Protect My Car Extended Warranty Review and Pricing 2024 - Car Talk (2024)

• Written ByChris Teague
• 7/11/2024

The company offers extended warranties for a variety of vehicles and conditions, including a unique offering of Ambassador maintenance plans for cars over 13 years of age. So consumers with older cars still have the option of partial coverage with Protect My Car. Their website also says that Protect My Car plans are honored at any licensed repair facility, including their very large network of repair shops.

Protect My Car maintains a stellar A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and excellent consumer reviews compared to many of their contemporaries in the extended warranty industry.

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(*) Brakes does not include: Pads, Rotors, Shoes and Drums

Which Protect My Car Plan is right for me?

Additional benefits included in all Protect My Car plans

Protect My Car offers “extras” that many aftermarket warranty providers can’t match:

• All plans come with 24/7 roadside assistance
• All plans include rental car reimbursem*nt for repairs that require overnight time in the shop
• Supreme plan holders can opt in for coverage of some electronic items, such as the navigation system.

Driveline Plan from Protect My Car

Protect My Car’s Driveline Plan covers the powertrain basics:

• Engine
• Transmission
• Transfer Case
• Differential
• Climate System
• Cooling System
• Electrical Components
• Timing Chain

The policy pays 100 percent toward repairs of these items, assuming that the conditions have been met and the vehicle warranty has not been voided.

Select Plan from Protect My Car

The Protect My Car Select Plan includes every covered item from the Driveline Plan, plus:

• Front and rear suspension and components
• Non common-wear brake components

Supreme Plan from Protect My Car

The Protect My Car Supreme Plan includes everything from both the Driveline and Select plans, plus:

• Turbo and supercharger components
• The ability to add optional navigation coverage

Ambassador Plans from Protect My Car

Most consumers with older cars have a hard time finding extended warranties that will cover them. Protect My Car's main warranty offerings are for cars that have less than 125,000 miles or are less than 13 years old.

If you have an older vehicle and are still interested in coverage, Protect My Car has the unique offering of Ambassador Plans, which may cover a certain percentage of repair costs for covered components. While this is not a full extended warranty, it is a rare offering of coverage for older cars. Depending on your plan, coverage could be for any of the following components.

• Air Conditioning
• Cooling
• Drive Axle
• Electrical
• Engine
• Front and Rear Suspension
• Timing Chain
• Transmission

(*) As always, make certain to read your policy fully before signing anything to ensure that you have the best coverage that is right for you and your budget.

How much does a Protect My Car warranty cost?

We scoured the internet to find sample rates from Protect My Car. Of course, your mileage may vary, as costs can differ wildly from vehicle to vehicle and from place to place.

(*) Note that these are customer-reported prices and may not be reflective of the rates you’ll receive.

How Protect My Car compares against other warranty companies?

In general, Protect My Car is among the upper tier of extended warranty providers, when it comes to customer satisfaction and reviews. The Better Business Bureau’s site is chock full of great reviews from people who love the flexibility of payment plans, the wide variety of coverage options, and the fact that 24/7 roadside assistance is included with every plan.

Read more on Protect My Car vs CarShield Extended Warranty here.

How to file a claim with Protect My Car?

Customers say that filing a claim with Protect My Car is quite easy, and just involves a phone call to get the process started. One challenge that can arise is that the company sometimes requires an estimate from an approved shop to issue payment for the repair, but this is common in the industry. Protect My Car states that their policyholders can use any licensed repair facility, including well established shops in their network like Pep Boys and Aamco.

Here are the steps to take to get the claims process moving.

1. Call Protect My Car to let them know you're experiencing an issue and begin a claim
2. Choose a repair facility near you that is fully licensed
3. Allow the mechanic to take a look at your car, to figure out the issue
4. Authorize the repair shop to get approval from Protect My Car for the covered repair
5. Make certain to pay the applicable deductible

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Is my car eligible for a Protect My Car warranty?

Protect My Car offers coverage for vehicles up to ten years old that have up to 125,000 miles. The company also offers various high-mileage coverage for vehicles up to 300,000 miles.

Protect My Car lists several factors that can void its extended warranties:

• The vehicle is declared a total loss by an insurance company
• The vehicle ends up with a salvage or branded title
• Repairs are not performed when needed
• Vehicle is used incorrectly for towing or hauling
• Vehicle is heavily modified
• Vehicle is used for racing or competition

Most common reasons why Protect My Car claims are rejected?

One of the most common reasons a warranty claim is rejected is because the component needing repair is not covered. This can be a common wear item like tires or brakes, but can also be a non-covered drivetrain component. Other rejections can occur because of:

• Aftermarket or unapproved parts were used in a previous repair or modification
• There has been damage from external forces like weather
• The vehicle has been wrecked
• The odometer has been tampered with

Customer reviews of Protect My Car

Trustpilot.com is a goldmine of reviews, both positive and negative for Protect My Car. Spelling and punctuation are that of the reviewer.

Positive Reviews

“Today I spoke with a customer service representative (Isaisha) and with just talking with him I knew that I made the right choice joining the family of “Protect My Car”. Just talking with Isaisha, I know that this company will go above and beyond to make sure the customer is satisfied. People read reviews before signing with other companies. This says a lot about a company. Thank you to the first representative and Isaisha for getting me the peace and no worries about my car because I signed up with the best!”

“I've had a really outstanding experience with Protect My Car and their Representatives during my recent car repairs. On the first occasion, my car was repaired with me paying only my low deductible and the second repair was not covered, but my Representative offered and work with me to get the new OEM part at a much lower price than the dealer. I'm truly thankful with my choice for the coverage this company provides: I've tried other warranties but they just don't add up to the total protection I have with PMC.”

Negative Reviews

“Miscommunication, waiting time is ridiculous. My wife due to this, in trying to hold on but they giving me lil to no choice but to leave this contract. My truck's been in the shop for way too long, over two weeks without a rental that they're suppose to provide for their customers.”

“You all don't cover things like replacing keys, I had to pay 300$ because my key stopped working to my car. It was an electrical problem. So you all need to cover electrical and power problems.”

Should you get a Protect My Car extended warranty?

There are a whole bunch of reasons why having an extended warranty can be a great thing, both for your wallet and for your peace of mind. Protect My Car appears to have great flexibility, both in how they are able to be paid for and in how/when they can be canceled. It’s worth the time, however, to determine which of Protect My Car’s warranty options is right for your car.

The most important thing to remember, though, is that you may not even need an extended warranty. If you’re driving an older well-maintained vehicle that has given you zero trouble, you might reconsider spending the extra money on a warranty. The same also should hold true if you don’t plan on keeping your car for an extended period of time. There’s no reason to pay for a warranty on a car you’re going to unload in a year or less.

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Our methodology for best warranty providers

Car Talk has spent the last year doing a deep dive into the warranties industry for the benefit of our readership and long-time listeners. Our process for deciding on the best warranty companies for the year was exceptionally thorough, involving in-depth research and our unique secret shopper initiative. We compiled over 50 data points across all reviewed companies to refine and inform our selection process. Car Talk reviewed the following important criteria for each company:

• Consumer Satisfaction: Cross referencing multiple trusted resources to pull our fair and balanced customer reviews.

• Cost: Utilizing our secret shopper initiative, we got comparable quotes across all companies so we can validly compare pricing.

• Coverage and Offerings: Our research team delved into the coverage and offerings for each company, comparing what is available, including extras and discounts.

• Official Ratings: We consulted a wide range of verified review sites to extrapolate a ratings score for each.

Read more on the Best Warranty Companies in the industry here.