Kia Extended Warranty Overview
After your factory warranty expires, a Kia extended warranty can keep your vehicle protected for years to come.
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Motor1 Reviews Team Take:
- Kia offers three levels of extended warranty coverage (Platinum, Gold, and Powertrain) that can last up to 150,000 miles.
- Kia vehicles consistently perform well in J.D. Power reliability studies.
- RepairPal estimates an annual repair and maintenance cost of $474 for Kia vehicles, well below the industry average of $652.
The Kia extended warranty can provide peace of mind after the manufacturer’s factory coverage expires. The automaker is known for its lengthy warranty for new vehicles, but its extended program is shorter than what you might find with independent warranty providers.
In this article, we’ll cover the ins and outs of Kia coverage, then compare plans with the best third-party auto warranty providers to help you decide which coverage may give you the most protection on the road.
Kia Extended Warranty Coverage
The Kia new vehicle and certified pre-owned (CPO) warranties offer good coverage, but if you want more, the company has Protection Plans that offer several levels of Kia extended warranty coverage. Plans start with a basic Powertrain warranty and increase vehicle system coverage in levels labeled Gold and Platinum.
Depending on your Kia’s age and mileage, you can purchase up to 150,000 miles of extended warranty coverage from the manufacturer.
Kia Powertrain Warranty
The Powertrain plan covers many major parts of the engine, transmission, and drive axle. Specifically, this plan protects all lubricated parts within the powertrain, as well as the water pump, fuel pump, fuel injectors, thermostat, turbocharger assembly, torque converter, and many more components. Seals and gaskets within the powertrain of the vehicle are also covered.
Kia Gold Warranty
The Gold plan offers all the same features as the Powertrain plan while adding further coverage. This plan protects your engine, transmission, drive axle, brakes, air conditioning, steering, front and rear suspension, and a wide range of electrical and hybrid components.
Kia Platinum Warranty
The Platinum plan includes everything in the lower levels, as well as what Kia describes as “many assemblies of your vehicle.” It then defines Platinum as “exclusionary coverage,” meaning that your contract will only list the parts that are not covered, and everything not listed will be included in the plan.
The list of exclusions is too long to feature here, but it includes many wear-and-tear parts, such as:
- Brake pads
- Clutch parts (for manual transmission)
- Door hinges
- Lock cylinders
- Paint
- Exhaust system including the catalytic converter
- Shock absorbers
- And more
Those are things that many extended warranties, including third-party products, may not cover because they are designed to wear out or break down over time.
Kia Factory Warranty
If you’ve been considering buying a new Kia, you’re probably aware of the generous Kia factory warranty coverage that this brand offers. Kia is famous for its 10-year/10,000-mile powertrain warranty, and its 5-year/60,000-mile basic new-vehicle warranty that even surpasses many luxury brands.
Kia’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty covers the engine, transmission, and driveline components such as the front-wheel drive used on most Kia models, the rear-wheel drive on the Stinger sport sedan, and the all-wheel drive available on the Stinger and Kia SUVs like the new Telluride.
Here’s something critical to keep in mind: Kia’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty applies only to the vehicle’s original owner. If you buy your Kia used, the powertrain coverage drops to 5 years/60,000 miles from the date the car was first put into service. As an example, if you buy a Kia that’s 3 years old and has 36,000 miles on it, you’ll have 2 years/24,000 miles remaining on the powertrain warranty.
That’s still very good, but if you plan to keep the car longer than that, an extended warranty might be right for you.
Kia Certified Pre-Owned Warranties
If you’re buying a used Kia from a dealership, you will likely be considering a Kia Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. For these, Kia offers a range of extended warranty plans under the Kia Distinction Vehicle Protection Plan brand. The program includes Kia models that are less than 5 years old and with less than 60,000 miles, but vehicles meeting those criteria are not automatically eligible.
