Which 2021 Vehicles Have the Best Warranty Coverage?

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Feb. 17, 2022, to point readers toward our latest comparison of new-vehicle warranties.
A new-car warranty is like life insurance — you hope you never have to use it, but it gives you peace of mind. Our latest story below compares newer-vehicle warranty coverage, including any caveats around a particular automaker’s policy. This piece looks at warranties for the 2021 model year.
Related: Which Vehicles Have the Best Warranty Coverage?
For used shoppers looking at the landscape on pre-owned vehicles, here’s how major automaker warranties shaped up for 2021 (exotic and hyper-luxury brands excluded):
The Best Policies
Why They’re Here
These four brands offered impressive bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage and also years more powertrain coverage than other brands, but it’s important to note that powertrain coverage is generally not fully transferable to a second owner, so you should expect a curtailed policy if you’re shopping secondhand.
Hyundai, Genesis
Five years or 60,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, 10 years or 100,000 miles for powertrain (including hybrids and electric vehicles), and five years unlimited mileage for roadside assistance.
Mitsubishi
Five years or 60,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, 10 years or 100,000 miles for powertrain (including its plug-in hybrid), and five years unlimited mileage for roadside assistance.
Kia
his Hyundai brand offered five years or 60,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance, and 10 years or 100,000 miles for powertrain (including hybrids and electric vehicles).
Caveats
The conventional powertrain coverage for all four drops to five years or 60,000 miles (starting from the original owner’s sale date) for any subsequent owner.
Very Good
Why they’re here
They were just a little better than the next tier. Jaguar matched the top bumper-to-bumper coverage of the top group, while Infiniti was a bit better than others in bumper-to-bumper coverage and roadside assistance.
Jaguar
Five years or 60,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, powertrain and roadside assistance. Electric vehicle batteries for eight years and 100,000 miles.
Infiniti
Four years or 60,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, six years or 70,000 miles for powertrain, and four years with no mileage cap for roadside assistance.
Better Than Average
Why They’re Here
A strong mix of strong bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage put these brands a cut above average.
Acura
Four years or 50,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance, and six years or 70,000 miles for the powertrain. Hybrid vehicle batteries were covered for eight years or 100,000 miles (only the NSX for 2021, as there was no 2021 MDX).
Cadillac
Four years or 50,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper and six years or 70,000 miles of powertrain and roadside assistance.
Lexus
Four years or 50,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper, six years or 70,000 miles of powertrain coverage. Four years with no mileage cap of roadside assistance for most Lexus vehicles.
Lincoln
Four years or 50,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper, six years or 70,000 miles of powertrain, and unlimited roadside assistance for the first owner. Specific hybrid and electric power system components were covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.
Tesla
Four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance. The powertrain — specifically the electric drive unit and battery — was covered for eight years or 100,000, 120,000 or 150,000 miles.
Caveats
Tesla’s powertrain coverage was similar to what other makers provided for specific electrified vehicles. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment, so coverage listed was posted on its site at the time of this original writing.
The Rest
Why They’re Here
This biggest group offered two essential blocks of coverage with the mainstream brands, generally providing three years of bumper-to-bumper and five years of powertrain coverage, while the upscale brands in this group typically offered four years of both. And most offer some period of roadside assistance.
Alfa Romeo, Fiat
These Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands offered four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and powertrain, and four years with no mileage cap for roadside assistance. Plug-in hybrid batteries were covered for 10 years and either 100,000 or 150,000 miles depending on purchase state. (Under a subsequent merger with French automaker PSA Group, FCA later became Stellantis, so you’ll likely find various FCA policies serviced under that automaker.)
Audi, Porsche
These Volkswagen Group brands offered four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage and four years with no limit for roadside assistance. Coverage was eight years or 100,000 miles for hybrid and electric vehicle batteries.
BMW and Mini
Coverage lasted four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and powertrain, and four years with no mileage cap for roadside assistance. Main battery for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles got eight years or 100,000 miles.
Buick, Chevrolet, GMC
These GM brands offered three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain and roadside assistance.
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram
These FCA brands offered three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain and roadside assistance. Plug-in hybrid batteries were covered for 10 years and either 100,000 or 150,000 miles depending on purchase state.
Ford
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain and roadside assistance. Hybrid and electric system components and batteries were covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.
Honda
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance, and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain. Hybrid batteries were covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.
Land Rover
Four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, powertrain and roadside assistance.
Mazda
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance, and five years or 60,000 miles for the powertrain.
Mercedes-Benz
Four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, powertrain and roadside assistance. Six years and 62,000 miles for plug-in hybrid vehicle batteries.
Nissan
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and five years or 60,000 miles for the powertrain and roadside assistance. Eight years and 100,000 miles for electric vehicle batteries.
Subaru
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance, and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain. The Crosstrek Hybrid added eight years or 100,000 miles for the hybrid system components.
Toyota
Three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper, five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain, and two years and unlimited mileage for roadside assistance. Hybrid vehicles got eight years and 100,000 miles coverage for hybrid-related components, and 10 years and 150,000 miles on the hybrid battery.
VW
Four years or 50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage, three years or 36,000 miles roadside assistance. The new ID.4 electric vehicle added eight years of battery coverage, and its roadside assistance included towing your out-of-charge vehicle to a charging station.
Volvo
Four years or 50,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper and powertrain. Four years or 50,000 miles for roadside assistance plus complimentary tow service to a Volvo dealer beyond four years. Plug-in hybrid batteries were covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.
Caveats
Diesel vehicles (mostly pickup trucks) from these brands included some additions, with diesel powertrains from Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Jeep and Ram covered for five years and 100,000 miles. And Nissan’s Titan pickup continued to carry impressive powertrain and bumper-to-bumper coverage of five years or 100,000 miles.
Some Additional Warranty Notes for Buyers
- You need to read carefully the warranty information for the specific vehicle you want. We’ve ranked them here by overall brand policy, but a few individual models might vary.
- Normal replacement and wear-and-tear items such as brake pads, wiper blades or the 12-volt battery often are exceptions to the longer bumper-to-bumper coverage. And tires typically carry a separate tiremaker warranty.
- The warranty meter on years and mileage started running when the original owner drove off the dealer lot. For shoppers buying the car used,the new owner generally gets what’s left from that start date, though you should check specifics. Not all warranties are fully transferable to a new owner.
- The above coverage is for retail customers and might differ for fleet or commercial buyers.
- To ensure your warranty coverage you should keep good records of completed scheduled maintenance.
- Some aftermarket modifications, such as suspension changes or altered engine control chips, could be a problem if they can be linked to needed repairs.
- Some dealership groups offer their own limited warranties separate from an automaker and most also sell “extended warranties” — service contracts from the automaker or third parties — for an additional price. We have detailed some of the third-party companies here.
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- What’s the Best New-Car Warranty for 2017?
- Making Sense of Used-Car Warranties
- Making Sense of New-Car Warranties
- What Is a Powertrain Warranty?
- 6 Best Warranty Companies for 2019
- Are Certified Pre-Owned Cars Worth It?
- More Coverage of Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Issues
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
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