These Car Brands Have The Best Warranty On The Market (According To U.S. News)
Car ownership can sometimes be a stressful experience. Anticipating repair costs can be difficult, and many of us depend on our cars for necessities like groceries, work, and medical care. Buying from a famously reliable brand like Toyota can give you peace of mind, and most new car purchases come with a dealer-supported warranty. Extended warranties, which kick in when your factory coverage expires or can be purchased for used cars, don't always pay off for car owners, meaning your best bet is to buy a car with a long coverage period and comprehensive list of covered repairs.
U.S. News recently ranked the current top warranty programs of the nation's automakers. Hyundai, its luxury offshoot Genesis, and Mitsubishi tied for the top spot, while another Hyundai brand, Kia, ranked fourth. The three brands that tied for first place offer essentially the same coverage, while Kia's mileage cap on its roadside assistance program landed it just behind the top three.
What each car brand's warranty coverage offers
The basics of coverage for Hyundai, Genesis, Mitsubishi, and Kia cars are the same. All four brands offer a five-year, 60,000 mile basic warranty, with powertrain coverage extending to 10 years and 100,000 miles. Kia lags behind the others mainly because roadside assistance on its models expires after five years or 60,000 miles, while the others offer five years with no mileage cap. If you buy a 2024 Hyundai, you also get free routine maintenance and navigation system updates (depending on the model) for three years or 36,000 miles. Genesis owners enjoy that same perk, along with pickup service and a free loaner car.
The Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia roadside assistance programs also provide transportation cost reimbursements if your covered breakdown happens more than 150 miles from your home. Mitsubishi provides this perk as well, along with a concierge service to arrange alternate transportation for you. The company also offers a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty against corrosion, and 10 years and 100,000 miles for the battery packs and charging system on the Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Genesis, and Kia also allow you to transfer basic coverage to a second owner if you sell it before the five-year, 60,000-mile coverage period has expired.