Every new car is covered by a manufacturer’s warranty. This is a legally enforceable promise made by the manufacturer to take responsibility for any faults that occur in a motor vehicle during the warrant period.
It gives every new car buyer peace of mind, however not all brands offer the same warranties.
Generally, manufacturers’ warranties can range from three years or 100,000 kilometres of coverage, up to seven years or unlimited kilometres.
When it comes to warranties, it’s important to do your research surrounding what suits your lifestyle, to ensure you’re receiving the best possible deal.
How does it work?
If your car has a defect that is covered by the warranty, firstly contact the dealer you purchased your car from. The dealer must legally resolve any problems or defects covered by the warranty. All costs, both labour and materials, will be borne by the manufacturer.
What restrictions usually apply under a car warranty?
Exclusions will differ between each manufacturer. Generally, the most important restriction that applies to a car warranty is that cosmetic damage or wear and tear that occurs to the car are not included, even during the warranty period.
The warranty also doesn’t cover:
- Damage to the car resulting from an accident
- Damage resulting from misuse of the car
- Items that tend to wear out overtime, eg. Brake pads and tyres
- Routine servicing and maintenance What happens to my warranty if I don’t service the car?
In some cases, skipping scheduled servicing could put your warranty in doubt. There is a minimum level of care you have to demonstrate. Remunerator recommend servicing your car according to the manufacturer’s servicing schedule to avoid any doubt.
Do used cars come with warranties?
A used car purchased through a dealership will typically come with a warranty, but this will be a much shorter warranty than that offered by a new car manufacturer.
The standard terms of used car warranty are three months or 5,000 kilometres, beginning at the time of purchase.
A statutory warranty also applies to use cars as long as they are sold by a dealer, are less than 10 years old, have less than 160,000 kilometres on the odometer, and are under the luxury car tax threshold. Statutory warranties for used cars are valid for three months or 5,000 kilometres from the date of purchase. The time period and criteria of the statutory warranty will vary from state to state, so contact your state’s consumer body for more detailed information.
Here is a breakdown of each manufacturer’s standard warranty for new, privately-owned cars. Some of these warranties may differ due to limited-time offers on certain models.
Brand | Warranty Offered |
---|---|
Abarth | 3-year/150,000km |
Alfa Romeo | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Alpine | 3-year/unlimited km for the first 2 years, limited to 100,000km for the third year |
Aston Martin | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Audi | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Bentley | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
BMW | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
BYD | 6-year/unlimited kilometer |
Citroen | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Chrysler | 3-year/100,000km |
Cupra | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Fiat | 3-year/150,000km |
Ferrari | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Ford | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Foton | 3-year/100,000km |
Genesis | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Great Wall | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
Haval | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
Honda | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Hyundai | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Infiniti | 4-year/100,000km |
Isuzu | 6-year/150,000km |
Jaguar | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Jeep | 5-year/100,000km |
Kia | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
Lamborghini | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Land Rover | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
LDV | 5-year/130,000km |
Lexus | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Lotus | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Mahindra | 3-year/100,00km |
Maserati | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Mazda | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
McLaren | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Mercedes-Benz | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
MG | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
Mitsubishi | 5-year/100,000km standard plus an additional 5-year/100,00km (up to 10 years/200,000km) |
Nissan | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Peugeot | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Polestar | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Porsche | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
RAM | 3-year/unlimited kilometer |
Rolls Royce | 4-year/unlimited kilometer |
Renault | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Skoda | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
SsangYong | 7-year/unlimited kilometer |
Subaru | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Suzuki | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Tesla | 4-year/80,000km |
Toyota | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Volkswagen | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |
Volvo | 5-year/unlimited kilometer |