Alexandra Carver is a writer for USA TODAY Homefront, specializing in automotive warranties, insurance and shipping. She’s produced content for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and has contributed to auto guides across sites such as MarketWatch and Automoblog. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Alex studied professional writing and rhetoric at Queens University of Charlotte. When she isn’t immersed in researching and writing, you’ll find her planning a trip abroad, spending time with her dog or playing video games on vintage gaming consoles.
Editorial note: Homefront (defined in the Disclosure below) may earn a commission from affiliate partner links featured on our site. This commission does not influence our editors’ opinions or evaluations.
The average age of cars and light trucks in the U.S. has reached a new record of 12.5 years old, according to research firm S&P Global Mobility. Though new vehicles are typically covered by factory warranties, an extended warranty provides comprehensive coverage for longer, even as your vehicle ages.
Endurance is the best extended car warranty company based on our research and scoring methodology. Founded in 2006, Endurance offers six vehicle protection plans for cars with up to 200,000 miles, including plans that cover routine maintenance costs and cars over 100,000 miles.
Our Endurance warranty review explores each of the company’s coverage options, how Endurance compares to its competitors, the cost of coverage and general customer sentiments with the provider.
Find the Endurance plan that’s right for you:
We gave Endurance the highest overall score out of the 45 providers we’ve reviewed, assigning the company 4.7 out of 5 stars based on our rating methodology.
Endurance shines in key areas, including market standing, coverage, costs, trustworthiness and customer experience. The company makes it easy to compare its primary plans on its website, with additional coverage options available after contacting a representative.
And that's partly what gives Endurance the edge over its competition. The company sells six total coverage plans — some of which include maintenance benefits and coverage for older used cars — to provide some of the most comprehensive coverage options of any extended warranty company.
Of course, no warranty provider is perfect, and you should consider the pros and cons of any company before making a decision or purchase.
There’s a lot to like about Endurance. For one, it’s a direct provider and administers its own warranty contracts — you won’t deal with a third-party middleman when filing a claim. Instead, you’ll work with Endurance to resolve your claim from start to finish.
Endurance Advantage plans are another unique offering. These plans combine mechanical protection with maintenance benefits, so you’ll receive services such as oil changes, tire rotations and brake pad replacements during your coverage period. Most providers don’t offer this kind of coverage, giving Endurance an edge over its competitors.
When analyzing a provider’s market standing, we look at its Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating and any flagged complaint patterns. Although Endurance has an A- rating with BBB, it's garnered a lengthy list of customer complaints that include claims being denied for “preexisting conditions,” long delays in authorization for repairs and difficulty canceling contracts.
Endurance offers a variety of excellent coverage options, but other providers could be better for your needs. We’ve compiled a table featuring information on the top five highest-scoring extended warranty companies in our industry review to help you compare them.
Endurance warranty plans cover vehicles for up to eight years or 200,000 miles, depending on your coverage terms. While the company offers six levels of coverage, it only advertises the Superior, Supreme and Secure Plus plans on its site. I had to hunt down the sample contracts on its website to find information on all the plans it sells.
Here’s a description of each coverage level that Endurance offers:
These are available to drivers in all states except California. If you live in California and want to purchase a plan from Endurance, don’t worry — it offers similar mechanical breakdown insurance coverage to residents of the Golden State.
Most providers on the market offer plans ranging from comprehensive coverage to powertrain warranty protection, so it’s not surprising that Endurance does, too. What impressed our team the most was its Advantage plan, which helps cover maintenance costs. Only one other top provider in our review — Omega Auto Care — offers maintenance benefits with its plans.
Endurance offers the standard range of perks typically available with an extended warranty plan. What sets it apart from the competition is its Endurance Elite benefits. Standard benefits include the following:
Endurance Elite benefits are free services that come with your extended warranty for the first year of coverage. While we wish they lasted longer for free, you can keep the coverage for an additional $29 per month. Endurance car warranty benefits consist of the following:
No extended auto warranty will cover all parts of your vehicle. Though certain exclusions apply to specific plans, some general exclusions are common to most warranties. Typically, exclusions are damages from the following:
Endurance lists these specific exclusions:
Before any scheduled service or work, consult your specific policy to make sure the work is covered.
Endurance offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means that if you’re unsatisfied with the coverage at any point within the 30-day limit, you’ll receive a full refund. If you cancel after 30 days, expect to receive a prorated refund based on how long you’ve had the plan and if you’ve filed a claim or not.
To show you how much an Endurance car warranty costs, we got quotes for coverage on a 2020 Hyundai Elantra with 30,000 miles and a 2018 Toyota RAV4 with 50,000 miles. Monthly payments ranged from $90–$115 depending on the plan, which was slightly higher than providers such as Autopom but lower than what we were quoted by CarShield and Carchex. We were also offered a down payment of the first month’s costs and a $29 activation fee.
While the price seems nice at first, this is only for 2.5 years/40,000 miles of coverage. Autopom offered similar prices for 5 years/100,000 miles of protection. However, Endurance did offer us a first-time applicant discount. Our total costs over a 30-month payment period varied from $2,683–$3,437.
This table illustrates the cost of a 2.5-year/40,000-mile Endurance vehicle service contract for a 2020 Hyundai Elantra with 30,000 miles.
