Honda Extended Warranty

Hondas are reliable vehicles, according to industry studies, but Honda’s factory warranty is a relatively short manufacturer’s warranty compared to competitors. The Honda extended warranty, called HondaCare^®, can boost your vehicle’s coverage, but is the extra protection worth the cost?

This article will review Honda vehicle protection plans. We’ll explain the factory coverage offered for all new and pre-owned Hondas and outline the Honda extended warranty details. We’ll also compare Honda’s coverage against Endurance, which topped our study of the best extended car warranty companies.

Compare free quotes from several leading warranty providers to see how much you would pay for extended protection.

There are two levels of HondaCare^® coverage available–Component Coverage and Powertrain Coverage–which can extend up to 8 years/120,000 miles. Honda extended warranty coverage must be purchased before your factory warranty expires. You can purchase a Honda extended warranty plan from the dealer as long as your Honda vehicle is less than three years old and has fewer than 36,000 miles. 

Honda Extended Warranty Plans

HondaCare^® Component Coverage is the highest level of coverage available for Honda owners. HondaCare^® Powertrain Coverage is the lowest-tier plan and is only available for pre-owned vehicles. Let’s take a closer look at each plan and its specific component coverage. 

HondaCare^® Component Coverage

Under HondaCare^® Component Coverage, there are three plans you may be eligible for depending on the status of your vehicle.

• New Vehicle Coverage
• Pre-Owned Vehicle Coverage
• Certified Additional Coverage (for certified pre-owned vehicles)

Each of these plans is an exclusionary contract, meaning it covers all vehicle systems and components, except for a list of exclusions. Below is a list of components covered by the HondaCare^® protection plan:

• Powertrain: including the engine, transmission, differentials, and axels
• Drive axles: includes front and rear axles
• Electronics: includes electronic components, electrical systems, and computers
• Heating/cooling systems: includes heating, air conditioning, and engine cooling systems
• Vehicle chassis: includes, brakes, steering, and suspension
• Honda genuine: accessories: includes communication devices and accessories, navigation systems, audio, and the security system

Because this plan is so comprehensive, we recommend you thoroughly review a HondaCare^® sample contract for a complete list of covered components.

What Does HondaCare^® Component Coverage Not Cover?

Honda’s Component Coverage excludes battery replacements, routine maintenance services, replacement wear-and-tear items like brake pads and tires, glass and mirror damage, and more.

Honda Extended Powertrain Warranty

Honda extended warranty Powertrain Coverage is only available for pre-owned vehicles. This plan protects your vehicle’s powertrain components, including your:

• Engine
• Drive axle (front and rear)
• Transmission
• Seals, gaskets, and fluids

HondaCare^® Warranty Additional Benefits

The following benefits are included with all Honda extended warranty plans:

• Roadside assistance
• Rental car reimbursement
• Trip interruption coverage
• 24/7 concierge emergency services

Does A Honda Extended Warranty Transfer To A New Owner?

HondaCare^® contracts are transferable. If you sell your vehicle, you can transfer the remainder of your contract term to a new owner as long as the buyer is a private party. You must transfer the policy within 20 days of the sale date. All transfers incur a $50 transfer fee.

Can You Cancel A Honda Extended Warranty?

Contracts can be canceled through your Honda dealer with a few stipulations. In order to receive a full refund, you must cancel your HondaCare^® contract within 60 days of its start date, and you haven’t filed any claims. Or, you can cancel your contract after 60 days, but you will have to pay a $25 cancellation fee, and your refund will be prorated. 

Honda Maintenance Plan

The HondaCare^® Maintenance Program covers your car’s routine maintenance requirements as listed in the owner’s manual. All new Honda vehicles less than 12 months old with less than 12,000 miles are eligible for this plan. There are two levels of coverage available –  Sentinel and Sentinel Plus. Lets take a closer look at each plan a little bit closer.

• HondaCare^® Sentinel: includes tire rotations, oil and filter changes, brake fluid and automatic transmission fluid flushes, and multipoint inspections
• HondaCare^® Sentinel Plus: includes all covered components by the Sentinel plan plus essential chassis parts, electronic systems, air conditioning, heating and cooling systems, and Honda genuine accessories

The cost of any extended car warranty will depend on your vehicle’s make and model, its age and mileage, the coverage level and deductible you choose, and your location. A Honda extended warranty must be purchased from a Honda dealership, and the final cost may be negotiable.

