Protect My Car Extended Warranty Review (2020)

Affiliate Disclosure

Since 2005, Protect My Car has helped thousands of drivers with the financial burden of repairs. Unlike most warranty companies, Protect My Car offers both extended warranty plans and Ambassador Maintenance Plans, which cover vehicles too old to qualify for warranty coverage. Not many top providers have an option like this.

To find the best extended car warranty in the industry, we look at company reputation, coverage, cost, transparency and the customer experience. We’ll get into all the details in this Protect My Car review.

To go ahead and get a free quote from Protect My Car, use the buttons below.

Table of Contents:

• Protect My Car Coverage Overview
• Protect My Car Coverage
• Cost of Protect My Car
• How to Get a Quote and File a Claim
• Protect My Car Extended Warranty Reviews
• Conclusion: Is Protect My Car Worth It?
• Our Picks for Best Extended Car Warranties

Protect My Car Overview

Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Protect My Car has been a trusted provider of vehicle service contracts for 15 years. The company is known for its maintenance plans and long financing terms for extended warranties, making the latter an affordable choice for those looking for low monthly payments. Protect My Car reviews well among professionals and customers.

Extended warranties from Protect My Car are available in every state except Alaska, California, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma and Washington.

Protect My Car Coverage

Protect My Car has three extended warranty plans that can provide coverage for up to 125,000 miles. There’s also the Ambassador Maintenance Plans, which are maintenance contracts that can be particularly attractive for older vehicles. Protect My Car is one of few companies to offer this type of coverage.

Extended Warranty Plans

Protect My Car doesn’t offer the highest level of coverage on the market (a bumper-to-bumper exclusionary warranty) or the lowest (a basic powertrain plan). All three of its plans are mid-range, although there are noticeable differences between them.

• Supreme: Most vehicle systems are covered, including the turbocharger and high-tech equipment (optional).
• Select: A good choice for cars with over 50,000 miles, the Select plan covers many components including the steering, front and rear suspension, and brakes.
• Driveline: This plan might be referred to as powertrain plus warranty by car enthusiasts. It’s available for cars between four and 10 years old with more than 80,000 miles and covers essential components like the engine, transmission and fuel system.

Here’s a comparison between these three plans:

Three levels of warranty coverage isn’t many considering that some providers have five or six plans to choose from, and all of Protect My Car’s extended warranties are stated-component plans. That means every component that is covered is specifically listed in the contract, which makes contracts easy to understand.

We wish Protect My Car had one exclusionary plan for those who prefer that option. (Exclusionary plans list only the components that are excluded from coverage and are typically what you will see with a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty.)

The deductible for all Protect My Car warranties is $100 per visit to the repair shop, not per repair. Once you sign up, coverage begins after a 30-day, 1,000-mile waiting period – which is standard in the auto warranty industry.

All contracts come with the following benefits:

• Roadside assistance: Includes jump-starts, lockout services, spare tire installation, fluid delivery, towing and phone concierge services
• Rental car reimbursement: Up to $30 per day for a maximum of seven days
• Trip interruption coverage: Up to $50 per day for a maximum of three days if your car was disabled at least 150 miles from home

As a Protect My Car customer, you can also build up rewards points to spend at a number of retail outlets and restaurants. You start with $50 in points.

Ambassador Maintenance Plans

A hybrid between an extended warranty and a prepaid maintenance contract, an Ambassador Maintenance Plan will cover vehicle repairs up to a certain percentage depending on the plan you choose. The coverage comes with three free oil changes and two tire rotations per year.

Because almost any car can be covered, an Ambassador plan is a good choice for older cars that don’t qualify for an extended warranty from Protect My Car.

Here’s a closer look at the components covered by each plan. You’ll notice that the coverage doesn’t vary much from the lowest level to the highest. The main differences are the deductible amount and, as you’ll see later, whether or not extra benefits are included.

Unlike Protect My Car extended warranties, the Ambassador Maintenance Plans are exclusionary contracts. Each has a fairly short list of exclusions, including things like air bags, brake pads, bulbs, mufflers and spark plugs. All plans have a 30-day, 1,000-mile waiting period.

Ambassador Maintenance Plans come with the following benefits:

• Free oil changes and tire rotations
• Lockout service
• Flat tire assistance
• Rental car reimbursement
• Roadside assistance (Ambassador Elite and Ambassador Platinum plans only)

Whenever you purchase an extended auto warranty or a maintenance plan, make sure to read your contract thoroughly to make sure you understand any exclusions or limitations.

Cost of Protect My Car

Protect My Car extended warranty plans are affordable on a monthly basis for most drivers. When we reached out for quotes from Protect My Car, we were quoted $96.95 monthly for a 4-year/100,000-mile Supreme plan and $67.22 monthly for a 4-year/75,000-mile Driveline plan.

It should be noted that both of these plans had unlimited payment terms, but Protect My Car does offer set payment terms of 36 to 48 months. If you elect to purchase a plan with unlimited payment terms, you may end up paying more in the long run than for a plan with set terms.

The representative that we spoke with offered to work with us to reduce the price further if we purchased plans for both the Toyota and Chevy.

Your own extended warranty prices will depend on factors like your vehicle make, model, age, and mileage, as well as your location. When you purchase an extended warranty from Protect My Car, your plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How to Get a Quote and File a Claim

You can get a Protect My Car extended warranty quote online or over the phone. We called in to get the above quotes and found the experience to be quick and easy, although the representative was persistent when we said we wouldn’t be buying at that time. Hold time was less than one minute, and the process took about 10 minutes in total.

Once you have a Protect My Car warranty and experience a breakdown, you can take your car to any repair shop certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE^Ⓡ). There are thousands of them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one near you.

Next, call Protect My Car’s claims department at 844-256-4762 to initiate the claim. After you provide your contact information and Protect My Car claims number to the repair facility, the facility will get authorization from Protect My Car before beginning work.

You might be asked to authorize a diagnosis before repairs are made. The diagnosis could cost a little bit of money, and Protect My Car will only reimburse that amount if it turns out the repair is covered under warranty. After covered repairs are completed, Protect My Car will reimburse you or pay the repair shop directly, minus the $100 deductible.

If you took your car in for a repair under an Ambassador Maintenance Plan, Protect My Car will pay 25% or 50% of the repair, depending on the contract.

Protect My Car Extended Warranty Reviews

Best Extended Car Warranty Companies

We reviewed every major warranty company for coverage, affordability and more. Here are our recommendations.

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