Can you buy a warranty for your car?

Most cars, whether new or pre-owned, can be covered by a warranty. If you are buying a car through a dealership, warranty cover is usually offered as part of the purchase. If you are buying in a private sale, you can easily find warranty cover from a third party provider.

Manufacturer's new car warranty

All new cars on sale in the UK come with a warranty provided by the manufacturer - often lasting for the first three years or until the car has been driven for 60,000 miles. In these cases, you don't need to consider buying a warranty or paying to extend your existing warranty until your manufacturer's cover runs out. That said, a number of car dealers offer what they called 'enhanced' warranty extras that allow you to also cover the 'wear and tear' items usually excluded from a new car warranty. These enhanced warranty plans can also include free servicing, although of course the overall price will reflect the cost of all the extras.

Used car warranty

If you're wondering ‘can you buy a warranty for your car if it’s pre-owned?’, the answer is almost always yes. Once your car is no longer covered by its manufacturer's warranty, you may wish to continue the cover with an extended warranty taken out with another provider, often recommended by your dealership. Warranty plans are available even for older cars with relatively high mileages, although these tend to come with longer lists of exclusions and are likely to be more expensive given that the older a car is, the more likely it is to develop a fault.

How do warranties differ from each other?

All warranties are definitely not created equal. There are significant variations in the level of cover, in the list of items and parts covered, and, of course, in the cost. If you are considering buying a car warranty, it makes good sense to shop around and to compare the products on offer. Examples of good questions to ask might be:

• is breakdown cover included?
• are additional costs like car hire covered?
• is there a choice of garages used for repairs?
• are there limits on labour costs?
• is consequential damage covered?
• are parts replaced on a like-for-like basis?
• which specific parts are covered or excluded?
• what's the level of excess?
• is there a range of optional plan additions?
• is there a charge for betterment (when a repair increases the value of your vehicle)?

What are the advantages of buying a warranty?

For many motorists, the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are covered for unexpected repair bills is very important. A warranty can usually be paid for in monthly payments, and staged regular payments as opposed to the risk of facing a large unplanned for repair bill can be a budget-friendly way of managing your finances.

In choosing one of the well-reviewed warranty products on the market, you can be reassured about the quality of your warranty plan by the positive feedback from others. Also, a good provider will only use authorised parts, which offers further peace of mind for you.

Warranty cover including roadside assistance and an allowance towards a hire car if needed can really take the sting out of a breakdown and reduce the stress caused.

Car.co.uk 's advice is to do your homework, make detailed comparisons, study reviews and, above all, look carefully at the details before you commit to buying your car warranty. That way, you can be sure you are choosing the product that's right for you.