Best Extended Car Warranties in California (2025)

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Crash Course:

• Our overview group recommends Endurance as the very best prolonged automobile guarantee in California.
• California’s strict guarantee rules trigger some suppliers to not function within the state.
• Our different prime picks for California protection embrace autopom! and CARCHEX.

Finest Prolonged Auto Guarantee Corporations in California

Our researchers have compiled info on each main automobile restore guarantee supplier available on the market, evaluating worth knowledge, plan info, buyer evaluations and extra to price and rank the very best prolonged automobile guarantee corporations in California. Our evaluations discovered that Endurance, autopom!, and CARCHEX are the highest respected prolonged automobile guarantee corporations in California.

The next sections provide extra particulars on our greatest automobile service contract suppliers within the Golden State.

Endurance

Endurance is our prime decide for prolonged warranties in California, and it additionally gained the Finest Total award in our yearly {industry} overview. The corporate’s plans are known as mechanical breakdown insurance coverage within the state. You may select from six choices which vary from primary powertrain safety to complete protection. Endurance additionally provides a plan known as Benefit that features common upkeep providers like oil modifications and brake pad substitute.

All Endurance plans include roadside help, rental automobile protection, and journey interruption advantages. Additionally they embrace one free yr of Endurance Elite advantages. This gives key fob substitute, tire restore/substitute, $500 in collision reductions, and $1,000 in whole loss help.

In line with our secret buying evaluation, Endurance safety plans usually value between $88 and $141 per 30 days. You may select a deductible of $0, $50, $100, or $200.

Learn extra in our Endurance overview.

autopom!

Autopom! provides three protection ranges, with quite a lot of plan choices at every stage. The corporate can be extremely rated by on-line reviewers, together with a wonderful 4.6 out of 5.0-star weighted common ranking on Trustpilot. Clients on the BBB give autopom! a median ranking of 4.2 stars out of 5.0.

If you happen to personal a automobile lined by an autopom! plan and resolve to promote the automobile, you may switch the protection to a different automobile totally free. There’s a 30-day, 1,000-mile ready interval after buy for the protection to use for many autos.

We obtained a quote of $125.75 per 30 days for an autopom! Exclusionary plan. Like Endurance, autopom! means that you can select a deductible of $0, $50, $100, or $200. In our {industry} overview, we gave autpom! our Most Reasonably priced award.

Learn extra in our autopom! overview.

CARCHEX

Based mostly on our analysis, CARCHEX is nice for used vehicles, and it gained our Finest Popularity award for its endorsements from corporations like Kelley Blue E-book and RepairPal. The supplier has 5 protection ranges, together with a couple of primary plans which might be nice for older automobile safety. It additionally provides a few of the highest contract time period limits we’ve seen, so in case your used automobile has greater than 100,000 miles, CARCHEX could also be an ideal choice for you.

CARCHEX makes plan use simple for drivers, providing versatile restore facility choices and paying restore retailers immediately after work has been accomplished. This manner, clients don’t must pay upfront or wait round for a reimbursement verify. We additionally like that CARCHEX is accredited and holds an A+ ranking from the BBB.

In line with our analysis, plans from CARCHEX usually vary from $110 to $190 per 30 days. The supplier allows you to select a deductible of as much as $250.

Learn extra in our CARCHEX overview.

How California Prolonged Warranties Work

The California Division of Insurance coverage solely permits sellers or particular corporations approved by sellers to promote automobile service contracts, that are additionally known as prolonged warranties. In different phrases, you may solely get an prolonged guarantee in individual. Nevertheless, California permits on-line suppliers to promote mechanical breakdown insurance coverage (MBI), which is the same kind of protection. All of the suppliers we really helpful above promote mechanical breakdown insurance coverage in California.

There are some variations between MBI and automobile service contracts. MBI is obtainable by automobile insurance coverage suppliers as non-compulsory protection add-ons, and prolonged warranties and automobile service contracts are supplied by automobile producers and third events.

California has excessive requirements and rules for MBI. Some guarantee suppliers select to not do enterprise in California due to these rules. In the end, the patron has sturdy protections in California when purchasing for MBI protection.

How Lengthy Does Protection Final?

A automobile safety plan can final anyplace from a couple of months to over 10 years, relying on the supplier you select. Producers usually provide shorter time period limits than third-party suppliers, and the size of protection you’re eligible for could differ relying on the present age and mileage of your automobile.