Kia dealer technicians inspect each vehicle following a pretty exhaustive 165-point checklist, including running a vehicle history report. If an item on the inspection list does not match Kia’s standards, it is repaired or replaced using factory-authorized parts.
Kia CPO vehicles come with a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty that Kia calls Platinum coverage that applies to almost “all assemblies in your vehicle.” It is similar to, but not the same as, the car’s original 5-year/60,000-mile new vehicle basic warranty.
Kia CPO vehicles also come with a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty, but this coverage is from the vehicle’s original in-service date. Again, that means you’ll need to subtract the CPO Kia’s age/miles from the 10-year/100,000-mile coverage to see what coverage you get with your car. The answer may give you a reason to buy an extended warranty.
Kia Reliability
Kia, which is part of Hyundai, has been cited for good quality, a far leap from the early 1990s when the first Kia cars sold in America were, to be kind, less than stellar. In the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM, Kia ranked third among 31 automobile manufacturers. This study surveys vehicle owners after three years with their cars to see how many problems they’ve encountered. Compared to the industry average of 186 problems per 100 vehicles, Kia checked in with just 152.
Yet, no car is perfect. For example, according to RepairPal, you could pay between $641 and $807 to replace the water pump on a 2019 Kia Sorento SUV. For a larger repair for this vehicle, like a head gasket replacement, you could pay between $1,653 and $1,874. If you don’t have a warranty to cover these costs, you’ll need to pay them out of pocket.
Although they sometimes need expensive repairs, it’s important to note that RepairPal puts the average annual repair and maintenance cost of a Kia vehicle at $474. This is well below the average estimate of $652 across all auto brands. With that in mind, you might decide to forgo extended coverage.
Is A Kia Extended Warranty Worth It?
There are two critical trends that many car buyers might not think about. One is that today’s drivers keep new vehicles for an average of nearly seven years. Some owners are keeping their cars for up to 15 years. The potential for expensive repairs only increases with age and mileage for any vehicle.
Some Kia owners will therefore be out of the basic new-car warranty but possibly still covered by the powertrain warranty when their car is finally paid off. If you bought it as a used vehicle, you could be out of all warranty coverage long before you’ve finished paying for the car, unless you purchased a Kia extended warranty.
Think for a moment what it would be like to make a car payment of, say, $350 to $400 a month, plus the regular maintenance that gets more expensive at higher miles, and possibly hundreds of dollars or more in surprise breakdown repairs on top of that. Putting those expenses on a credit card can add further increased costs thanks to interest charges.
What Drivers Are Saying
Our team launched a survey in December 2023 to better understand vehicle owners’ experiences with extended warranties from manufacturers. When we polled Kia drivers, a staggering 94% of drivers were satisfied with their coverage, and 84% would consider purchasing the same level of extended coverage from Kia again.
One driver with a Kia Stinger with under 50,000 miles reported being very pleased with his plan.
“The warranty has been instrumental in [peace] of mind and has been used to replace items like hazed headlight[s] and cracked roof rails not normally seen as defective,” he said. “[I] sent in a claim to Kia Service, who were very helpful in the replacement of warranty-related items. Kia has a good reputation for service.”
Here’s how drivers responded when we asked how much they had paid for their coverage from the Kia dealership:
- 23 percent reported paying under $1,000
- 32 percent reported paying $1,000 to $2,000
- 26 percent reported paying $2,000 to $3,000
- 6 percent reported paying $3,000 to $4,000
- 6 percent reported paying $4,000 to $5,000
- 3 percent reported paying more than $5,000
Pricing varies depending on your model and the level of extended warranty coverage you choose.
What We Look For In An Extended Warranty
A Kia extended warranty may be the right choice for you, but savvy drivers might also consider purchasing coverage from an independent warranty company. To help aid in your decision-making process, we’ve researched the extended warranty field to make some recommendations.