This table illustrates the cost of a 2.5-year/40,000-mile Endurance service plan for a 2018 Toyota RAV4 with 90,000 miles.
Endurance doesn’t offer unlimited, month-to-month payment plans. If you want to avoid committing long-term to a plan, CarShield or Carchex might be a better option. Unlimited plans can get pricey, though. We encourage you to get quotes and compare costs from different companies for how long you’ll need coverage.
In addition to paying for the cost of your plan, you may also need to pay a deductible before any repairs are made. Deductibles for Endurance vehicle service contracts range from $0–$200 depending on your coverage and chosen options.
Key themes:
Endurance’s customer reviews on sites such as BBB, Trustpilot and Google Reviews are somewhat positive. I took the time to read through dozens of them and found some common themes throughout.
Endurance has a rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars on BBB from over 3,400 reviews. Recent customer reviews praise the helpful and kind service representatives. I found this to be the main focus of this company’s positive reviews. Almost all of the complaints I read expressed frustration over denied claims, difficulty canceling contracts and concerns over the company's marketing tactics.
On Trustpilot, Endurance has over 8,500 reviews, with 74% of them giving either 4 or 5 stars. Recent positive reviews echo what I found through BBB, speaking highly about the customer representatives who helped them sign up for a plan. Again, negative reviews centered around denied claims as well as misleading marketing tactics.
While Endurance’s Google Reviews rating was the highest of them all — 4.2 out of 5 stars from over 11,700 reviews — positive reviews and complaints continued with the same pattern. I was, however, able to find some positive claims experiences through Google Reviews.
Yes, Endurance covers warranty claims. Endurance is a direct administrator, which means it both sells and manages its own contracts. In other words, when you file a claim under your policy, it's Endurance that decides whether to approve or deny it.
This is different from companies such as Carchex or CarShield, which sell extended warranties that are administered by other companies, such as American Auto Shield or Zurich.
Though many negative customer reviews center around denied claims, this is a common complaint in the extended warranty industry.
It’s important to take the time to read your contract fully to understand your coverage when filing a claim and avoid an unpleasant surprise if your breakdown isn’t covered under warranty terms.
Endurance takes care of all claims in-house, and its claims process is straightforward. If your car breaks down, you need to get it to an ASE-certified repair shop or dealership. If you can’t get your car there yourself, don’t forget that you may have towing benefits under your contract.
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is an independent nonprofit organization that tests and certifies professionals, such as auto mechanics, to ensure they have the experience and expertise needed to do quality work.
As of July 2023, there are more than 178,000 ASE-certified automobile technicians (out of a total of more than 221,000 ASE-certified professionals).
What is an ASE-certified repair shop?
The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) is an independent nonprofit organization that tests and certifies professionals, such as auto mechanics, to ensure they have the experience and expertise needed to do quality work. As of July 2023, there are more than 178,000 ASE-certified automobile technicians (out of a total of more than 221,000 ASE-certified professionals).
Once your car is at the repair facility, you’ll need the shop to get authorization from Endurance before moving forward on any auto repairs. If “tear-down and inspection” is required for repairs, have that authorized first so that the root cause of your car’s issue can be diagnosed.
After the repairs have been authorized, review them with the shop and have them wrap up your claim. At this point, pay your deductible and wait for covered repairs to finish up.
If you don’t remember the steps above when needed, your contract and terms are easily accessible through the Endurance app.
Endurance stands out as our No. 1 pick for the best extended auto warranties because of its range of coverage options. When combined with its available maintenance benefits and Endurance Elite perks, few competitors come close to offering solid coverage options for new and used cars alike.
But you should still shop around to find the best extended warranty for you by getting quotes from multiple providers and comparing available policy options. This way, you’ll get the coverage you need at a price you love.
At Homefront, we analyze, rate and rank top vehicle service contract providers to help you discover the right one for your needs. The best auto service contract companies offer transparency, affordability and expansive coverage options, among other qualities.
We rate companies using our objective scoring methodology. We assess brands on factors that are important to consumers like you — including cost, coverage, market standing, trustworthiness and customer experience. After scoring companies on a 100-point scale, we simplify final scores into the 5-star ratings you see in our content.
BBB, Trustpilot and Google Reviews ratings are accurate as of April 2024.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
Unexpected repairs and expenses are part of owning a car, especially as it ages. While your vehicle’s factory warranty can provide mechanical coverage for several years, it won’t last forever. An extended warranty can extend that coverage, so you can avoid paying outright for costly car repairs. We recommend Endurance as the best extended car…
Most of the best car warranty companies offer similar options when it comes to coverage plans. However, they’re not all the same and have nuanced differences you’ll need to pay attention to while choosing a third-party warranty. For example, some offer freedom to choose any repair shop while others are only valid at a particular…
A new car warranty is essentially a guarantee that a vehicle is free of defective parts or workmanship errors. Sometimes called a vehicle service contract or factory warranty, this type of warranty guarantees that these types of defects will be repaired free of charge at a dealership. Factory warranty terms vary by manufacturer. You’ll often…
CarShield has covered more than 2 million vehicles and its administrators have paid over $1 billion in claims, according to its website. The company has been around since 2005 and operates in all states except for California. Like many warranty providers, CarShield is a vehicle service contract broker. That means it sells plans that are…