What Does a Honda Warranty Cover?

Honda’s vehicles are known for their reliability, but no car is completely immune to breakdowns. That’s why it’s good to know what types of repairs the Honda warranty covers – and for how long.

Honda’s car warranty is fairly standard, if on the shorter side, but it does come with a few extra perks. We’ll cover what’s included in Honda’s new and certified pre-owned (CPO) warranties, and we’ll also touch on your options for extended Honda warranty coverage through the manufacturer or an independent provider. There are dozens of companies to choose from, but we’ll help you narrow down your options by recommending a few of the industry’s best extended car warranty providers above.

An extended car warranty refers to mechanical breakdown coverage offered by a vehicle manufacturer. However, this term is often mistakenly used to describe coverage from third-party companies. Independent providers offer similar protection through vehicle service contracts, but we’ve used the terms interchangeably in this article for convenience.

Honda Warranty Coverage Overview

New Hondas come with a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which covers manufacturing defects and includes roadside assistance. New vehicles also come with a powertrain warranty, which covers the engine, transmission and drive axle for 5 years/60,000 miles.

What is Honda’s Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty?

Honda’s bumper-to-bumper warranty is called the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. As the name suggests, it covers almost any part of the car against manufacturing defects. Importantly, it doesn’t cover damage from lack of maintenance, misuse, vandalism, theft or accidents.

Since a bumper-to-bumper warranty has the most comprehensive coverage, it’s often the shortest warranty a car company offers. Compared to other brands, the Honda warranty doesn’t shine in terms of length. It’s the shortest bumper-to-bumper warranty on the market, and about two-thirds of auto manufacturers offer longer terms (up to 5 years/60,000 miles).

Honda Hybrid Powertrain Warranty

Beyond the standard bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage, the Honda warranty also covers a number of hybrid parts. Terms differ by state and particular parts covered. Major hybrid components can be covered for 8 years/100,000 miles or up to 15 years/150,000 miles, depending on the state.

Honda’s Seatbelt Warranty

In addition to the standard warranties, Honda also provides drivers with a seatbelt warranty. Seatbelts that fail to function are covered for 15 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Honda’s Rust Perforation Warranty

Honda provides a Rust Perforation Warranty for new vehicles. The company will repair or replace any model panel on your car that rusts from the inside out. Coverage lasts for five years with no mileage limit.

Honda’s Limited Accessory Warranty

Honda provides a limited warranty for genuine accessories that were installed at the time of purchase. They are covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty. If an installation or use of non-genuine accessories damages your vehicle, Honda will not cover repairs.

Honda’s Roadside Assistance Perks

Since 2015, Honda has offered roadside assistance for 3 years/36,000 miles with all new vehicles. Here’s what’s included with the coverage:

• Winching
• Jump-start services
• Fuel delivery
• Lockout services
• Flat tire services
• Mechanical and accident towing

Additionally, Honda provides trip interruption coverage if your car breaks down over 100 miles from your home. Reimbursement for food and lodging tops out at $300 (up to $100 per day for three days). Honda also provides concierge services to help you find a rental car or taxi and to book a hotel or flight.

Other Things the Honda Warranty Doesn’t Cover

Paint is just one thing that isn’t covered under the Honda warranty. Here are a few more exclusions:

• Normal wear and tear
• Regular maintenance services
• Broken or chipped glass (except for manufacturing defects)
• Wear items such as filters and brake pads
• Damage from accidents, misuse or acts of nature
• Damage from improper maintenance
• Vehicles with altered odometers

Certified Pre-Owned Honda Warranty

There are two types of Honda warranties for certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles: HondaTrue Certified and HondaTrue Certified+. Both warranties extend the vehicle’s powertrain coverage to 7 years/100,000 miles. The two warranties also come with roadside assistance, two oil changes within the first year of ownership, trip interruption coverage and concierge service.

The main difference between the two CPO Honda warranties is in the bumper-to-bumper coverage:

• Vehicles less than 12 months old and with less than 12,000 miles are eligible for HondaTrue Certified+, which extends the bumper-to-bumper warranty to 5 years/86,000 miles.
• Vehicles that are older than 12 months or that have more than 12,000 miles are eligible for HondaTrue Certified, which extends the bumper-to-bumper warranty to 4 years/48,000 miles.

Basically, HondaTrue Certified+ adds 2 years/50,000 miles to the existing bumper-to-bumper warranty, while HondaTrue Certified adds 1 year/12,000 miles.

How to Check If You Have a Honda Warranty

Because the Honda warranty transfers to subsequent owners, your car could still be covered if you bought it from a private party. To see if you have a Honda warranty, visit the Honda Owners website.

You can select your vehicle model and the year to view the warranty information for that car. You can also register an account on the site to get more specific information about your vehicle.

Is an Extended Honda Warranty Worth It?

For most Honda drivers, huge repair bills are few and far between. RepairPal ranks Honda first out of 32 car brands for reliability, and Kelley Blue Book has named Honda the best non-luxury value brand multiple years in a row.

Looking at the numbers, Honda drivers spend about $428 per year on scheduled maintenance and unscheduled repairs. They also visit the shop fewer times per year and experience fewer urgent problems than the average driver.

If Hondas are so reliable, why think about an extended warranty? Because breakdowns do still happen. Here are a few examples of average costs of Honda repairs for four-year-old vehicles, according to RepairPal:

When repairs come up, an extended warranty plan can help with these costs. Ultimately, it’s up to you to weigh the pros and cons of an extended warranty, but having one can bring peace of mind that many repairs are covered beyond Honda’s short factory warranty.

Honda Factory Warranty: Conclusion

One option you have to lengthen your Honda warranty is the manufacturer-backed Honda extended warranty, which is called Honda Care^®. There are two types of Honda Care coverage: exclusionary and powertrain.

Exclusionary coverage is similar to Honda’s factory bumper-to-bumper warranty, with a few extra exceptions. It’s available for new and CPO cars, as well as used cars within the original bumper-to-bumper warranty period. The powertrain plan covers the “meat and potatoes” of your car: the engine, transmission and drive axle. It’s available for used vehicles only.

There are a couple of things to think about when considering Honda Care. First, you have to purchase an extended warranty plan from Honda before your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty runs out at 3 years/36,000 miles. Also, the vehicle protection plan requires you to get service at Honda dealerships, which means you have less control over the mechanic you use. Honda’s extended car warranty is fairly standard, with some extras such as roadside assistance, but you can find more flexibility from third-party providers.

Benefits of a Third-Party Extended Warranty

A third-party extended warranty, also called a vehicle service contract, allows you to visit any licensed mechanic that you like. This means you can choose from tens of thousands of certified repair shops across the U.S., including Honda dealerships, chains such as Pep Boys and even mom-and-pop garages.

You can also buy a third-party extended warranty plan after your original Honda warranty expires, so there’s no pressure to make a purchase by a deadline. You can even get an extended warranty for cars over 100,000 miles.

Leading extended warranty providers typically offer five or six plans that range from basic powertrain coverage to factory-style protection. To help you narrow down which provider would be the best choice for you, we’ve reviewed dozens of companies and have identified which stand out for things such as customer service and affordable monthly payments.

We recommend Honda drivers look into coverage from Endurance, CARCHEX and CarShield, three of our top-rated providers. You can start by comparing free, personalized quotes from each company.

Honda Warranty: FAQ