A factory warranty is a great asset and agreement that protects your new car once you drive off the lot. However, not all factory warranties are the same and some are longer than others, while others are shorter as well.
What Is A Factory Warranty?
A factory warranty is a promise and agreement from a car manufacturer that they will repair and replace any damage on a car after it is driven off the lot within a given time period. This includes defective materials and parts on the vehicle as well. Newly purchased vehicles come with two types of factory warranties: bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty.
New vehicles come with factory warranties as well as manufacturer-certified pre-owned vehicles. When a vehicle is purchased from a used seller, depending on the age and use of the car, it may still be eligible to receive its original factory warranty.
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty
This is exclusionary coverage over a vehicle, meaning it is the highest level of coverage a vehicle can qualify for. With this coverage, an automaker will typically cover all elements and components of your vehicle, with a few key exceptions.
Powertrain Factory Warranty
Powertrain warranties cover a vehicle’s most important parts. This includes the transmission, engine, and parts associated with the engine, such as pumps and gaskets. A powertrain warranty is a promise from the car manufacturer that a newly purchased vehicle is good to use, but in the event that it is not, they will take care of the costs and issue for you. This is the longer of the two factory warranties, typically.
Factory Warranty Time
The length of time for a vehicle’s factory warranty is different and depends on factors such as the brand and make of the vehicle purchased. An example of this is found in luxury car brands. Most luxury brands combine both bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranties together.
Below are the ten vehicles with the shortest factory warranties, in order from shortest to longest.
Vehicles With the Shortest Factory Warranties
Chevrolet
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
Honda
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
Toyota
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
Ford
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
BMW
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Volkswagen
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Cadillac
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 6 years/70,000 miles
Infiniti
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 4 years/60,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 6 years, 70,000 miles
Kia
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 5 years/60,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty: 10 years/100,000 miles
Hyundai
Bumper-to-Bumper Factory Warranty: 5 years/60,000
Powertrain Warranty: 10 years/100,000
Notice that vehicles such as Volkswagen and BMW have matching mileage and years for both warranties. This means that both warranties serve simultaneously. So for a BMW, both the bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty last for 4 years or 50,000 miles. Also, warranties for parent companies can often be different. For instance, the length of an Acura extended warranty can be different from that of Honda, even though they’re technically the same company.