In our look at the top extended warranty companies, we considered:
- Variety and flexibility of plans
- Company reputation
- Product value
- Strength of insurance backing (extended warranties are basically insurance policies)
- Extras, like roadside assistance, towing, and trip interruption coverage
We recommend that you read the full report, but we’re confident in our choice of Endurance as the best, with Carchex and CarShield trailing just behind. These three companies are also the most popular in the warranty industry, according to our proprietary survey data.
Our team mystery shopped with more than 40 third-party warranty providers and found average monthly rates for extended protection to be between $120 and $135 across many popular makes and models. The total price of a warranty varies but averages around $3,000, according to our research.
Endurance Warranties for Kia Vehicles
Like the Kia extended warranty plans, Endurance offers multiple tiers of coverage. In this case, though, there’s more to choose from, with six distinct levels. Within those, you can choose your desired length of coverage, up to 200,000+ miles for some plans. You can review a sample contract online to see exactly what is and is not covered.
With an Endurance warranty and with most other third-party warranties, you can have repairs made at any licensed repair facility, including Kia dealerships, national chains like Firestone, or your favorite local licensed auto service shop. Automakers generally require you to have your vehicle serviced at the dealership, but in Kia’s case, you can actually visit Kia dealerships, more than 6,000 “authorized service centers,” and any licensed repair facility in the U.S. or Canada.
Kia Extended Warranty Vs. Third-Party
| Kia Extended Warranty | Carchex | Endurance | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start Date | Date of contract purchase | Any time | Any time | Any time |
| Max Length of Coverage | 150,000 miles | 10 years/250,000 miles | 8 years/200,000+ miles | 10 years/300,000 miles |
| Number of Plan Options | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Transferable | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deductible | $0+ | $0, $50, $100 | $0, $50, $100, $200 | $0, $50, $100, $200 |
| Trip Interruption | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roadside Assistance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Repair Network | Kia dealerships, > 6,000 authorized service centers, and licensed repair facilities | > 30,000 facilities nationwide | Repair shops certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE®) | ASE-certified repair facilities |
| Cancellation Policy | Unknown | Refund if within 30 days | Refund if within 30 days | Refund if within 30 days |
| Availability | From local dealer | Free, instant quote | Free, instant quote | Free, instant quote |
Kia Extended Warranty: FAQ
Below are some frequently asked questions about the Kia extended warranty:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does the Kia extended warranty cost?
How much you pay for a Kia extended warranty depends on a host of factors, including your vehicle’s age and mileage, where you live, and what level of coverage you choose. According to our December 2023 survey data, the cost of a Kia plan typically comes in at under $3,000.
What are the levels of the Kia extended warranty?
Kia offers three levels of extended warranty coverage: Platinum, Gold, and Powertrain. The Platinum plan is similar to the Kia new vehicle limited warranty, the Powertrain plan offers basic coverage for essential engine, transmission, and drive axle components, while the Gold plan is an expanded powertrain warranty.
What isn’t covered by a Kia extended warranty?
As with most extended warranties, Kia plans do not cover damage from misuse, lack of routine maintenance, environmental factors, or unauthorized repairs. Wear and tear components like brake pads and wiper blades are also excluded.
Methodology
In an effort to provide accurate and unbiased information to consumers, our expert review team collects data from dozens of extended auto warranty companies to formulate rankings of the best providers. Companies receive a score in each of the following categories, as well as an overall weighted score out of 5.0 stars.
- Industry Standing: Warranty providers with a history of strong business practices and endorsements from experts receive the highest scores in this category.
- Coverage: This rating is based on types of extended warranty plans available, coverage terms, and added benefits like roadside assistance.
- Cost: Our research team reviews sample quotes for a variety of plans and vehicles. Companies with lower prices per year of coverage receive the best scores.
- Transparency: This score takes into account contract transparency and the availability of a money-back guarantee.
- Customer Service: We comb through customer reviews and perform our own shopper analysis to get a sense of the responsiveness and helpfulness of each warranty company.
*Data accurate at time of publication.
