Should You Buy a BMW Extended Warranty?

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Are you deciding whether or not to purchase a BMW extended warranty? In this article, our review team discusses BMW’s warranty plans and how these plans compare to leading third-party warranty companies. Here’s a quick overview of the coverage you can get from BMW.

BMW Extended Warranty:

A BMW extended warranty extends the 4-year/50,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty that protects new BMWs from manufacturing defects. The company offers additional protection up to 3 years/50,000 miles.

Below, we deep dive into the BMW extended warranty, your existing BMW factory warranty coverage and your other options for extended protection. If you’re looking for coverage, our research team recommends getting quotes from a few of the following companies. Otherwise, keep reading for all the details on BMW’s offerings.

Best Provider	Best for High-Mileage Cars	Most Affordable
Endurance	CARCHEX	CarShield
Editor’s Rating:	Editor’s Rating:	Editor’s Rating:
★★★★★	★★★★½	★★★★½
Get Quote	Get Quote	Get Quote
(877) 374-1840	(866) 254-0205	(800) 563-2761

Table of Contents:

• BMW Extended Warranty Overview
• Has Your BMW Factory Warranty Expired?
• Is a BMW Extended Warranty Worth It? 
• Our Recommended Extended Warranty Providers

BMW Extended Warranty Overview

BMW offers three different extended warranty plans: Powertrain Plus, Gold, and Platinum. These plans can be purchased before or after your factory BMW warranty expires. It is generally recommended to purchase an extended warranty plan before your factory warranty expires in case a costly repair occurs shortly after the factory warranty ends.

Here are details on what each plan does and does not cover: 

• Powertrain Plus: 
  • This covers the engine, fuel and cooling systems, transmission and drive axle. It does not cover the all-wheel-drive transfer case and the engine induction system.
  • These components are only covered by the Gold and Platinum plans.

• Gold:
  • This covers everything in the Powertrain Plus plan and also covers items such as steering, anti-lock brakes, heating and air conditioning systems. 
  • There is no coverage for audio, entertainment and navigation systems under this plan.
• Platinum: 
  • This covers everything in the first two plans and includes coverage for the navigation system, entertainment system and audio system. 
  • It also covers parts of your BMW’s exterior and interior.

Below are the coverage terms for each of BMW’s extended warranty plans:

Cost of BMW’s Warranty

The cost of a BMW extended warranty depends on several factors, including the model, age, and mileage of your vehicle. BMW’s dealerships are free to set their own prices for each customer. According to CARCHEX, if you purchase an extended warranty from BMW directly, it will likely cost you between $1,000 to $1,500 per year.

BMW also charges a $50 deductible for any needed repairs while under its extended warranty.

Has Your BMW Factory Warranty Expired?

It is worth getting to know the factory warranty that BMW provides its customers. It’s possible yours is still active.

Every new BMW comes with the following warranties:

• Basic Coverage: 4 years/50,000 miles (all components other than normal wear and maintenance items)
• Powertrain Coverage: 4 years/50,000 miles
• Corrosion Coverage: 12 years/unlimited miles
• Roadside Assistance: 4 years/unlimited miles

BMW certified pre-owned vehicles come with the factory warranty plus another year of coverage with unlimited miles.

One weakness of BMW’s factory warranty is that it does not offer additional powertrain coverage beyond its basic coverage that other luxury brands like Cadillac and Genesis do. For that reason, many BMW owners seek additional coverage through an extended warranty to cover their vehicle from costly powertrain repairs after their factory warranty ends.

Powertrain issues generally occur with older vehicles, and they are notoriously among the most expensive repairs. For example, RepairPal estimates that a rack and pinion replacement on a BMW 528i typically costs between $3,125 and $3,342.

For that reason, specifically considering an extended warranty to cover your BMW’s powertrain is a wise decision.

Is a BMW Extended Warranty Worth It?

Whether purchasing an extended warranty for your BMW is worth it or not depends on your individual situation and personal goals.

It is smart to consider purchasing an extended warranty if you cannot afford unexpected $2,000 to $4,000 repairs to your vehicle. For more information on this topic, read our article on whether extended car warranties are worth it.

While an extended warranty for your vehicle may be worth it, we do not believe that purchasing an extended warranty directly from BMW is worth the cost.

Dealership Vs. Third-Party Extended Warranty

While BMW’s plans are compelling, our review team believes that reputable extended car warranty companies such as CARCHEX and Endurance offer a better value than BMW’s own extended warranty.

Purchasing an extended warranty for your BMW from a BMW dealership will cost more than an extended warranty from a third-party provider due to BMW’s prestige and brand recognition. An advantage of purchasing an extended warranty directly from BMW is that you get BMW replacement parts whenever your vehicle needs a repair.

However, when comparing BMW’s extended warranty directly to CARCHEX and Endurance, purchasing directly from BMW is probably not worth the additional cost.

CARCHEX and Endurance beat BMW on four extended warranty comparison categories:

1. Maximum length of coverage
2. Number of coverage plans
3. Repair network
4. Accessibility of free quote

Our Recommended Extended Warranty Providers

Endurance and CARCHEX both provide excellent and affordable extended car warranties. Endurance was named Best Provider overall by our review team for its top-notch customer service, awards and direct-to-customer business model.  CARCHEX was named Best for High-Mileage Cars by our review team for its strong industry partnerships, national media recognition and high rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). We also like CarShield for its affordable month-to-month contracts.

We recommend that you reach out to several providers for free quotes and sample contracts to compare their BMW extended warranty offerings.

Best Provider	Best for High-Mileage Cars	Most Affordable
Endurance	CARCHEX	CarShield
Editor’s Rating:	Editor’s Rating:	Editor’s Rating:
★★★★★	★★★★½	★★★★½
Get Quote	Get Quote	Get Quote
(877) 374-1840	(866) 254-0205	(800) 563-2761