Does Your Extended Warranty Cover Your Battery?

You know the “oh s***” feeling when you turn the key on your car only to be met with clicking, and your engine not starting.

It always happens at the worst time too, when you’re already running late for work and you happen to have a meeting.

So double check when you’re getting out of your car because those lights you left on are going to lead to you not having much fun tomorrow.

Trust me, I know.

So if your battery is dead – you might be wondering- is a battery replacement covered by your extended warranty?

Chances Are, Your Battery Isn’t Covered If You Have An Extended Warranty (But Don’t Give Up Hope Just Yet)

Your car’s battery is an example of what the extended warranty industry calls a “wear and tear” part. Wear and tear parts are items that are expected to wear out over time and are expected to be replaced as a part of regular maintenance.

This is almost universal, as nearly all extended warranty companies exclude batteries.

That includes companies like Endurance Warranty, Car Shield, Carchex, and others treat car batteries as wear and tear and exclude it from coverage.

Manufacturer warranties on the other hand – can be slightly different, so if you have a new car and a dead battery, bear with me.

There are two kinds of manufacturer warranties, the initial manufacturer bumper to bumper warranty and then any extended warranty you get after the initial warranty expires.

If you have a new car with the new car bumper to bumper warranty, your original OEM battery is usually covered for around 3 years / 36,000 miles, such as with Kia’s manufacturer warranty.

So if your car is new, and you still have the original battery, chances are you’ll be in good shape as your battery is under warranty.

However, if you’re over this threshold it’s unlikely your battery is covered. Manufacturer powertrain warranties don’t cover your battery.

Your Battery May Be Covered By Its Own Warranty

While your car battery might not be covered by your car’s extended warranty, it’s entirely possible your battery is covered by its own warranty.

The most well-known example of this is AAA – which warranties its batteries for up to 36 months. However, AAA is not the only company that covers their batteries.

Notable battery manufacturers with a warranty include:

• Walmart’s Everstart Battery: 3-year warranty
• DURACELL Power Battery: 2-5 year warranty depending on the model
• Autocraft Gold Battery: 3-year warranty

If you have a relatively new battery, it’s worth opening the hood to check to see if it’s still under warranty.

Your Extended Warranty May Still Be Able To Help You – Even If Your Battery Isn’t Covered

When you’ve got a dead battery, you’ve got two problems. One of which is getting a new battery, while the other is either getting your car moving or getting it towed.

Fortunately, your extended warranty may be able to help with both.

Whether it’s roadside assistance or getting a jumpstart, Protect My Car’s 24/7 roadside assistance can do both. But we’re not alone. To make this easier on you, I’ve gone ahead and compared what services are available from the biggest extended warranty companies.

Protect My Car:

Direct Contract Provider: Yes

Roadside Assistance Services: Battery Jump Start, Towing Service

Endurance Warranty:

Direct Contract Provider: Yes

Roadside Assistance Services: Battery Jump Start, Towing

Carshield:

Direct Contract Provider: No

Roadside Assistance Services: Battery Jump Start, Towing

Carchex:

Direct Contract Provider: No

Roadside Assistance Services: Battery Jump Start, Towing

What Is A Direct Warranty Provider?

So you’re probably wondering what the direct warranty provider bit is above. It’s an important distinction that is worth talking about.

A direct warranty provider is a warranty company that administrates and services its own claims, legally speaking. What that means, is when a direct warranty provider sells you an extended warranty, they are responsible for paying your claims, as well as handling any customer service issues that arise.

Direct providers can offer lower prices for their plans and better customer service because everything is handled in house. 

Currently, only Protect My Car and Endurance are direct warranty providers.

Other extended warranty companies aren’t selling their own plans.  When you buy a policy with them, they then transfer the responsibility for your future claims to a 3^rd party finance company. They get paid, and then that finance company that you didn’t choose becomes the legal entity responsible for paying your claims.

This can be a huge hassle. Claims take longer to get paid, and we’ve seen prices that are more expensive.

That’s not to mention that the 3^rd party finance company has no connection to you as a human being and has every financial incentive to pay as little as possible on your claim.

With over 13 years in this business, everyone will tell you that choosing a direct warranty provider is the best way to go. You’ll avoid getting a run around from claims agents, and instead will get help from a real person who wants to see you off smiling.

Want To Get The Best Value On An Extended Warranty? Protect My Car Can Help

While roadside assistance services are covered with just about any extended warranty, Protect My Car is far from “any” extended warranty company. Our lowest-cost plan, the Driveline covers more than the basic powertrain coverage you’ll get from other extended warranty companies, including your air conditioning, and important bits like your alternator, windshield washer pump, and starter.

Best of all, we’re able to do this at a lower price than our competitors because we’re a direct warranty provider. Of course, this coverage also comes with roadside assistance including towing and jump-starting if you ever have a battery issue.

As a proud direct warranty provider, you’ll never be mistreated when you join us. There’s a reason our average review score (TrustPilot, Consumer Affairs, BBB) is a 4.3/5.0, and I want you to find out why.

We know there are a number of other great extended warranty companies out there, we know we’re the best and we want to prove it to you.

That’s why, for a limited time, we’re giving away $50 dollars in rewards just for getting a quote with us. From there, you’ll be able to shop all of our different plans, online, with no phone call needed. You can even buy the driveline in less than 5 minutes and have your roadside assistance covered and ready to go.

So don’t wait, get your free quote today and claim your $50 dollars in free rewards.