Is the Buick Extended Warranty a Good Deal?

Affiliate Disclosure

Since Buick is a member of the General Motors family of brands, the Buick extended warranty shares some similarities with warranties from Chevy, Cadillac and GMC. However, Buick’s factory warranty changed for 2020 vehicles – so what does that mean for extended coverage?

We’ll cover all of that and more below. As we get into Buick’s extended coverage options, we’ll compare them to third-party contracts available on the market. There are dozens of options for third-party vehicle service contracts, but some are better than others. In our research of the best extended warranty companies, companies like CARCHEX, CarShield and Endurance all stood out. You can get to know what they have to offer and request free quotes with the links below.

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:

• Buick Extended Limited Warranty
• Buick Platinum Protection Plan
• How Much Does a Buick Extended Warranty Cost?
• Best Third-Party Providers for Buicks 
• 2020 Buick Warranty Summary
• Buick Repair Costs

Buick Extended Limited Warranty

Especially with Buick’s warranty getting shorter, it can be a good idea to look into extended warranties. The Buick Extended Limited Warranty is sold by Buick and backed by its parent company, GM, which is also the manufacturer.

Here’s a summary of the Buick Extended Limited Warranty:

• Bumper-to-bumper coverage expands to 5 years/60,000 miles (or 6 years/70,000 miles)
• No deductible
• Transferable and cancellable 
• Backed by GM

This warranty extends the exact same coverage under the bumper-to-bumper warranty. It expands the term length to match Buick’s powertrain warranty. So, Buick’s extended warranty would cover 2018 and 2019 vehicles up to 6 years/70,000 miles, and it would cover 2020 vehicles up to 5 years/60,000 miles.

However, if you didn’t purchase the extended warranty when you bought your car, you’re out of luck. You can only purchase it when you purchase your car. That means drivers with 2018 models can’t add a factory extended warranty to their coverage today.

The extended warranty is fully transferable and it doesn’t require a deductible. How much is Buick’s extended warranty? Prices depend on the make and year of your car, so you’ll have to talk to a dealer to get a firm price. But judging from Platinum Protection Plan prices, we estimate it could cost between $1,000 and $2,000.

Buick Platinum Protection Plan

The Buick Platinum Protection Plan is a vehicle service contract backed by AMT Warranty. The plan is available in four different term limits:

• 2 years/24,000 miles
• 3 years/36,000 miles
• 4 years/48,000 miles
• 5 years/60,000 miles

These terms begin when the plan is purchased, not when the car was put in service. The Platinum Protection Plan is available to purchase online for vehicles that have up to 80,000 miles. The maximum mileage covered under this plan is 140,000 miles. There may be other protection plans available to you, but you’ll have to talk to a dealer for details.

In contrast to the Buick Extended Limited Warranty, you can buy a protection plan as long as your car is still within the mileage limit. These plans don’t require a deductible, but they do require you to go to the dealer for repairs.

Compared to the Extended Limited Warranty, the Platinum Protection Plan covers fewer parts. The extended warranty is an exclusionary coverage contract, so it only has a short list of items not covered. The Platinum Protection Plan is a stated-coverage contract and lists every item included. Here are a few systems that it covers:

• Powertrain (transmission, engine, drivetrain)
• A/C system
• Safety systems
• Electrical system and some high-tech equipment
• Cruise control system
• Heated seats
• Video display screen
• Turbocharger or supercharger
• Steering

Like most warranties, the Platinum Protection Plan doesn’t cover damage from misuse or neglect. It also doesn’t cover routine maintenance or wear items like filters and brake pads.

Lastly, here are a few perks that come with the Platinum Protection Plan:

• Rental car coverage of up to one week
• Trip interruption ($200 per day for four days)
• Towing/road service reimbursement ($150 per occurrence)
• Lockout service reimbursement (up to $35)

How Much Does a Buick Extended Warranty Cost?

Prices for Buick’s Platinum Protection Plan depend on your vehicle. Buick has an online pricing tool that provides an estimate. We used a 2017 Buick Enclave with two-wheel drive no longer under warranty with 30,001 to 60,000 miles as our example.

Monthly payments would range between $124.71 and $156.09, and there would be a down payment of $99.

When we changed the mileage to 60,001 to 80,000 miles, the 5-year/60,000-mile option was a total of $4,639.80.

Best Third-Party Providers for Buicks

If you have a Buick, shouldn’t you get a Buick extended warranty? Well, the situation’s not exactly that simple. Remember, it will only extend coverage for another 2 years or 24,000 miles.

You could skip the extended warranty and get a Platinum Protection Plan instead, but you’re still required to go back to the dealer for repairs. Plus, what if you want to keep your Buick in good shape beyond 140,000 miles? And if your car already has 80,000 miles, you’re out of luck.

While third-party warranty plans might not be backed by your car’s manufacturer, they’re much more versatile and can be just as reliable. In terms of coverage, many providers offer more choices than Buick’s extended warranty or protection plan options.

Within these plan types, autopom! offers multiple contracts with slight differences, so you can customize your coverage even further.

The Buick Platinum Protection Plan provides a few perks like reimbursement for roadside assistance and limited trip interruption coverage, but third-party providers tend to offer more in this area, as well. A highly ranked provider, CARCHEX, includes roadside assistance, towing, rental car coverage and trip interruption benefits on all its plans. Here are a few more things to expect from the best extended warranty providers:

• You can go to any certified repair shop.
• Claims are paid directly to the repair shop.
• Your car can be covered until it has up to 250,000 miles.

Your options for coverage open up when you start to look at third-party plans. Check out the links below to learn more about our favorite providers and compare quotes.

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

2020 Buick Factory Warranty Summary

Car manufacturers sometimes change their warranty and protection plan terms. In this case, Buick vehicles from 2018 and 2019 actually have longer warranties than vehicles from 2020.

You can see that basically all warranties have been shortened for 2020 vehicles. In other words, a 2020 Buick Encore warranty expires one year sooner than the warranty for a 2019 model. Additionally, the extended warranty also expires one year sooner. 

In addition to two Buick extended warranty options – the Limited Extended Warranty and Platinum Protection Plan – the company offers a prepaid maintenance program and gap coverage, which pays the difference between a totaled car’s value and what’s left on its loan.

Is My Buick Still Under Warranty?

There’s an easy way to figure out if your Buick is still under warranty. Just go over to the Buick ownership website and sign in or create an account with your car’s information.

Buick Repair Costs

Are extended car warranties worth the money? The honest answer is that it depends. A good extended warranty will provide value not just in repair costs but also in added benefits like roadside assistance and rental car coverage.

There are definitely some companies you want to avoid, and sometimes drivers don’t encounter enough repairs to use the full value of the plan. But it’s also hard to put a dollar amount on the peace of mind that an extended warranty can bring. This is especially the case if you don’t have an emergency fund set aside to cover repairs.

Buick extended warranties can range in price from $1,000 to over $6,000, but the total cost isn’t the only thing to factor into the situation. If you’re paying $2,000 for a two-year warranty with no perks, that wouldn’t be a good deal.

You could find a plan for the same price but that lasted much longer or that offered multiple perks, and that would be a better deal. You also have to look at what repairs are covered under the plan – you can’t compare a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty from one company to a basic powertrain extended warranty from another.

According to J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study℠, Buick ranks in third place overall. Similarly, RepairPal describes Buick’s reliability as “above average” compared to other brands. Buick drivers spend $608 per year on repairs and maintenance while the industry average is $652.

That’s all good news, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have to deal with a sudden expensive repair as your car gets older. Here are some repair costs that Buick drivers have encountered, according to data from RepairPal.