When considering what vehicle to purchase, an important consideration is the vehicle\’s warranty. Now, warranties are often broken down into either a basic bumper-to-bumper warranty or a powertrain warranty.
A basic bumper-to-bumper warranty covers everything having to do with fit and finish, premature wear and tear, and any components not related to the mechanical aspects of your vehicle. For example, a bumper-to-bumper warranty would cover your air conditioning system.
Typically car manufacturers have a basic warranty of 3 years or 36 months, whichever comes first. Beyond this, the powertrain warranty usually extends beyond the basic warranty. It covers mechanical components like the engine and transmission of the vehicle and drive systems and internal components.
So let\’s now take a look at the top three warranties by manufacturer.
Basic and Powertrain Warranties by Manufacturers
| Manufacturer | Basic Warranty | Powertrain Warranty |
| Hyundai | 5 years, 60,000 mile | 10 years, 100,000 miles |
| Kia | 5 years, 60,000 mile | 10 years, 100,000 miles |
| Mitsubishi | 5 years, 60,000 mile | 10 years, 100,000 miles |
| Infiniti | 4 years, 60,000 miles | 6 years, 70,000 miles |
| Acura | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 6 years, 70,000 miles |
| Cadillac | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 6 years, 70,000 miles |
| Lexus | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 6 years, 70,000 miles |
| Lincoln | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 6 years, 70,000 miles |
| Jaguar | 5 years, 60,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Buick | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Chevrolet | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Chrysler | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Dodge | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Ford | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| GMC | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Honda | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Jeep | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Mazda | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Nissan | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Ram | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Subaru | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Toyota | 3 years, 36,000 miles | 5 years, 60,000 miles |
| Audi | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| BMW | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Fiat | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Land Rover | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Mercedes-Benz | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Mini | 4 years, 50,000 miles | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Porsche | 4 years, 50,000 mile | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Volkswagen | 4 years, 50,000 mile | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
| Volvo | 4 years, 50,000 mile | 4 years, 50,000 miles |
When comparing a powertrain warranty to a basic bumper-to-bumper warranty, these three manufacturers mirror each other.
The powertrain warranty between Hyundai, Kia, and Mitsubishi is ten years or 100,000 miles.
The basic warranty for those three brands is five years or 60,000 miles. Most brands have a three-year, 36,000 miles, or a four-year 48,000-mile warranty on components, especially critical components within and what\’s permissible under warranty. Toyota, for example, has a three-year, 36,000-mile warranty on the bumper-to-bumper components, on that basic warranty. But they also have a five-year 60,000 mile warranty on the vehicle\’s powertrain components.
As another example, Chevrolet has a three-year 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty or a five-year 60,000 mile warranty.
Much like Toyota, a few brands and manufacturers often mirror each other. But some outliers don\’t have nearly as good bumper-to-bumper or powertrain coverage.
Are these the best manufacturers then?
This may not be a popular opinion, but although these three manufacturers may have the best basic and powertrain warranties, it doesn\’t mean that they are automatically the best automakers.
In my opinion, I would avoid these three manufacturers for varying reasons.
Call To Action
When it comes to researching and locating the right vehicle, you need to take a holistic approach. You can\’t just go off what your neighbor has, what has the best warranty, or even what is the bargain of the bunch.
Make sure to look into the warranty on your current vehicle and any future vehicle purchases.
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