The Best Extended Car Warranty in California

Crash Course:

• Our review team recommends Endurance as the best extended car warranty in California.
• California’s strict warranty regulations cause some providers not to operate in the state.
• Our other top picks for California coverage include autopom! and Olive.

Extended warranty providers are forbidden by law from selling vehicle service contracts in California. Vehicle service contracts may only be sold by dealerships and are backed by either the dealership itself or a vehicle service contract provider, such as an insurance company. Aftermarket providers may sell the best extended car warranties in California by offering mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI).

Our researchers have compiled information on every major car repair warranty provider on the market, evaluating price data, plan information, customer reviews and more to rate and rank the best extended car warranty companies in California. Our reviews found that Endurance, autopom!, and Olive are the top reputable extended car warranty companies in California.

Endurance

Endurance is our top pick for extended warranties in California, and it also won the Best Overall award in our yearly industry review. The company’s plans are called mechanical breakdown insurance in the state.

Endurance Pros

• Direct provider, which means there’s no middleman when you file a claim
• Plans feature unlimited mileage
• Six levels of coverage to choose from

Endurance Cons

• Not always the cheapest vehicle protection option
• Slightly lower Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating (A-) than some competitors
• Not all plans are advertised

What Endurance Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Covers

Endurance offers six extended warranties nationwide, though only advertises three mechanical breakdown insurance plans in California. These range from providing basic powertrain protection to comprehensive coverage and include the following plans:

• Elite Plus: This is an exclusionary plan that covers nearly all the parts and systems in your vehicle, other than a short list of exclusions, similar to a factory warranty.
• Premium: This is a mid-level stated-component plan that covers a specific list of parts and systems, including many of your vehicle’s electrical and luxury components.
• Standard: This is the most basic MBI plan that Endurance advertises, with protection for your vehicle’s most important components.

The following table shows what each Endurance MBI plan covers in California:

All Endurance plans come with roadside assistance, rental car coverage, and trip interruption benefits.

Optional Endurance MBI Addons

You can further customize your Endurance coverage with the following optional addons, depending on your needs and preferences:

• Covered part cause of loss
• Emissions coverage
• Business use option
• Lift kit or oversized tires
• Snowplow option

Endurance Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Costs

According to our secret shopping analysis, Endurance protection plans typically cost between $87 and $141 per month. You can choose a deductible of $0, $50, $100, or $200.

---

Autopom!

Autopom! offers three coverage levels, with a variety of plan options at each level. The company is also highly rated by online reviewers, including an excellent 4.7 out of 5.0-star weighted average rating on Trustpilot. Customers on the BBB give autopom! an average rating of 3.9 stars out of 5.0.

In our industry-wide study, autopom! consistently ranks among the cheapest car warranty providers, making it an excellent choice for budget-minded drivers who still want quality coverage.

autopom! Pros

• A+ rating from the BBB
• Excellent customer service
• Outstanding ratings on Trustpilot

autopom! Cons

• Available plans vary by state and vehicle
• Mileage limit of 150,000 is relatively low

What autopom! Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Covers

Autopom! sells mechanical breakdown insurance in California, though you’ll have to request a quote and speak with a representative for plan specifics. In general, autopom! offers the following three vehicle protection plans:

• Exclusionary: Autopom!’s Exclusionary plan covers nearly all of the parts and systems in your car, other than a list of exclusions, such as maintenance and wear and tear items.
• Mid-Level: This plan covers most of the parts and systems in your car, including the engine, transmission, drive axle, steering, braking, air conditioning, and electrical.
• Powertrain Plus: This plan covers your vehicle’s powertrain and some other components, including the engine, transmission drive axle, air conditioning, and some electrical items.

On top of breakdown coverage, autopom! provides 24-hour roadside assistance, rental vehicle assistance, and trip interruption reimbursement. Some plans include tire protection, which pay out to repair or replace your vehicle’s tires if they’re damaged by potholes, nails, and other road hazards.

Autopom! Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Costs

An autopom! Exclusionary protection plan typically costs about $126 per month, according to our secret shopping analysis. You can choose a deductible of $0, $50, $100, or $200. Though you’ll typically need to pay a down payment – which may be higher than your initial monthly payment – we recommend asking the sales representative for possible discounts to secure the lowest rate for your specific vehicle and plan. In our industry review, we gave autopom! our Most Affordable award.

---

Olive

Olive is an online-only extended warranty and mechanical breakdown insurance provider that sells three MBI plans in California. Though it’s a relative newcomer to the industry after launching in 2019, Repair Ventures, LLC, Olive’s parent company, holds BBB accreditation and an A+ rating.

We gave Olive our award for Best Online Experience due to the company’s simple and convenient digital sign-up process. The company doesn’t rely on robocalls or use pushy salespeople, making it an ideal choice for drivers who want to purchase coverage without arguing or haggling.

