, with over 4,000 on our Better Business Bureau page alone. Our BBB rating is a respectable A-, with over 65% of Trustpilot reviews coming in at 5 stars. Over on Consumer Affairs, we’ve scored an overall 4.6 stars out of 5, based on over 14,000 customer opinions.

American Dream Auto Protect Reviews

While American Dream Auto Protect’s Consumer Affairs score is 4.1 stars out of 5, this is only based on 1,000 reviews. Over on their Better Business Bureau page, however, things aren’t looking nearly as positive. While they don’t currently have a BBB rating (most likely due to lack of time in business), the vast majority of customer reviews are 1 star.

Reputation Summary and Winner

Though American Dream Auto Protect is a fairly new contender, it hasn’t made the best impression so far. While not all of Endurance’s reviews are perfect, a high percentage have positive sentiment, and good ratings are more consistent across the web.

Endurance has more time in business, more reviews, and a much better reputation as a provider of quality coverage. Feedback on American Dream Auto Protect is a mixed bag.

Invest in America’s Best Vehicle Protection Plan Provider

There’s a reason why both experts and customers agree that Endurance is the Best Vehicle Protection Plan Provider in the U.S.!

To find out more about how we can help you save on the ever-rising cost of car ownership, pick up the phone and speak to an Endurance advisor at (800) 253-8203, request a FREE quote online, or head over to our eStore to review plans and pricing. We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee for added peace of mind.

Check out our extended warranty blog for more helpful content on providers like CarShield and CARCHEX, DIY maintenance tips, FAQs, and money-saving suggestions.