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Jan 16, 2024

BMW Extended Warranty: Reviews, Cost, And Coverage (2023)

Because BMWs are considered luxury vehicles, they can be expensive to

Because BMWs are considered luxury vehicles, they can be expensive to maintain. This makes a BMW extended warranty an attractive option, as it gives drivers peace of mind that their budgets will be protected in the event of a major breakdown. But does BMW provide the best protection for its vehicles?

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at BMW's extended warranty costs and coverage, as well as the manufacturer's factory warranty and average maintenance costs. We’ll also see how BMW stacks up against one of the best extended car warranty companies in the industry.

You can purchase BMW extended warranty coverage when you buy a new BMW. There are three levels of BMW warranty protection, and coverage terms are available for up to 7 years/100,000 miles.

BMW's Ultimate Protection Program offers three extended vehicle service contracts, Powertrain Plus, Gold, and Platinum. In addition to the extended warranties, BMW offers protection plans and pre-paid maintenance plans known as Ultimate Protection and Ultimate Care. When shopping for a BMW extended warranty, you have the ability to mix and match the company's protection and maintenance plans with an extended warranty. Let's take a look at each extended warranty and the additional BMW coverage below.

BMW's Platinum plan is commonly known as a bumper-to-bumper warranty. It covers most major mechanical and electrical vehicle parts, except for a short list of exclusions. The platinum plan covers major component parts such as the engine, transmission, fuel system, cooling system, electrical system, air conditioning, braking system, and steering. This plan is an exclusionary plan. That means the vehicle service contract lists what is not covered due to the comprehensive coverage. The platinum plan combines the coverage of the Gold and Powertrain Plus plan and includes coverage for the interior and exterior of your BMW.

The Gold plan provides complete coverage for the engine, transmission, drive assembly, transfer case, cooling system, fuel system, induction system, steering, braking system, heating, and air conditioning components. This plan does not include the navigation or entertainment system as the Platinum plan does.

The Powertrain Plus plan includes varying levels of coverage for your vehicle's powertrain, including the engine, transmission, drive assembly, electrical system, cooling system, fuel system, induction system, and all-wheel transfer case.

BMW extended warranties come with benefits drivers often don't think about. Below are some of the benefits of purchasing a BMW Extended Warranty:

All plans come with a number of exclusions that are common for most extended car warranties. Some excluded items are:

BMW also offers drivers the option to add several additional warranties to their vehicles.

BMW Ultimate Care is a pre-paid maintenance plan available for all model years 2017 and newer sold or leased by BMW. This plan covers routine scheduled maintenance for 3 years/36,000 miles and covers the following services.

For model years 2015 and 2016 that were leased or purchased on or after 1 July 2014, are covered for 4 years/50,000 miles.

BMW extended warranty costs are not available on the manufacturer's website, but we found several customer reviews in which BMW owners disclosed the price of their warranties. Many BMW owners paid between $2,500 to $3,500 for three years of coverage. This is a high price for an extended warranty plan compared to competitors, but it is not surprising considering the high maintenance cost of BMW vehicles

Your BMW extended warranty cost will vary depending on your vehicle model and the particular dealership you visit, and final prices may be negotiable.

When deciding if an extended warranty is right for your vehicle, you should compare expected repair costs against the price of your extended warranty. It would be best to consider the factory coverage of new vehicles. If you plan to part with your car before factory coverage expires, it is not usually worth purchasing an extended warranty.

Like all luxury vehicles, BMWs can be expensive to maintain. The average annual repair cost across all BMW models is $968, according to RepairPal. This is much higher than the industry average of $652, which isn't surprising given that BMW is a luxury vehicle.

Here are a few popular BMW models and their reliability ratings:

RepairPal Reliability Rating

Average Annual Repair Cost

BMW X5

2.0 out of 5.0

$1,166

BMW X1

3.5 out of 5.0

$915

Before purchasing a BMW extended warranty, it is good to know if your vehicle is still covered by the factory warranty. Below is a list of BMW's factory warranties and their term lengths. If your vehicle is still under warranty, you might not need to purchase an extended warranty.

For more details regarding what is and is not covered by a factory warranty, you should read our complete car warranty guide.

Certified pre-owned (CPO) BMWs come with an additional 1-year/unlimited-mile warranty that takes effect after the expiration of the vehicle's 4-year/50,000-mile limited warranty.

BMW factory warranty coverage is long compared to other manufacturers, but because repair costs can be so high, a BMW extended warranty may be a good idea to protect your wallet against potentially expensive breakdowns later in your vehicle's life.

If your car is not eligible for a BMW extended warranty, or if you are looking for cheaper, more flexible coverage, it may be a good idea to look into third-party alternatives. A third-party extended vehicle service contract may be less expensive, offer more coverage options, and can be purchased anytime. Third-party providers also offer protection for vehicles with 100,000 miles or more.

See a comparison of BMW and one of our top recommended providers, Endurance, below.

BMW Extended Warranty

Endurance Extended Warranty

Start Date

When your factory warranty expires

Anytime

Longest Term

100,000 miles

200,000+ miles

Number of Plans

3

6

Deductible

Variable

$0, $50, $100, $200

Repair Facilities

BMW dealerships

Repair shops certified

by the National Institute

for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE®)

Extra Benefits

1 year free of Elite Benefits, which includes:

How to Purchase

Purchase from dealerships

Get Quote

Our top recommendation for a BMW extended warranty is Endurance. The company's Supreme plan with the Highline add-on is a specialized warranty designed for a variety of luxury models. It's an exclusionary warranty, so it covers all mechanical breakdowns unless it's explicitly excluded in the contract. The Endurance Highline Supreme plan is available for the following luxury BMW models:

Other BMW models (such as the I8 and M8) are eligible for Endurance's standard plans. The Highline add-on is for performance models only.

BMW vehicles can be expensive to maintain, meaning an extended warranty is more likely to return value. However, BMW extended warranty contracts are also expensive and must be purchased when you buy your new BMW.

Below are frequently asked questions about BMW's extended warranties.

BMW sells an extended warranty that lasts as long as 7 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first. There are three BMW extended warranty plans: Platinum, Gold, and Powertrain Plus.

It can be worth buying a BMW extended warranty, as BMW vehicles have especially high repair costs. However, customers may find better extended warranty prices from third-party providers than from the manufacturer.

The most comprehensive extended warranty sold by BMW is called the Platinum plan. It covers most major mechanical and electrical parts on your BMW. Similar coverage is available from third-party providers, which may offer longer term lengths at a lower cost.

The BMW extended warranty from the dealer includes three coverage levels. The most comprehensive plan is the Platinum plan. It's an exclusionary, bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers nearly every mechanical and electrical vehicle component.

Our review process aims to deliver consistent and unbiased assessments of extended auto warranty providers. While there are multiple qualities that make a warranty company successful, our review team focuses on those we believe are the most important for consumers: