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Protect My Car and CarShield both ranked well in our review of the best extended car warranty companies. This guide will provide a side-by-side comparison of Protect My Car vs. CarShield, looking at industry standing, costs, services, and customer experience.
When shopping for an extended car warranty, we recommend comparing your options and getting estimates from multiple providers.
Our review team has spent hundreds of hours researching car warranty companies to help consumers choose the best coverage for their vehicles. Writers and editors evaluate each brand based on industry data and real customers’ experiences, meeting high editorial standards to keep readers informed.
Overview Of Protect My Car And CarShield
Protect My Car and CarShield are reputable third-party extended warranty providers. Each company provides a wide range of vehicle service contracts for drivers.
Protect My Car: Best Customer Service |
CarShield: Best Monthly Payments |
|
---|---|---|
Headquarters |
St. Petersburg, Florida |
St. Peters, Missouri |
Years in Business |
Founded in 2005 |
Founded in 2005 |
Warranty Availability |
All states except Alaska, California, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Washington |
All states except California |
Levels of Coverage |
3 |
6 |
Protect My Car Highlights
Protect My Car offers three different extended auto warranty plans for vehicles. Protect My Car stands out because it has high customer satisfaction ratings, which is fairly unusual for the extended warranty industry. This is why we gave it the Best Customer Service designation in our extended auto warranty industry review.
CarShield Highlights
CarShield can be a smart choice for drivers on a budget, which is why we named it Best Monthly Payments in our extended warranty review. The company offers six comprehensive plans that can protect your vehicle up to 300,000 miles. It is also one of the only top companies to provide coverage for specialty vehicles like ATVs and motorcycles.
Protect My Car Vs. CarShield: Coverage
In terms of coverage plans, CarShield offers drivers more choices than Protect My Car. We’ll break down different plan options from both providers below.
Protect My Car Extended Warranty Options
Protect My Car offers three basic levels of coverage to drivers, specifically targeting new and high-mileage vehicles. Here’s an overview of the different vehicle protection plans available:
- Supreme: This is the highest level of coverage offered by Protect My Car, and it’s designed for newer vehicles. The plan covers most car parts, and drivers only have to pay a $100 deductible for covered repairs.
- Select: This warranty coverage option is available for vehicles with more than 50,000 miles. The coverage plan protects most vehicle parts except the turbocharger and navigation. Drivers have to pay a $200 deductible for car repairs.
- Driveline: This plan protects vehicles four to 10 years of age with more than 80,000 miles. Drivers receive 5 years/125,000 miles of coverage, whichever comes first. Most major vehicle parts are covered in case of mechanical breakdown except the front and rear suspension, select brake components, the turbocharger, and the navigation. Drivers have to pay a $200 deductible for repairs.
CarShield Extended Warranty Options
CarShield offers six comprehensive plans for drivers to choose from, including two powertrain warranty plans, which Protect My Car does not offer. Here’s an overview of CarShield’s warranty plans:
- Diamond: This plan is similar to a new car warranty and protects all systems and components except those not explicitly mentioned.
- Platinum: This is CarShield’s best option for vehicles with higher mileage. It protects your vehicle’s engine, transmission, air conditioning, electrical system, starter, water pump, and fuel pump.
- Gold: This warranty plan offers enhanced powertrain coverage for your car’s transmission, water pump, alternator, starter, and air conditioning.
- Silver: This basic powertrain coverage protects your vehicle’s engine, transmission, and water pump.
- Aluminum: This specialty plan covers most electrical and computer-related systems, including the engine control module, starter, alternator, navigation/GPS, and electrical system.
- Motorcycle & ATV: This coverage option protects your motorcycle or ATV.
Additional Plan Benefits
In addition to the various coverage options offered by Protect My Car and CarShield, both companies also provide the following benefits:
Protect My Car |
CarShield |
|
---|---|---|
Emergency Roadside Assistance |
✓ |
✓ |
Rental Car Reimbursement |
✓ |
✓ |
Courtesy Towing |
✓ |
✓ |
Trip Interruption Reimbursement |
✓ |
Protect My Car Vs. CarShield: Cost
Our team reached out to Protect My Car and CarShield to find out which offers more affordable bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage. The companies provided the following quotes for a 2018 Honda Civic with 30,000 miles and a $100 deductible:
Provider |
Plan Name |
Term Length |
Monthly Cost |
Down Payment |
Total Cost |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CarShield |
Diamond |
5 years/ 70,000 miles |
$88.78 for 18 months |
$295.00 |
$1,708.03 |
Protect My Car |
Supreme |
4 years/ unlimited miles |
$58.00 for 48 months |
$50.00 |
$2,834.00 |
Based on the pricing we received, CarShield’s Diamond plan is cheaper than Protect My Car’s Supreme plan for bumper-to-bumper coverage. Both companies offer monthly payment plans for most extended warranty coverage options.