To present you extra perception into how lengthy protection lasts, listed below are the utmost time period limits of our prime third-party automobile safety plans:

How Do Claims Work?

Usually, within the occasion of a mechanical breakdown, you’ll have to take the next steps:

1. Take your automobile to a licensed restore store and have the mechanic carry out a analysis to find out the reason for the problem.
2. The restore facility will attain out to your guarantee supplier to verify your protection and have repairs approved.
3. After gaining prior authorization, the mechanic will start repairs.
4. As soon as repairs are accomplished, you’ll pay your deductible and your supplier will cowl the remainder of the invoice. Some suppliers can have you pay the full value upfront and ship you a reimbursement verify, however the very best suppliers pays the restore store immediately.

How A lot Does a Car Safety Plan Value?

In line with our analysis, the common value of a automobile safety plan (throughout all protection ranges) is about $1,054 per yr of protection. The value you pay for an prolonged guarantee relies on:

• Stage of protection: A complete plan is dearer than a primary plan.
• Deductible: The next deductible results in a decrease premium value, and vice versa.
• Time period size: As you’d count on, an extended contract is extra pricey.
• Car age, make and mannequin: Older, less-reliable vehicles are sometimes dearer to guard.

Many suppliers provide clients the selection to pay for a plan up entrance or on a month-to-month foundation.

Are Auto Safety Plans Value It?

Auto safety plans are value it for a lot of drivers. Actually, about 95% of the guarantee homeowners we surveyed in 2024 reported that they have been typically glad with their plans. Nevertheless, a long-term automobile safety plan is probably not an ideal funding for everybody.

There are a couple of causes to think about buying a automobile safety plan, like if you happen to don’t have an particularly dependable automobile, if you happen to don’t have the flexibility to pay for restore prices outright, or if you happen to simply need added peace of thoughts on the street. Then again, if you happen to do personal a extremely dependable automobile or if you happen to’re capable of put cash away for future repairs, you most likely don’t want a automobile safety plan.

If you happen to’re on the fence, get free, no-obligation quotes from a couple of totally different suppliers and examine that value to what you may count on to pay for future automobile repairs (you may get a superb estimate of this utilizing a website like RepairPal). This may enable you to decide whether or not a automobile safety plan could be value it in your automobile.

Lemon Legislation California

When you have a brand new automobile that has a critical guarantee defect that can’t be mounted by the supplier after a number of makes an attempt, you might be eligible to get one other automobile or a refund within the state of California.

In California, Lemon Legislation applies to the next new and used autos that include the producer guarantee:

• Vehicles, SUVs, pickup vehicles, and vans
• Automobiles leased or bought for household, family, or private causes
• Demonstrators and dealer-owned autos
• Many autos leased or bought primarily for enterprise use
• The drivetrain, chassis, and chassis cab of a motor-home

If the supplier or automobile producer can’t restore a critical guarantee defect after a “affordable” quantity of makes an attempt, the producer should refund the acquisition worth or change the automobile, whichever you favor.

Prolonged Automotive Warranties in California: Conclusion

California has strict legal guidelines for corporations that promote automobile safety plans. We advocate evaluating quotes from Endurance, autopom!, and CARCHEX, that are all licensed to promote automobile service contracts within the state.

California Prolonged Warranties: FAQ

Beneath are some steadily requested questions on prolonged automobile warranties in California.

Our Methodology

Our professional overview group takes satisfaction in offering correct and unbiased info. We recognized the next ranking classes based mostly on client survey knowledge and performed in depth analysis to formulate rankings of the very best prolonged auto guarantee suppliers.

• Trade Standing: Our group considers Higher Enterprise Bureau (BBB) rankings, availability, and years in enterprise when giving this rating.
• Protection: As a result of every client has distinctive wants, it’s important {that a} automobile guarantee firm provides an array of protection choices. We take into consideration the variety of plans supplied by every supplier, time period limits, exclusions, and extra advantages.
• Affordability: Quite a lot of components affect value, so it may be tough to match quotes between suppliers. Our group performs ongoing secret shopper analyses for various autos, mileages, guarantee plans, and places to provide this ranking.
• Buyer Service: Respected prolonged automobile guarantee corporations function with a sure diploma of look after customers. We take into consideration buyer evaluations, BBB complaints, and the responsiveness of the customer support group.

*Information correct at time of publication.