What is a car warranty, and why is it important to you? A car warranty is crucial because it protects you if something goes wrong with your new or used car. This is an important aspect of car safety and keeping drivers safe on the road.

What is covered under a car warranty?

The warranty is something that comes with the purchase of a new car, in most cases. According to Edmunds, a warranty is in place to help pay for certain types of costs. This includes mechanical breakdowns that might incur parts and labor costs.

The basic warranty will cover everything except maintenance items and tires or batteries. So your warranty will not cover oil changes or new tires because these are general wear and tear items. The federal government requires that emissions equipment is covered for two years or 24,000 miles.

The drivetrain warranty covers bits like the engine, axels, transmission, and driveshaft. This will not cover wear and tear on parts like hoses or belts but will cover bits and pieces of the engine. If you question a certain part, it might be covered in your owner’s manual.

Depending on your car and where you live, there might be coverage of corrosion or rust. Some will cover certain areas of the car if they are prone to rust, but this doesn’t happen quite as frequently with modern vehicles.

Finally, some manufacturers offer roadside assistance for the first year or two. This means the company will send someone out to help if your car breaks down or runs out of gas. In certain instances, you can also get help if you lock your keys in your car.

Hybrid and electric vehicle warranties

Electric vehicles and hybrids are very different from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, but we know that. One of the major differences is the battery. The point of hybrid cars is to reduce pollution and the amount of fuel a car might need.

Because of this, batteries are included in the emissions system. And because of this fact, batteries are warrantied by the government for eight years or up to 100,000 miles. This also covers important parts like the battery cooling system and CVT transmission.

In California, the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program ensures coverage for even longer. California hybrids are covered for up to 10-years, 150,000 miles. According to the California Air Resources Board, other states that are included are Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Though there are no federal regulations for all-electric vehicles, most companies have the same eight-year, 100,000 warranty for batteries and related parts.

Kia has a great car warranty

The new Kia Telluride has a pretty good warranty. With 10-years and 1000,000 miles, it will protect you for a while. The 10-year, 100,000 miles covered the powertrain.

Also, there is a five-year, 60,000-mile limited basic warranty. A 5-year, 100,000-mile anti-perforation warranty and a 5-year, 60,000-mile roadside assistance plan also protect your new Kia.

This is definitely an added feature that some similar cars and SUVs cannot compete with. This also means that even if you find a used Telluride, it could likely have some time left on the warranty. That will keep the cost of repairs down should you need any down the line.