What is bumper to bumper warranty?

There are a lot of things you have to be informed about when you want to buy a car. Aside from preferences in terms of brand and model, technical details and so on, you also have to know a thing or two about the warranties offered by your dealer. There are a lot of types of warranties out there and each of them has its ‘catch’.

What is bumper to bumper warranty?

If you’ve ever bought a new car before, you’ve most likely heard about bumper to bumper warranty. This is the basic factory warranty that your dealer offers for your new car and it is backed by the car manufacturer. It is the most popular one and everyone offers it.

Powertrain coverage

In addition to bumper to bumper, dealers also offer powertrain warranties. They are more basic than bumper to bumper warranties, in that they don’t cover as many parts as the latter. Powertrain warranties remain in effect after the bumper to bumper car warranty expires. The powertrain warranty covers only the essential components of your vehicle, more exactly, all those parts/systems that make the car move: its engine, its transmission, suspension.

The bumper to bumper warranty differs from car maker to car maker and some manufacturers offer lengthier warranties than others. The minimum standard of a bumper to bumper warranty is usually 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. However, there are car brands that offer bumper to bumper warranties for up to 6 years or even longer.

Best automakers in terms of bumper to bumper warranties

Here are some of the best car makers when it comes to bumper to bumper warranties:

• Volkswagen continues to remain by far the best brand when it comes to lengthy bumper to bumper warranties. It offers bumper to bumper warranty for 6 years/72,000 miles
• Mitsubishi: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Genesis: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Hyundai: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Kia: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Jaguar: 5 years/60,000 miles
• Infiniti: 4 years/60,000 miles
• Tesla: 4 years/50,000 miles

There are also some reputable brands that afford to offer shorter warranties, because they are backed by their reputation. Their cars are known to be high-quality and durable, so they don’t need to attract customers through irresistible warranty policies. It is the case for Toyota, Honda and others.

What does the bumper to bumper warranty include and what isn’t covered?

As we’ve already mentioned it, bumper to bumper car warranties normally cover all the components of your car, from ‘bumper to bumper’, as the name suggests it. It will cover all the components included in the powertrain warranty, such as the engine, transmission, suspension and also the heating and cooling system, the electronics, the air conditioning.

However, there are some parts that are left out: the wear parts. The wear parts are the parts that wear over time, such as tires, windshield wipers, light bulbs,  brake pads, body panels (ironically enough even the bumpers of the car,which are not included in the bumper to bumper warranty). It doesn’t cover rust either, so you have to be careful not to let such a problem advance and try to nip it in the bud.

You also have to take care of the maintenance aspects such as changing the oil on your car, replacing the tires and so on.

In order to benefit from the bumper to bumper warranty, you have to take your car to a local dealership for your specific car brand. The dealership doesn’t have to be the same one you purchased the vehicle from. They will repair your vehicle, handle all the paperwork and the bill will be sent to the car maker.

You can also get a bumper to bumper car waranty for a used car. However, there are some requirements you have to check to be eligible. They mostly relate to your car age and mileage. Companies also charge a deductible, which can be higher or lower, depending on the provider. The deductible is per visit at the repair shop, so in case your car breaks down, you have to pay something out of your own pocket as well, even though you have a bumper to bumper warranty. Many times these are called extended warranties or extended car warranties. We have looked at a lot of different companies that offer this and can be seen on our top rankings of the best extended car warranty providers here: https://www.bestreviewguide.com/en/reviews/services/best-vehicle-service-contracts-extended-car-warranties/