Should You Get a MINI Cooper Extended Warranty?

We’ve got all the information you need to help you decide if a MINI Cooper extended warranty is right for you.
Written by Sarah Gray
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
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A MINI Cooper extended warranty can fortify your protection against mechanical breakdowns for up to seven years or 100,000 miles—but is it worth the extra money?
We’ve all been there—the phone rings and we answer—only to be asked to extend our car’s expiring warranty. Whether these calls seem like spam or scams, many manufacturers offer beneficial opportunities to extend your warranty coverage. With so many options, it’s often difficult to know if signing up for an extended warranty is worth it.
Navigating the world of extended warranties can be complicated. That’s why
Jerry
, the
app you can trust
to save you money on quality
car insurance
, is here to help. We’ve got all the information you need to decide if a MINI extended warranty is right for you—plus a few tips for lowering your
MINI Cooper insurance costs
!
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Overview: What is a MINI Cooper extended warranty?

Like most vehicle manufacturers, MINI offers standard vehicle warranties that will cover the costs for repairs and issues caused by defects in workmanship or design.
When you buy a new MINI Cooper, you can expect to be protected by a four-year/50,000-mile New Passenger Car Limited Warranty, as well as four years and unlimited miles of roadside assistance. But what happens when these run out?
Some of your vehicle’s components may be covered under individual warranties, but by and large—you’re on your own. To keep you covered longer, MINI offers a range of extended warranties to cover your Cooper from the wheels up.
MINI Motoring Protection Program offers extended warranty coverage for your new or used MINI Cooper for up to seven years or 100,000 miles. Extended warranties can be purchased at the time of vehicle sale, or added anytime before the factory warranty expires.

MINI Motoring Protection Program Extended Service Contract (ESC): Coverage and cost

The MINI Motoring Protection Program ESC is available in three levels of coverage. From the highest to the lowest level of coverage, these include:
  • Platinum: Available for new, used, and certified pre-owned MINI Coopers and provides comprehensive coverage of most major vehicle components
  • Gold: Available for new and used MINI Coopers and provides comprehensive coverage of many components, including engine, transmission, drivetrain, and more
  • Powertrain Plus: Available for new and used MINI Coopers and provides comprehensive coverage of many drivetrain components and some other parts
MINI Motoring Protection Program Extended Service Contracts (ESC) offer customizable coverage for up to seven years or 100,000 miles. This protection ensures that covered repairs will be completed at an authorized MINI facility by trained MINI technicians using only original replacement parts.
Buyers have the option to purchase an ESC at any time before their original factory warranty’s expiration. Many dealerships offer interest-free financing deals for your MINI ESC, and all extended warranties are fully transferable to a new owner. This means your MINI ESC could not only protect you from unexpected repair costs, but it could also help you increase Cooper’s resale value!

What’s covered

Depending on the level of protection you select, your MINI’s ESC could cover basic (though expensive to repair) powertrain components—or even include suspension and infotainment system coverage. Let’s take a closer look at what’s included in each tier of coverage:
Powertrain Plus
Gold
Platinum
Engine
partial coverage
X
X
Transmission
partial coverage
X
X
Final drive assembly
partial coverage
X
X
Transfer case (AWD)
X
X
X
Electrical
partial coverage
partial coverage
X
Cooling system
partial coverage
X
X
Fuel system
partial coverage
X
X
Suspension system
-
-
X
Induction system
X
X
X
Steering
-
X
X
Brakes and ABS
-
X
X
Heat and A/C
-
X
X
Infotainment system
-
-
X
Interior and Exterior
-
partial coverage
partial coverage
All tiers of coverage also include 24-hour roadside assistance for the duration of the warranty.

What isn’t 

Even if you select the top tier of coverage, no extended warranty covers everything. Here are some of the items not covered under a MINI Cooper extended warranty:
  • Regular maintenance, such as wiper blade replacement and oil changes
  • Damage caused by neglect or abuse
  • Damage caused by reckless driving
  • Modified or custom parts, such as lift kits or aftermarket sound systems
  • Exterior and interior trim and upholstery
  • Items covered under auto insurance, such as broken glass, and damages from accidents, weather, or vandalism
To help you with unforeseen costs associated with items not covered under your MINI Cooper extended warranty, MINI offers a Multi Coverage Protection Program that can cover everything from tires to interior surfaces. These include:
  • Tire & Wheel Protection
  • Dent Protection
  • Windshield Protection
  • Key Protection
  • All Surface Protection
Each of these is available for purchase when you sign on the dotted line for your MINI.

Duration

The MINI ESCs are offered in six different lengths:
  • Five years/75,000 miles
  • Five years/100,000 miles
  • Six years/75,000 miles
  • Six years/100,000 miles
  • Seven years/75,000 miles
  • Seven years/100,000 miles
Regardless of the selected terms, coverage will take the date of the original vehicle sale as its starting point and expire when you meet the time or mileage limit—whichever comes first.

Cost

Rarely do manufacturers publish set prices for extended warranty plans, and MINI is no exception here. That’s because the prices for both the vehicle and the warranty are negotiable. The term you select for coverage influences the cost as well. That said, customers who’ve purchased MINI warranties report paying an average of about $2,000 for their plan.
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Is it worth getting a MINI Cooper extended warranty?

Whether or not you purchase a MINI Cooper warranty is a decision that’s wholly up to you. The first step is ensuring that you’re fully informed about your options. The second is determining if the potential out-of-pocket costs for repairs are high enough to justify spending the extra cash on a warranty.
A key factor to consider when determining your potential for out-of-pocket repair costs is your vehicle’s reliability. RepairPal rates the MINI Cooper 3 out of 5 for reliability, which is average. But—and this is a pretty big “but”—it ranks last among its competitors
Complicating matters are higher-than-average repair costs. The average annual cost of repairs for a MINI Cooper is $846—more than the average cost for repairs across all vehicle types—and significantly more than the average $456 annual repair costs for other subcompacts. 
Now, the question is: how likely are you to be responsible for these costs? In other words, do you plan to keep your MINI past its factory warranty expiration? If not, much of what you might otherwise pay for repairs will be covered by your standard warranty, so an extended warranty probably isn’t worth the expense. If so, an extended warranty may be worth your consideration.
Keep in mind that extended warranties are not the only options you have available for added protection against unplanned repair expenses. For example, many insurance providers offer
mechanical breakdown insurance
(MBI), which can help cover these costs. 
Before you make your final extended warranty decision, why not let the experts at
Jerry
review your auto insurance policy to see if MBI might be the best option for you?
MORE:How to choose an extended car warranty

How to lower MINI Cooper insurance costs

There aren’t many of us who wouldn’t be excited by the prospect of zipping around town in MINI Cooper. But all that zipping comes with the risk of collisions and other vehicle damage that requires more than just a good warranty—it requires quality car insurance. To ensure you’re getting the best deal on
MINI Cooper car insurance costs
, head to
Jerry
When you shop for coverage on the Jerry app, you get competitive rates based on a comparison of quotes from over 55 top insurance providers. Plus, we’ll shop your policy every time it comes up for renewal to ensure you never overpay for your coverage.
On average, Jerry users save over $800 a year on car insurance just by shopping in the app! 
“This app is all about savings!
Jerry
just saved me $193/month on my car insurance. They literally found me the cheapest policies out there and with better coverage! Seriously, just sit back and watch Jerry work its magic.” —Rachel B.
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