As soon as your car’s factory warranty expires, you’ll be responsible for covering unexpected repair costs out of pocket. Continental Warranty aims to shoulder some of the burden by offering extended warranty plans through dealerships. If you’re presented with a Continental Warranty plan, should you buy it?
In this review, we’ll cover the pros and cons of Continental Warranty plans so you can decide if this company is right for you. We’ve also reviewed the best extended car warranty companies in the industry, and we’ll introduce you to a few top-rated competitors, too. The only way to find the best deal on warranty coverage is to compare free, personalized quotes from multiple companies. You can get started above.
Is a Continental Warranty Worth It?
Continental Warranty has been in business since 1999, and its leadership team has over 35 years of experience in the extended warranty industry. The company is based in Claymont, Delaware.
Continental Warranty offers vehicle protection plans through dealerships in various states. In addition to standard coverage options, it provides some extra plans that are useful for luxury vehicle owners, like remote car starter replacement.
Continental Warranty does not have sample contracts online, but that’s a common practice with companies that only sell plans through dealerships. The company has an A+ rating with accreditation from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, it has just a 2.09 out of 5-star rating from customer reviews on the BBB.
| Overall Rating | 6.5 |
|---|---|
| Industry Reputation | 8.0 |
| Coverage | 8.0 |
| Warranty Cost | See dealership |
| Transparency | 5.0 |
| Customer Experience | 5.0 |
Is a Continental Warranty plan worth it? Because the company lacks transparency online and has a low customer review score, we recommend going with a provider that has a better reputation.
Continental Warranty Coverage
Continental Warranty offers five plans with a number of add-ons. Here’s what the five vehicle service contracts cover:
- Exclusionary Vehicle Service Contract: Covers nearly all mechanical breakdowns, except for a list of exclusions
- Ultra Care Vehicle Service Contract: Covers most vehicle systems
- Continental Gold: Stated-component coverage for essential vehicle systems
- Continental Plus: Enhanced powertrain coverage
- Continental Powertrain: Basic coverage for the engine, transmission and drive axle
All plans come with rental car reimbursement while your car is in the shop for covered repairs, and higher-tier plans come with towing. Depending on the plan you pick, you can also choose from the following add-ons:
- Full roadside assistance
- Four-wheel drive coverage
- Turbocharger coverage
- GPS coverage
What Continental Warranty Doesn’t Cover
Continental Warranty vehicle protection plans are meant to cover specific mechanical breakdowns, and they come with a list of exclusions. Contracts don’t cover damage from a lack of maintenance, misuse, accidents or the environment. They also don’t cover normal wear and tear or regular maintenance services, such as oil changes.
Each plan may also exclude specific items, so it’s important to read your contract thoroughly before signing on the dotted line.
Additional Plans
Continental Warranty offers quite a few additional plans to enhance your coverage. Here are some examples:
- Lifetime powertrain plan
- Guaranteed asset protection (GAP) coverage for vehicles up to $100,000
- Tire and wheel road hazard coverage
- Specialty high-tech coverage
- Paint and windshield protection
- Key and remote replacement
Cost of a Continental Warranty
Because it sells plans through dealerships, Continental Warranty doesn’t list any prices online. You’ll need to find an authorized retailer in order to get a quote. Keep in mind that prices will be customized to your vehicle and situation.
Vehicles that have higher average repair costs will require more expensive warranties. The deductible you choose will affect your total price as well. A lower deductible will typically raise the price of your warranty, and vice versa.
In our research, we’ve found that extended warranties can cost between $400 and $1,000 per year of coverage. Monthly payments typically hover around $120. If you’re presented with a Continental Warranty plan, you can compare the cost to these averages to see if it’s a good deal.
How to Get a Quote and File a Claim
The only way to get a Continental Warranty plan is to purchase one through a participating dealer. You’ve probably been presented with extended warranty options at dealerships in the past. Generally, that’s not the best time to buy a warranty.
When you’re sitting with a salesperson, they’ll likely try to persuade you into a purchase. And in that high-pressure situation, you may not take the time to read every word of your contract thoroughly. This can lead to you signing up for subpar coverage or facing a surprise repair bill later on for something you thought was covered.
If you do sign up for a Continental Warranty plan and need your car fixed, you’ll be happy to know that your coverage will be accepted at any licensed repair facility nationwide. When you get to a shop, call the phone number listed on your extended warranty contract. Continental Warranty will need to authorize all repairs before work begins. If the repair is covered, you’ll just pay your deductible to the shop. If not, you’ll have to cover the repair and any diagnosis charges.
Continental Warranty doesn’t provide information on a money-back guarantee period online. But, if it follows the industry standard, you’d have 30 days to request a full refund as long as you haven’t used the coverage.
Continental Warranty Reviews
Continental Warranty has only received about 10 reviews and 35 complaints through the BBB. This a small amount of feedback compared to what other providers receive. Since the company operates through dealerships, some customers may contact the dealership instead if they have a concern regarding their extended warranty coverage.
Reviews on the BBB either give the company 5.0 stars or 1.0 stars – nothing in between. Below are a few examples.
Positive Reviews
“What an awesome experience dealing with Continental Warranty. They came through for us when we really needed them to. Highly recommended!”
– John W. via BBB
“Really stellar coverage for my 2013 BMW X5. My service advisor works directly with Continental and has persuaded [the company] to cover oil leaks, new injectors, control arms and a number of other issues.”
– Mac C. via BBB
Negative Reviews
“A sham of a company, scamming people like me who spend $5,000 on what is the ‘claimed’ best package. And it ends up not covering a thing.”
– Caleb W. via BBB
“Truck has been in the shop for three weeks getting run around, nobody wants to fix it. [Continental Warranty has] to send an adjuster to look at the problem… this warranty is a joke.”
– Greg H. via BBB
Our Verdict on Continental Warranty: 6.5 / 10.0
Continental Warranty offers a good range of extended plans along with some optional add-ons that many drivers may find useful. However, it does have some negative reviews, and you won’t really know what the contract covers until you’re sitting with a salesperson at a dealership. For these reasons, we’d recommend continuing your search with other reputable extended car warranty companies.
Our Picks for Best Extended Car Warranties
All of our recommended providers offer sample contracts and free quotes online, which means you can compare plans and prices from virtually anywhere. This makes shopping for an extended warranty easy.
In our industry research, we rated the top extended warranty companies based on affordability, transparency, coverage details and reputation. Two providers that scored well across these categories are Endurance and Protect My Car.
Endurance: Best Provider
Endurance is a direct extended warranty provider that can cover vehicles up to 8 years/200,000+ miles. Its plans are tailored to both new cars and high-mileage vehicles. After a thorough review, we rated the company as the overall best provider in the industry.
Many customers have positive experiences with Endurance – the company has a rating of 4.2 out of 5.0 stars from over 1,500 reviews on Trustpilot. The quotes we received for Endurance were below $100 per month, which makes it an affordable option as well.
To learn more about the company, read our full Endurance warranty review, and to get a free quote, check out the link below.
Protect My Car: Best Long-Term Financing
Another great option for extended warranty coverage is Protect My Car. This company offers three standard protection plans along with three hybrid plans that combine mechanical protection with regular maintenance. This is unique in the world of extended warranties.
Protect My Car is another good option for drivers on a budget because it has the longest payment terms out of any extended warranty company we’ve researched. Check out our Protect My Car review for more information, and get a free quote from the provider by clicking below.
Should You Buy a Continental Warranty Plan? (2022 Review):FAQ
What does my factory warranty cover?
Each factory warranty is slightly different, but most cover defects in workmanship or materials for a certain length of time. This includes almost all mechanical parts of a vehicle. Many also include coverage for emissions systems and extra perks like roadside assistance. Check out our car warranty comparison article to look up information on your warranty.
Who has the best extended car warranty?
Based on our research, Endurance has the best extended car warranty overall. The company offers plenty of coverage options and has a track record for customer satisfaction, according to Endurance warranty reviews.
What is the difference between a warranty and an extended warranty?
All vehicles come with a warranty from the manufacturer, which is free of charge. It’s the guarantee from the manufacturer that the car’s parts will work for a certain period of time. An extended warranty can cover similar repairs after the factory warranty expires. The difference is that you have to pay for an extended warranty.
Methodology
The Detroit Bureau collects data from every major car warranty provider to formulate rankings of the best warranty companies. Our in-depth rating system takes into account coverage, pricing, transparency, customer satisfaction and ratings from industry experts. Each provider is given a weighted score in five categories, as well as an overall score out of 10.0.
We recommend auto warranty companies based on these rankings, but we also encourage you to perform your own research and compare quotes to find the best coverage.
