Hyundai Extended Warranty: Cost & Coverage Options

While Hyundai’s new car warranties are some of the best in the industry, they do come to an end eventually. When that happens, you may want to look into a Hyundai extended warranty.

Hyundai refers to its repair plans as vehicle service contracts, not extended warranties. However, they’re pretty much the same thing, so don’t let that confuse you.

Hyundai offers three vehicle protection plans: Powertrain, Gold, and Platinum. Here’s how they compare:

Each of these three Hyundai extended warranty plans includes:

• Service at all Hyundai dealers nationwide
• Towing to the nearest Hyundai dealership or authorized repair facility
• 24/7 roadside assistance
• Rental car reimbursement ($35 per day for up to 10 days)
• Trip interruption coverage ($200 per day for up to 5 days)
• Transferable coverage

Hyundai Extended Warranty Exclusions And Limitations

Hyundai provides good coverage for covered repairs, but there are a few limitations. For one, you are only allowed to have your vehicle serviced at Hyundai-authorized service centers. This means if you already have a favorite local repair shop you’ve been going to for years, chances are you’ll have to find a new one. On the flip side, you’re guaranteed to receive original manufacturer parts for every repair, which is a nice benefit.

It’s important to note that Hyundai’s extended warranties don’t really extend the original warranty. Instead, they’re a completely separate contract with different terms.

Lastly, your Hyundai must have at least one month and 1,000 miles left on the New Vehicle Limited Warranty to be eligible for a vehicle service contract.

If you’re not sure if a Hyundai extended warranty is right for you, you can give it a try relatively risk-free. After purchasing a Hyundai vehicle service contract, you can cancel anytime within 60 days for a full refund. That doesn’t give you much time to determine whether the plan is working out or not, but it does give you a little time to think it over.

The cost of an extended warranty can vary greatly from provider to provider. Prices are determined by your vehicle and the plan you choose. According to extended warranty provider Endurance, on average, an extended car warranty will cost you between $350 and $750 per year.

If you want to get a price on a Hyundai extended warranty, you’ll need to contact your dealer directly. Getting a price for a third-party provider is a bit easier, as you can call or fill out an online form to get a price estimate.

We recommend getting several free quotes and comparing the prices and coverage to find the best fit for you.

Hyundai is a particularly reliable automaker, and it has seen widespread success in part because of the quality of its vehicles. According to OSV, the company was named the most reliable car brand by Which? Magazine in both 2011 and 2013. In 2013, CarMD also named it the most reliable automotive brand. More recently, J.D. Power ranked Hyundai above the industry average in 2019 and 2020, and it ranked Hyundai in fourth place in 2021.

Despite these positive signals, every vehicle is going to need repairs one day. Even if you’ve made it through the first 40,000 miles (or more) without any serious issues, a mechanical breakdown is bound to happen at some point, and that means you need to be prepared.

Now, if you’re still covered by the Hyundai factory warranty, there’s no need for extended warranty coverage right away. However, if your coverage is coming to an end, it may be worth considering a longer vehicle protection plan.

As cars age, the frequency of repairs increases. Because of this, vehicle owners often find that extended warranties can help them get through unexpected repair costs.

Let’s take a look at the average cost of some common Hyundai repairs (all estimates provided by RepairPal):

The first thing you need to figure out if you’re deciding whether to buy a Hyundai extended warranty is what coverage you already have. If you bought a Hyundai recently, you can rest assured knowing you’re covered by what Hyundai proclaims is “America’s Best Warranty.”

While its status as the best warranty in America may be debatable, there’s no question that the manufacturer’s warranty is very solid. Hyundai offers the longest limited powertrain warranty in the industry at 10 years/100,000 miles. Here’s exactly what this warranty includes:

• 5-year/60,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty (bumper-to-bumper warranty)
• 7-year Anti-Perforation Warranty
• 10-year/100,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty
• 2012-2019 Lifetime Hybrid/Electric Battery Warranty
• 12-month/12,000-Mile Replacement Parts Limited Warranty
• 5-year/unlimited-mile 24-hour roadside assistance

It’s important to note that most of these warranties are transferable with the exception of the powertrain and hybrid/electric battery warranty. The powertrain warranty gets cut short to 5 years/60,000 miles and the lifetime hybrid battery warranty is limited to 10 years/100,000 miles for secondary owners.

The two most important parts of this warranty are the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and the 5-year/60,000-mile new vehicle warranty.

The powertrain warranty covers the repair or replacement of any powertrain component that is defective and breaks under normal use. Similarly, the new vehicle warranty offers bumper-to-bumper coverage for any component in the vehicle that’s defective under normal use.

Hyundai Certified Pre-Owned Warranty

Like other manufacturers, Hyundai sells Certified Pre-Owned vehicles. These cars have been thoroughly inspected by factory-trained technicians, and they are all within a certain age limit. This means Hyundai can add a bit of warranty coverage to these vehicles.

When you buy a certified pre-owned (CPO) Hyundai, you receive the remainder of Hyundai’s 5-year/60,000-mile warranty, plus:

• A 10 year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty starting on the in-service date
• 10 years/unlimited miles of roadside assistance starting on the in-service date
• Rental car reimbursement for up to $100 per day and up to $500 per occurrence, or $35 per day for up to 10 days

Although Hyundai provides its own warranties in-house, there are several other third-party companies that cover Hyundais. Many drivers find that purchasing a third-party vehicle service contract ends up working out better for them, as it provides a greater level of flexibility and customization.

For example, most third-party vehicle service contracts allow customers to bring their vehicles to any certified repair shop or dealership. That’s a major selling point for motorists who have a deep loyalty to a local shop.

Of course, third-party contracts bring some problems with them as well. For one, vehicles may not always be repaired with genuine manufacturer parts, and they won’t be repaired by Hyundai technicians unless you visit a vehicle. For some, this is fine, but others prefer knowing their vehicle is being serviced by the manufacturer and a service person who is specifically trained to service Hyundais.

One major selling point of a third-party provider is you can purchase a plan at almost any time. Your Hyundai can be well past its original warranty, be purchased used, or have high mileage.

When you purchase a third-party extended vehicle warranty, you also make it impossible for your payments to end up getting rolled into your vehicle financing, which means you won’t pay interest on the cost of your plan.

In the chart below, you can see an overview of the differences between a manufacturer extended warranty and a third-party vehicle service contract offered through Endurance, one of our recommended providers.

You can get factory-level coverage from a variety of other highly rated providers, including CARCHEX and Protect My Car.