Should You Get a Subaru Extended Warranty?
We’ve got all the information you need to help you decide if a Subaru extended warranty is right for you.
Written by Sarah Gray
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Subaru extended warranties cover repairs to many major vehicle components following your original warranty’s expiration. Warranties can cover your Subaru for up to 10 years or 120,000 miles and cost an average of $1,500 to $3,000.
You’ve probably gotten at least one spam call about an extended vehicle warranty. But before you say “no” to a legit Subaru extended warranty, you should at least know what it is and whether it’s actually worth it to have one.
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 Subaru extended warranty is right for you, plus a few tips for lowering your Subaru insurance costs
!Overview: What is a Subaru extended warranty?
New cars typically come with standard factory and powertrain warranties that guarantee the cost of repairs for any issues caused by defects in design or manufacturing. Every new Subaru purchase includes a three-year/36,000-mile basic limited bumper-to-bumper warranty, plus a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain limited warranty.
An extended warranty, as the name suggests, extends these warranties to cover certain repairs after your car’s factory warranty expires. Subaru offers two levels of extended service coverage ranging from eight years/120,000 miles to ten years/100,000 miles.
Subaru Added Security® Extended Service Agreements (ESA): Coverage and cost
While many vendors sell extended warranties, only Subaru Added Security® is backed by Subaru of America. This means that your Subaru’s repairs will always be performed by certified Subaru technicians, and the parts and components they use will be new or remanufactured Genuine Subaru Parts.
Subaru Added Security® offers two Extended Service Agreements (ESAs), both of which include:
- Roadside assistance: Including lockouts, fuel delivery, and tire services
- Towing reimbursement: Up to $100 per use
- Rental car reimbursement: Up to $40 per day for up to five days.
The Classic Plan covers your Subaru’s powertrain and most major components.
The Gold Plus Plan includes all the elements of the Classic Plan, plus most of your vehicle’s remaining parts and components including all EyeSight® Driver Assist Technology. It also provides trip interruption coverage, which supplies up to $500 for meals and lodging if a breakdown occurs over 50 miles from your home.
Subaru Added Security® plans are available with $0 or $100 deductible options. If you choose a $100 deductible, this is applied per repair visit, regardless of the number of parts repaired.
Subaru Added Security® plans can be financed, and are fully transferable, meaning the remaining coverage can be transferred to a new private owner, which increases your Subaru’s resale value!
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What’s covered
The Classic Plan includes coverage for the most essential, and most expensive, parts of your car, including:
- Engine
- Transaxle and differential
- All-wheel drive (AWD)
- Cooling and fuel systems
- Steering
- Front suspension
- Brakes
- Electrical
- Air conditioning
Essentially, the Classic Plan covers all the components usually only protected by a mid-level or even upper-level extended warranty you might find from another manufacturer or third-party supplier. The Gold Plus Plan dials this coverage up to 11, adding protection for virtually all components originally covered by your vehicle’s bumper-to-bumper warranty.
The Subaru extended warranty goes a bit further, though. Along with the vehicle parts directly covered by each warranty level, Subaru also covers repairs for parts damaged by non-covered components.
What isn’t covered
Especially where the Gold Plus Plan is concerned, it may be easier to discuss what’s not covered under Subaru’s Added Security® plans:
- 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
In addition to ESAs, Subaru offers Subaru Equity Shield Optimum Vehicle Protection (OVP) plans. These include:
- Tire and Wheel Protection
- Windshield Protection
- Dent and Ding Protection
These can be purchased individually at the time of your vehicle purchase. If you’re worried about the cost of scheduled maintenance for your Subaru, the manufacturer also offers a selection of PrepaidMaintenance Plans that can cover regularly scheduled maintenance, such as oil changes and tire rotations, on your new Subaru for up to three years and 45,000 miles.
Duration
Both Subaru Added Security® plans are available with flexible terms ranging from eight years to ten years and 120,000 miles to 100,000 miles. Regardless of the duration you choose, your extended warranty coverage begins when your factory warranties end and expire when you reach the specified time or mileage you’ve selected for your term.
Cost
Subaru Added Security® plan costs vary depending on a number of factors—the plan you choose, your deductible, the price of your vehicle, and the price you negotiate with your salesperson. Taking all these into consideration, the average Subaru Added Security® plan ranges in cost from $1,500 to $3,000.
A big factor in determining the price of your warranty is the deductible you choose. No-deductible plans will be more expensive than those with a $100 deductible. Aside from time and mileage, deductible, and overall price, most other aspects of Subaru’s protection plans are not negotiable.
Is it worth getting a Subaru extended warranty?
Before deciding on any extended warranty, it’s important to consider the potential value of your investment. Two key considerations in determining this are the vehicle’s overall reliability and the length of time you expect to hold onto your car.
First, let’s consider how long you’ll keep your car. While a Subaru extended warranty can be transferred to a new owner, thereby increasing your resale value, it’s unlikely to increase your car’s trade-in value. So, if you plan to trade in your Subaru before your factory warranty expires, an extended warranty likely isn’t the right choice for you. If you plan to keep your Subaru for longer than the factory warranty period, you should consider not only whether you’ll trade it in or sell it privately but also how reliable the vehicle is.
On average, Subarus tend to be fairly reliable cars with lower than average annual repair costs. To illustrate this average, let’s take a look at RepairPal’s reliability ratings and average annual repair costs for three of Subaru’s most popular models:
Model | RepairPal reliability rating | Average annual repair cost |
|---|---|---|
3.5/5.0 | $607 | |
3.5/5.0 | $653 | |
4.0/5.0 | $563 |
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Average annual repair costs for Subarus overall are $617, which is slightly lower than the industry-wide average of $652/year. The combination of lower than average annual repair costs and above-average reliability may lead you to believe you don’t need a Subaru extended warranty, but even with this in mind, it may still be worth it to consider a Subaru Added Security® plan for two reasons: low cost and comprehensive coverage.
Unlike many extended warranties, Subaru’s base plan covers a variety of wear-and-tear items that are almost never included even on other manufacturers’ top-tier extended coverage plans. Plus, this comprehensive coverage is offered at an incredibly competitive price.
You’ll need to speak with a salesperson at your Subaru dealership to determine firm pricing and parameters for your vehicle, but when you consider the peace of mind and value you’ll be getting, a Subaru Added Security® plan may be a great investment.
If you’re still not sold on a Subaru extended warranty after talking with your dealer, another alternative to help keep you covered is
mechanical breakdown insurance
(MBI). Many insurance providers offer MBI to help cover the unplanned costs of repairs associated with wear-and-tear items after warranty expiration. MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty
How to lower Subaru insurance costs
A Subaru extended warranty can help cover a lot of unforeseen, but only a solid auto insurance policy can help cover the costs of repairs for damages suffered in an accident or because of weather damage, vandalism, or theft. But, don’t worry, Subaru
car insurance
costs can be just as affordable as extended warranty costs with 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. Jerry’s
licensed experts
will make sure these quotes include all the coverage you need, and none of the extras you don’t, so you never overpay for options you can’t use. Plus, we’ll reshop your policy every time it comes up for renewal to make sure you always have the best coverage at the best price.On average, Jerry users save over $800 a year on car insurance just by shopping in the app!
“After signing up withJerry, I went from $199/month to $97/month for my car insurance. My 2019 Subaru Forester now has full coverage for a great price!” —Rhonda H.
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