Note that you should use these estimates as a general idea for coverage since actual costs depend on multiple factors like the age of your vehicle, mileage, and where you purchase coverage.
Protect My Car Vs. CarShield: Customer Service
Protect My Car has an A+ rating with 4.53 stars out of 5.0 from over 600 reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. CarShield received an F rating from the BBB due to issues with its advertising practices. CarShield has a 1.44-star rating from over 1,100 reviews on the BBB, but its customer review scores on Trustpilot and Google are much more positive.
Here’s a closer look at how these two auto warranty companies compare in terms of customer service ratings:
Protect My Car |
CarShield |
|
---|---|---|
BBB Rating |
A+ |
F |
BBB Customer Rating |
4.53 / 5 |
1.44 / 5 |
Trustpilot Rating |
4.6 / 5.0 |
4.0 / 5.0 |
Google Rating |
3.8 / 5.0 |
4.1 / 5.0 |
Protect My Car Customer Reviews
Positive Protect My Car reviews detail high levels of customer satisfaction with sales representatives and the company’s various plan options. Negative customer reviews highlight a pattern of Protect My Car failing to provide all of the coverage services it has been contracted for.
CarShield Customer Reviews
Positive CarShield customer reviews highlight high levels of customer satisfaction and peace of mind with coverage options. Negative customer reviews detail mailers being sent to customers containing false statements about expired extended car warranty coverage.
Bottom Line On Protect My Car Vs. CarShield
Protect My Car offers customers three comprehensive coverage options. The company also has better customer service ratings from the BBB, Google, and Trustpilot. However, CarShield provides more warranty options for drivers at a more affordable price than Protect My Car.
Both companies are great choices if you’re considering purchasing an extended warranty–the provider that’s best for you will depend on your needs.
Protect My Car | CarShield | |
---|---|---|
Overall Star Rating | 4.4 | 4.5 |
Reputation | 4.3 | 3.9 |
Coverage | 4.7 | 4.8 |
Price | 4.2 | 4.6 |
Transparency | 4.5 | 5.0 |
Customer Service | 4.4 | 4.2 |
Top Recommendations For Extended Car Warranties
While both Protect My Car and CarShield ranked in the top five of our best extended car warranty providers, we recommend reaching out to Endurance and CARCHEX for warranty quotes as well.
Endurance: Best Coverage
Endurance is a direct provider, meaning it creates and backs its own plans. This differs from other companies that use an intermediary like a dealership to sell their products. Endurance warranty coverage plans include six levels of coverage that can last beyond 200,000 miles. The company also offers 1 year of Endurance Elite Benefits for free, which includes:
- Roadside assistance
- Total loss protection
- Collision discount
- Key fob replacement
- Tire repair/replacement
- Endurance mobile
Most drivers also find Endurance’s plan options affordable. A reliable car still under its factory warranty can get six years of exclusionary coverage for around $2,850, which is average compared with other estimates we received from third-party providers. Drivers can also choose from four different deductible plans.
CARCHEX: Best For Used Cars
CARCHEX offers five warranty plans for drivers that can cover up to 250,000 miles, which is why we named it Best for Used Cars in our extended car warranty review. The company offers exclusionary coverage, high stated-component coverage, and several powertrain plans.
CARCHEX plans are affordable for most drivers. The company provided us with a quote of $2,570 for seven years of exclusionary coverage, which is average among top extended warranty providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Protect My Car and CarShield are both reputable third-party extended warranty providers. Protect My Car has a stronger customer service reputation, but CarShield offers more plan options at a lower cost.
No, CarShield is not a rip-off. The third-party warranty provider has been in business since 2005 and offers six different plan options for drivers. If you have concerns about which vehicle components are covered under warranty, make sure to read your contract in full including any exclusions.
Protect My Car is a popular third-party provider. Protect My Car also has some of the highest ratings from customers of the companies we’ve reviewed, which is why we designated it as the Best Customer Service option on the market.
CarShield has three deductible options: $0, $50, and $100. If you choose a lower deductible, your monthly plan cost may be higher and vice versa.