Olive Pros

• A+ rating from the BBB
• Online-only sales process
• Next-day coverage – no waiting period

Olive Cons

• Relatively new provider
• Coverage terms are limited to three years

What Olive Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Covers

Olive offers three mechanical breakdown insurance plans in California. You can see details about each plan below:

• Complete Care: This is an exclusionary plan that provides comprehensive coverage for most of your vehicle’s components and systems. Wear and tear items are excluded from coverage.
• Powertrain Plus: This is a mid-level plan that covers your vehicle’s powertrain and some other components, including the power steering, front suspension, brakes, and air conditioning.
• Powertrain: This plan covers your vehicle’s powertrain, including every lubricated part of your transmission and engine. Other parts, such as the thermostat and water and oil pumps are also covered.

Beyond mechanical breakdown coverage, Olive offers lodging reimbursement if your car needs covered repairs while traveling. The company will also reimburse you up to $100 for towing.

Olive Mechanical Breakdown Insurance Costs

According to our research, plans from Olive typically range from $50 to $232 per month. The provider lets you choose a deductible of up to $100, $250, or $500. Unlike Endurance and autopom!, Olive offers flexible month-to-month contracts that let you pay for coverage only as long as you need it. Though these plans can be more expensive long-term depending on how long you keep coverage in force, they also let you drop coverage whenever you want to without incurring cancellation fees.

---

California Extended Car Warranties: How Do They Work?

The California Department of Insurance only allows dealers or special companies authorized by dealers to sell vehicle service contracts, which are also called extended warranties. In other words, you can only get an extended warranty in person. However, California allows online providers to sell mechanical breakdown insurance (MBI), which is a similar type of coverage. All the providers we recommended above sell mechanical breakdown insurance in California.

There are some differences between MBI and vehicle service contracts. MBI is offered by car insurance providers as optional coverage add-ons, and extended warranties and vehicle service contracts are offered by car manufacturers and third parties.

California has high standards and regulations for MBI. Some warranty providers choose not to do business in California because of these regulations. Ultimately, the consumer has strong protections in California when shopping for MBI coverage.

How Long Does Coverage Last?

A vehicle protection plan can last anywhere from a few months to over 10 years, depending on the provider you choose. Manufacturers typically offer shorter term limits than third-party providers, and the length of coverage you’re eligible for may vary depending on the current age and mileage of your vehicle.

To give you more insight into how long coverage lasts, here are the maximum term limits of our top third-party vehicle protection plans:

How Do Claims Work?

Typically, in the event of a mechanical breakdown, you’ll need to take the following steps:

1. Take your vehicle to an authorized repair shop and have the mechanic perform a diagnosis to determine the cause of the issue.
2. The repair facility will reach out to your warranty provider to confirm your coverage and have repairs authorized.
3. After gaining prior authorization, the mechanic will begin repairs.
4. Once repairs are completed, you’ll pay your deductible and your provider will cover the rest of the bill. Some providers will have you pay the total cost upfront and send you a reimbursement check, but the best providers will pay the repair shop directly.

How Much Does a Vehicle Protection Plan Cost?

According to our research, the average cost of a vehicle protection plan (across all coverage levels) is about $1,054 per year of coverage. The price you pay for an extended warranty depends on:

• Level of coverage: A comprehensive plan is more expensive than a basic plan.
• Deductible: A higher deductible leads to a lower premium cost, and vice versa.
• Term length: As you’d expect, a longer contract is more costly.
• Vehicle age, make and model: Older, less-reliable cars are often more expensive to protect.

Many providers offer customers the choice to pay for a plan up front or on a monthly basis.

Are Auto Protection Plans Worth It?

Auto protection plans are worth it for many drivers. In fact, about 95% of the warranty owners we surveyed in 2024 reported that they were generally satisfied with their plans. However, a long-term vehicle protection plan may not be a great investment for everyone.

There are a few reasons to consider purchasing a vehicle protection plan, like if you don’t have an especially reliable car, if you don’t have the ability to pay for repair costs outright, or if you just want added peace of mind on the road. On the other hand, if you do own a highly reliable car or if you’re able to put money away for future repairs, you probably don’t need a vehicle protection plan.

If you’re on the fence, get free, no-obligation quotes from a few different providers and compare that cost to what you might expect to pay for future vehicle repairs (you can get a good estimate of this using a site like RepairPal). This will help you determine whether a vehicle protection plan would be worth it for your car.

---

Lemon Law California

If you have a new car that has a serious warranty defect that cannot be fixed by the dealer after multiple attempts, you may be eligible to get another car or a refund in the state of California.

How Does a Car Qualify for Lemon Law in California?

In California, Lemon Law applies to the following new and used vehicles that come with the manufacturer warranty:

• Cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans
• Vehicles leased or purchased for family, household, or personal reasons
• Demonstrators and dealer-owned vehicles
• Many vehicles leased or purchased mainly for business use
• The drivetrain, chassis, and chassis cab of a motor-home

If the dealer or car manufacturer can’t repair a serious warranty defect after a “reasonable” amount of attempts, the manufacturer must refund the purchase price or replace the vehicle, whichever you prefer.

---

California Extended Warranties: FAQ

Below are some frequently asked questions about extended car warranties in California.

---

*Data accurate at time of publication.