Warranties are both a benefit and a curse when it comes to large appliances, and vehicles are no exception. Thankfully, with all of these new hybrid cars on the road, a hybrid car warranty is typically better than those on gas-powered vehicles, for a variety of reasons, including the fact that you pay so much more for them up front, as well as the fact that manufacturers have enough faith in the actual value of hybrid cars, particularly in the long run. To put it bluntly, the manufacturers do not believe that the automobile will require repairs within the guarantee term because the parts are designed to survive. That doesn’t always happen, and it’s critical to understand what you’re getting yourself into.
What’s Covered
Let’s figure out what your warranty truly covers. Most hybrid warranties cover the actual battery pack as well as the hybrid’s parts for 100,000 miles or 8 years, and if you’re lucky, up to 150,000 miles or 10 years. That varies on the state in which you bought the automobile and live, but in any case, this includes when parts break for no obvious cause or anything fails in an unusual way. Manufacturer flaws are also covered. Many other hybrids have an extra warranty that is standard, providing you with much of the same warranty coverage as a conventional car, which is around 3 years.
If you’re lucky, you could have a power train warranty, which covers things like the engine, seat belts, airbags, and even the front-wheel and rear-wheel drives and often lasts 5 years. The main thing to keep in mind is that most warranties estimate you’ll travel at least 12,000 miles each year. If you don’t take advantage of it, you’ll lose money and waste the money you paid for your warranty.
Reading the Fine Print
So, here comes the tough bit. Because your warranty does not cover everything, you must ensure that you take excellent care of your hybrid vehicle. Otherwise, you’re definitely out of luck if you suddenly forgot to find a mechanic in the region, which snowballed into forgetting to change the oil for a whole year.
On Whether You Should Keep Going
The final consideration is if you truly believe it is worthwhile to purchase a hybrid and then obtain the warranty in the first place. Fortunately, when you buy a hybrid, the extended warranty is a godsend, especially if the battery pack you expect to last forever fails around the 100,001 point. The difficult issue is that although the extended warranty may cover your battery problem, consider how much it may cost up front. The dealer, the type of warranty, and even information about yourself may be quite relevant in determining which warranty to choose.
Fortunately, many of the extended warranties are truly worthwhile. Just avoid dealer-specific warranties, non-transferable warranties, non-refundable warranties, and any scheme that requires you to pay them in full up ahead. Also, be certain that if you get a warranty, it will enable you to see a professional technician in your region, as the last thing you want is to discover that you don’t have someplace to fix it from.
However, while a hybrid car warranty is a nice safety net, there is a lot of small print on what is and isn’t covered by the guarantee, so make sure you read it all.