Honda Extended Warranty Price

Our research found several customers who reported paying between $2,200 and $2,500 for eight-year, full-coverage contracts. These prices are on the low side of the industry average.

Extended warranties are designed to help reduce vehicle repair costs. Every Honda will likely need a few component repairs or replacements over its lifetime, but do you really need extended protection to cover them?

To help determine whether a Honda extended warranty is worth it, drivers should examine their vehicle’s average annual repair costs and compare this with the price of a HondaCare® plan. Even if the cost of coverage slightly exceeds the cost of repairs, an extended warranty may still be worth it to give you peace of mind that you’ll be protected against sudden, expensive repairs.

If you are considering a Honda extended warranty, you should also evaluate Honda’s reliability ratings and learn what coverage you already have under Honda’s factory warranty.

Honda Reliability

According to RepairPal, Honda vehicles have an average annual repair cost of $428, which is significantly lower than the industry-wide average of $652 per year. Common repairs, costs, and reliability ratings vary across Honda models. Details for popular vehicles are described below.

Out of all of the vehicles reviewed on RepairPal, the Honda Accord is one of Honda’s most reliable vehicles and the second lowest average annual repair cost, with Honda owners reporting paying $400 a year for maintenance and repairs.

Factory Warranty

All new Honda vehicles are protected under a number of warranties. The most important warranties for car owners to keep in mind when deciding whether to purchase additional coverage include:

• New Vehicle Limited  Warranty: 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty coverage that includes all Honda manufactured and installed parts
• Powertrain Limited Warranty: 5-year/60,000-mile coverage for powertrain components such as the engine, transmission, and transaxle

These term limits are rather short compared to most manufacturer warranties for new cars. Because this coverage is so limited, a Honda extended warranty may be a good idea to protect your vehicle in the long run.

Honda True Used Warranty

Certified pre-owned (CPO) Hondas that are within 12 months and 12,000 miles of the original in-service date are protected under the HondaTrue Certified+ warranty, which includes:

• 7-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage
• 5-year/86,000-mile bumper-to-bumper coverage
• Two complimentary oil changes

CPO vehicles that are more than four years old or that have more than 48,000 miles are granted 1 year/12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage starting on the vehicle purchase date.

A Honda extended warranty contract isn’t the only way to extend protection for your vehicle. You can purchase an extended auto warranty from any number of third-party providers. There are a number of benefits to purchasing extended warranty coverage independent of a dealership, including:

• No timeframe for purchasing: If your Honda factory warranty has already expired, a third-party extended warranty is your only option. Third-party coverage can be purchased at any time.
• More levels of coverage: Honda only offers two plans. Third-party warranties typically include more coverage levels to better suit drivers’ needs and budgets, ranging from exclusionary coverage to basic powertrain coverage.
• Longer coverage terms: The maximum coverage length for a Honda extended warranty is 120,000 miles. Third-party providers offer options as high as 250,000 miles.
• Your choice of a repair shop: HondaCare^® requires that you visit an authorized Honda dealership, while third-party providers allow you to choose any certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE^®) repair shop.

The downsides of third-party warranties are that they do not guarantee the use of genuine Honda parts in covered repairs. Additionally, since you don’t need to take your vehicle to a Honda dealership to get repairs done, there’s no guarantee a Honda technician will service your car.

Hondas are reliable vehicles and, on average, have low repair costs, so you may not need an extended protection plan. If you do decide to purchase one, a Honda extended warranty from the manufacturer is a reliable choice. Coverage is extensive, and the cost is relatively low.

If your Honda is outside of its factory coverage period, you won’t be able to purchase a HondaCare^® vehicle service contract. In this case, a third-party provider is your only option. We recommend getting free quotes from reputable third-party companies like Endurance.

Recommended Providers

Our review team rated every major third-party provider in the industry, comparing plan options, pricing, customer service, and more. Based on this research, we identified Endurance to be the best company on the market.

Endurance: Best Overall

Coverage under an Endurance auto warranty can begin at any time, and Endurance offers contracts that extend beyond 200,000 miles. Endurance members can choose from multiple deductible options and can have vehicles serviced at any U.S. or Canadian repair facility that is ASE^® certified.

Endurance warranties also come with additional benefits such as:

• Roadside assistance
• Rental reimbursement
• Trip interruption
• Tire repairs
• Key fob replacement

Endurance contracts tend to be more expensive than what customers reported paying for a Honda extended warranty. However, you won’t know for sure unless you compare costs yourself.

Below are common questions asked about Honda’s extended vehicle warranties: