What does your Kia warranty really cover? (2023)

*Based on data from our users; 10/1/2022 – 3/1/2023

Understanding the Kia warranty program helps you know what parts of your car are protected and when you have to worry about picking up the bill for repairs. In this article, we at the Guides Auto Team will look at what the Kia warranty covers, how long that coverage lasts and whether it's a good idea to purchase extended protection.

The MarketWatch Guides Team is committed to providing reliable information to help you make the best possible decision about a warranty for your vehicle. Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best extended car warranty companies. We collected data on dozens of auto warranty providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. After 500 hours of research, the end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.

Learn more about our methodology.

The Kia warranty covers most repairs and replacements of parts that break down due to defects in workmanship or materials. The South Korea-based carmaker offers above-average coverage lengths — new owners receive powertrain coverage for 10 years/100,000 miles and bumper-to-bumper coverage for 5 years/60,000 miles. New Kias also receive 24/7 emergency roadside assistance for the same length as the bumper-to-bumper warranty.

Kia warranty term lengths are some of the longest in the business. The brand's powertrain, bumper-to-bumper and roadside assistance terms are only matched by a few other automakers, such as Hyundai and Mitsubishi. Where Kia falls behind is corrosion protection — it ties with Ford and Toyota on the lower end of warranty coverage lengths. Our team reached out to Kia for a comment on its corrosion protection limits but did not receive a response.

Here's a breakdown of the Kia factory warranty that comes with all new vehicles:

Kia Warranty

Warranty Length

Limited basic warranty

5 years/60,000 miles

Limited powertrain warranty

10 years/100,000 miles

Limited anti-perforation warranty

5 years/100,000 miles

Roadside assistance plan

5 years/60,000 miles

As you can see, the Kia warranty is actually made up of several types of vehicle warranties, which is standard for the car industry. Even though Kia models are covered for longer terms than many other vehicles, it's important to note some parts have shorter warranties:

While the Kia warranty covers a lot of parts, it doesn't handle every mishap you may have with your vehicle. The following are instances that fall outside of your factory car warranty coverage:

These exclusions are standard in the industry.

Kia vehicles must go through a 164-point inspection process to qualify for the certified pre-owned (CPO) program, and as part of this, the manufacturer replaces any part that doesn't meet inspection standards. Kia also goes through the vehicle's Carfax history report, which checks for things like flood damage, a salvage title and accident history.

In addition to this thorough process, the manufacturer backs up each of its CPO vehicles with a separate Kia warranty. Kia's CPO coverage consists of:

What if you purchased a used vehicle from a private seller? The majority of the original Kia warranty automatically transfers to the second owner, except for the powertrain warranty, which drops from 10 years/100,000 miles to 5 years/60,000 miles. You can check with your local Kia dealer to see if your vehicle is still under warranty, or visit Kia.com.

Before deciding to buy an extended warranty, you’ll want to consider your personal finances. If you have the funds to pay for repairs outright, you probably don't need the extra protection. You should also take a look at how dependable your car is year over year. If you’re constantly taking it back to the dealership for repairs that fall under your Kia warranty, long-term coverage might be worth the expense.

Kia placed third out of 33 carmakers in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM. The brand reported 97 mechanical issues per 100 three-year-old vehicles over a 12-month survey period. The industry average was 121 issues.

Our research team uses the cost-estimation site RepairPal to get a sense of how much these repairs cost. RepairPal reports the average annual cost of Kia maintenance and repairs is $474, which is much lower than the industry-wide average of $658.

Here are some common repairs reported by Kia owners and what they cost, according to RepairPal:

Common Kia Repairs

Average Repair Cost

Air conditioning compressor replacement

$653 to $777

Alternator replacement

$606 to $640

Oxygen sensor replacement

$367 to $399

Ignition coil replacement

$331 to $425

If you’re interested in extended warranty coverage, you have two options: purchasing a vehicle service contract from Kia or from an independent warranty company. Depending on your vehicle's age and mileage, you can purchase additional Kia warranty protection up 120,000 miles and choose from five tiers of coverage with the Kia Distinction Vehicle Protection Plan program:

Each level of coverage handles trip interruption and rental car expenses up to a certain amount, as well as fluids coverage for replacing things like oil and air conditioning gases during a covered repair. Buyers have the option of including the price of the extended warranty in their vehicle financing, but keep in mind that if you go this route, you’ll end up paying interest on your protection plan.

If you’re thinking an extended warranty from a Kia dealership isn't for you, but want an extended warranty, there are a number of extended car warranty companies that can give you prolonged protection. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages our research team has found when choosing an independent warranty over a manufacturer-backed plan:

Source: Automoblog

One way to get the cheapest rate on an extended warranty is to compare quotes from multiple companies.

If you are still unsure if you should purchase an extended warranty from a manufacturer or a third-party provider, our team put together some of the advantages for both to compare and contrast.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best extended car warranty companies. We collected data on dozens of auto warranty providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

Our credentials:

*Data accurate at time of publication.

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