Subaru Extended Warranty in 2024: Is It Worth It?
What is a Subaru extended warranty?
Like most auto makers, Subaru offers extended warranties. Unlike most manufacturers, the plans are clearly outlined and succinctly summarized for consumers. Having researched many plans, Car Talk experts found the Subaru Added Security Extended Service Agreement plans (sometimes referred to as SAS plans) to be among the simplest to understand.
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One way the Subaru plans are more straightforward than, say, Toyota’s, is that one can only buy a Subaru Added Security Extended Service Agreement for a Subaru when it is still covered by the 3-year, 36K manufacturer’s new car warranty. There is no plan available from Subaru for older Subarus or used Subarus outside of that window.
Subaru offers three plans. Powertrain, Classic, and Gold Plus. Subaru tries hard to make it clear which plan covers what breakdown. There are color graphics showing cut-aways of a Subaru that try to highlight which systems are included. The final page of the brochure from Subaru makes it clear that this is an “exclusionary coverage” plan, meaning that it only covers what’s on the list of covered items. It’s important for you to understand what’s on that list before you sign a contract.
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Within the three tiers, there are two choices a shopper will make. First, the duration. Subaru offers a choice of an 8-year, 120K mile plan, or a 10-year 100K mile plan. The number of miles you drive will dictate which is right for you. Second, a shopper will opt for either a zero deductible or a $100 deductible which lowers the premium price a bit.
Unlike some extended warranty companies that have told us they offer “thousands” of different plans for a given model, Subaru offers three, with two easy to understand choices of how your plan will work.
The other advantage here is the shop that’s going to be performing the work. If your car breaks down on a cross country trip and you’ve got a third party vehicle warranty, the closest approved provider might be a gas station at the end of the nearest exit. With an authorized Subaru extended warranty, the work is always going to be performed by Subaru technicians.
Specs / Key Features
- Simple plan options
- Administered by Subaru directly
- Work performed by Subaru dealers using only new Subaru parts
What is covered by a Subaru Classic extended warranty?
Classic Plans offered by Subaru cover a wide range of parts in all major component areas, depending on your contract. Subaru lists the major coverage areas as such:
- Transmission
- Drivetrain
- Engine
- Suspension
- Steering
- Brakes
- Electrical
- Fuel systems
- Cooling
- Air conditioning
What’s the benefit of the Subaru Gold Plus Warranty Plan?
Subaru designed their Added Security Extended Service plans with the conscientious vehicle owner in mind. The Gold Plus Warranty offering is specifically for vehicle owners who want to make certain they have the most coverage for unexpected mechanical failures and costly breakdowns. Gold Plus Plans include all Classic plan coverage, plus bumper to bumper coverage, and is very similar to the new car comprehensive warranty.
Gold Plus Warranty Benefits:
- Car rental allowance
- Towing allowance
- Warranty is transferable
- Coverage nationwide
- Roadside assistance
- Lodging and meal reimbursement
- Locksmith service
- Gasoline delivery
- Tire change
- Roadside hazard tire protection
The Powertrain warranty includes just the engine, transmission and drive systems.
What is not covered by a Subaru extended warranty?
This is an “exclusionary coverage” policy, so anything that’s not on the list at the end of the brochure on Subaru’s website is not covered. So read your contract carefully, and make certain you understand your coverage. Subaru’s SAS plans do not include normal wear items like tires.
The SAS plan is also not a pre-paid maintenance plan. You will still pay for oil changes, timing belts, and services for other normal wear items. They offer their own maintenance plan, which you can purchase separately.
Items that are not covered by Classic or Gold Plus plans:
- Normal wear and tear
- Oil changes
- Timing belts
- Regular maintenance
- Brake pads
- Belts
- Hoses
- Windshield wiper blades
Average costs for Subaru repairs in 2024
The chart below is taken from CarComplaints.com and reflects owner-reported problems. We have placed an *asterisk next to the oil consumption costs since in some cases, those would be paid for under a class action settlement on 665,000 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Impreza and Legacy models built between 2011 to 2015 that had excessive oil consumption issues.
Read more on Subaru maintenance and repair costs here.
| Make | Repair | Cost |
|---|
What does a Subaru extended warranty cost?
New Motors Subaru of Pennsylvania publishes the cost of the Subaru SAS plans on its public webpage. We have recreated the data here. Note that for all 70k, 80k and 100k plans, STi sports cars have a surcharge of $495, and the WRX has a surcharge of $295. Your local dealer may have different pricing.
| Classic Plan | Gold Plus Plan | Gold Plus Plan |
|---|
Third-Party extended warranty providers for Subarus
Third-party warranties are an option for any make or model vehicle. These plans are offered by companies who profit by selling used vehicle owners a plan that they know will cost them more on average than the cost of any repairs.
Pros and Cons of third-party warranties
- Can be purchased for used Subarus outside of the 3-year 36K new car warranty window
- More choices of plans
- Option to use your own local mechanic if you prefer to
- Double-secret plan offerings only the company can make sense of
- Will the company still be in business when you need them?
CARCHEX is one of the largest, most highly-rated providers of vehicle extended warranties in the market. They have been a trusted name in the business for 20 years.
autopom! is well known in the industry for customer service and responsiveness. The company works directly with 2600 certified repair facilities and has a dedicated customer advocacy program.
Endurance Extended Car Warranty company is one of the most popular and trusted providers in the business. Endurance coverage is accepted at any dealership and at any ASE-certified mechanic, and features a 30-day money back guarantee.
Is a Subaru extended warranty worth it?
The answer is little complicated. Subaru’s had three major class action lawsuits that resulted in extending its own original warranty to cover head gasket, oil consumption and CVT issues, and if you were one of the people affected, you probably wish you had that extended warranty.
Ask yourself two questions:
- Is this a vehicle that I’m going to keep past the original warranty? If the answer is “no,” then an extended warranty isn’t much good to you.
- Do I have the money to cover an expensive repair after the warranty is up? A failed transmission can easily run into $5,000, but the likelihood of it happening between the end of the original warranty and 100,000 miles is exceedingly rare. But if you don’t have the money to pay for a repair like that, you’d be much better off folding the cost of the warranty into your original car loan.
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