Best car warranties 2024

Even the most reliable cars can go wrong sometimes, so it's important to buy a new car with a good warranty. A car warranty provides cover in the event that something goes wrong with your car, meaning the cost of any repairs won’t land on you. Each manufacturer’s warranty will be slightly different, so it’s always important to read the small print, but most will cover engine, gearbox, suspension and technology issues.

Car warranties will usually last for a limited number of miles and a set period of time, with the cover expiring when one or the other is passed – the best warranties will have lengthy mileage and time allowances. Some warranties provide cover for unlimited miles, which will be appealing for drivers with a very high annual mileage.

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It’s becoming increasingly common for manufacturers to provide different warranties for their combustion-engined cars and their electric cars, with the latter often getting more generous cover. Some manufacturers also offer ‘service activated’ warranty schemes, whereby the standard cover can be increased each year by servicing the car at an authorised dealer. These extended warranties currently provide some of the best cover on the market, so read on to find out which manufacturers offer them.

1. Toyota

• Up to 10 years or 100,000 miles

Renowned for its legendary reliability, Toyota also provides the most impressive warranty in the business, with up to 10 years or 100,000 miles of cover through its ‘Additional Warranty’ programme. The standard Toyota warranty lasts for three years or 60,000 miles, which is in line with the industry standard. However, with each service at an authorised Toyota repairer after this period, the warranty will be extended by 12 months and 10,000 miles up to the 10-year, 100,000-mile limit.

The warranty applies to all new cars from Toyota, including its petrol and self-charging hybrid models, as well as the fully electric Toyota bZ4X. As an added bonus, the high voltage batteries in Toyota’s hybrid models qualify for up to 15 years of cover, following routine servicing with a Toyota dealer.

2. Lexus

• Up to 10 years or 100,000 miles

Lexus is the premium car offshoot of Toyota, and therefore benefits from the same generous 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty. The standard warranty is the same as Toyota’s at three years and 60,000 miles, and it can be extended through the same ‘Additional Warranty’ scheme with regular servicing at an authorised Lexus Centre. Every new Lexus is eligible, including its electric models.

3. Peugeot (electric models only)

• Up to 8 years or 100,000 miles

While Peugeot’s three-year, 60,000-mile combustion-engined car warranty is nothing to write home about, its electric car warranty provides far greater cover. The ‘Allure Care’ warranty was introduced in 2024, and covers nearly all of Peugeot’s electric cars for up to eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Like the Toyota and Lexus warranties above, this is a service activated warranty; with every service at an authorised Peugeot centre, the standard warranty will be extended by two years and 16,000 miles, up to the maximum eight years or 100,000 miles. Nearly every electric Peugeot is covered, the only exclusions being the Peugeot E-Rifter and the E-Traveller MPVs which make do with the standard three-year, 60,000-mile cover.

4. Kia

• Up to 7 years or 100,000 miles

Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty has long been one of the best available, and it’s still hard to beat in 2024. While the warranties above may last longer, there’s a key difference for Kia’s cover – this isn’t a service activated warranty. All Kia’s get seven years or 100,000 miles of cover regardless of where you service the car – good news for people who don’t live near an official Kia centre.

It’s important to point out that the cover is only valid if the car is serviced and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance, so don’t expect Kia to replace a blown engine if the oil hasn’t been changed for 80,000 miles. Every new Kia is eligible for the cover, and it’s transferable between owners.

5. Suzuki

• Up to 7 years, 100,000 miles

Suzuki offers an equally impressive seven years or 100,000 miles of cover for all of its new cars. The key difference to Kia’s warranty is that this is a service activated warranty – the standard cover only lasts for three years or 60,000 miles. However, once that cover expires, you can take your car for a qualifying service at a Suzuki dealer or service centre, after which you’ll get another 12 months of cover for free. 

Each service at a Suzuki centre adds another 12 months and 9,000/12,500 miles (depending on your model) to the warranty, up to a maximum of seven years or 100,000 miles.

6. KGM (electric models only)

• Up to 7 years, 90,000 miles

KGM, formerly known as Ssangyong, offers competitive warranties for all of its cars, but its seven-year, 90,000-mile electric car warranty stands out as one of the best. 

The only electric car in KGM’s lineup as of 2024 is the KGM Torres EVX – its remaining five models are covered for up to five years or 100,000 miles. Like the cover offered by Kia, this is not a service activated warranty; every new KGM is eligible as long as it’s maintained in line with the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule.

7. MG

• Up to 7 years, 80,000 miles

All MGs registered from September 2019 onwards are covered by a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, as long as they’re serviced in line with the manufacturer’s recommended service intervals. Every MG is covered, from the humble MG3 supermini, right up to the £60k Cyberster roadster. There’s no service activated warranty to worry about here – every car gets the full length of cover as standard.

8. Dacia

• Up to 7 years, 75,000 miles

Dacia has always been a value-focused brand and for the longest time its three-year, 60,000-mile warranty reflected that. However, in 2024 Dacia introduced its new Zen warranty, a service activated warranty that provides cover for up to seven years or 75,000 miles. The warranty is available for new and used cars, so long as the latter is under six years old and has been serviced in line with the recommended schedule – it doesn’t need to have been serviced within the Dacia network.

Each service extends the warranty by one year or 16,000 miles, whichever comes first, up to the maximum seven years or 75,000 miles. Like many of the warranties on this list, it’s transferable between owners should you sell your car.

9. BYD

• Up to 6 years, 93,750 miles

A newcomer to the UK car market, BYD has one up on many of the established brands with its six-year, 93,750-mile warranty. There’s no service activation to worry about here – you get the full cover no matter where you service the car. All of BYD’s electric cars are covered, including the Dolphin, Seal and Atto 3, as well as the plug-in hybrid BYD Seal U. Its EVs get an additional two years of cover for the electric motor and motor control unit.

10. Hyundai

• Up to 5 years, unlimited miles

For some drivers, Hyundai’s warranty will be the best, thanks to its unlimited mileage cover. It only lasts for five years, which is some way off the top warranties on this list, but that’s still two years more than the industry standard. Plus, with unlimited mileage cover, you don’t need to worry about driving too far each year. For taxi drivers, driving instructors, or those who simply spend lots of time on the motorway, that could be more important than the warranty time limit.

It’s worth pointing out that Hyundais used as taxis, private hire vehicles or driving school vehicles have slightly different mileage limits for ‘limited warranty’ parts such as clutches and bulbs compared to normal cars, so make sure to read the small print. Also, the high voltage batteries used in Hyundai’s EVs and hybrids have separate cover, lasting for eight years or 100,000 miles.

11. GWM Ora

• Up to 5 years, unlimited miles

Chinese EV brand GWM Ora offers a near-identical warranty to Hyundai, with all of its cars covered for five years with unlimited mileage. The batteries get a separate warranty which also matches Hyundai: eight years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first. There are no exceptions or exclusions for taxis, private hire vehicles or driving school vehicles, however, so you’re free to rack up miles how you please, as long as you keep to the manufacturer’s recommended service schedule.

Warranties are important, but there are other things to consider too when deciding what car to buy…