by Gabrielle DeSantis

Your car is one of your most valuable possessions. But unfortunately, vehicles break down, and that happens more often as they age, making maintenance costs rise. That’s when a car warranty comes in handy. Basically, a warranty is an automobile repair contract that limits the owner’s financial risk for a certain period. 

That means paying out of pocket when your vehicle needs repairs might not be necessary if you have a car warranty. However, not all are the same.

What do new car warranties cover?

The damage that occurs during normal use of your car, which you cannot consider normal wear and tear, is what a car warranty covers. As such, your car warranty can cover defective parts with new or reconditioned parts at the discretion of the company behind your warranty, and you can also use it to cover labor costs. According to The Detroit Bureau, a car warranty will also take care of the following:

• Transmission replacement costs if your car’s transmission fails during normal driving while your powertrain warranty is active.
• Air conditioning replacement expenses if your vehicle’s air conditioning stops working while your bumper-to-bumper coverage is active.

7 types of new car warranties

Extended warranty

Once the manufacturer’s warranty expires, generally after three years or 36,000 miles, an extended warranty takes over, Kelley Blue Book explains. But you’ll have to pay extra for an extended warranty.

Comprehensive warranty

A comprehensive or bumper-to-bumper warranty covers new parts your car had when you acquired the vehicle

Hybrid and EV component warranty

Coverage for repairs to the electric motor, battery, and other unique hybrid or electric vehicle components falls under the hybrid and EV component warranty. Note that electric motors are subject to minor wear and tear, which is not the case for gasoline engines. The implication here is that electric motors require much less maintenance. It’s also worth noting that a hybrid or electric car’s battery can carry much of a vehicle’s value.

For that reason, replacing such a battery is among the costliest repairs, so coverage for that part is separate.

Powertrain

The powertrain warranty covers mechanical parts that move your car, whose lifespan is several years’ worth of driving. The duration of coverage, in this case, is longer than that of the comprehensive option.

Emissions

Coverage for the components that limit your car’s emissions is under emissions warranty. Emissions warranties have complexities, and that is why they vary from state to state and warranty some parts for a shorter duration than others.

Restraint systems

This covers damage to the airbags and seat belts. The coverage can vary considerably among automakers.

Corrosion

Most vehicle coverage includes corrosion. The warranty pays to replace body panels that are completely rusted. However, lesser corrosion isn’t covered. 

Does a car warranty cover regularly scheduled maintenance?

It’s worth mentioning that warranties do not cover regularly scheduled maintenance. However, some manufacturers include a maintenance plan in the purchase price of a vehicle, while others offer optional maintenance packages at an extra charge.

Because warranties do not cover routine maintenance, failure to observe the maintenance schedule that a manufacturer recommends can void your automobile warranty.

RELATED: Which Car Company Has the Best Warranty in 2021?

The post 7 Types of New Car Warranties appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Electric cars have been gaining in popularity over the last few years and many automakers plan making more in the future. That being the case, the need for a denser infrastructure of electric chargers is in order, but until then electric vehicle (EV) owners will have to make the best of what’s available. That had me wondering: If someone wanted to drive a Nissan Leaf across the country, could they feasibly do so?

The younger the Leaf, the better

If you ever plan on purchasing a Nissan Leaf and one day decide to go on a cross-country road trip with it, then you might want to look into one of the later models. The Leaf made its debut in 2010 and, according to Autolist, it was “the first mainstream, mass-market, fully-electric vehicle made by a major automaker.” That’s right, it came out before the Tesla Model S, but it was nowhere near the specs of one of those cars.

In fact, that first-generation Nissan Leaf — which was refreshed in 2017 – was only rated to go about 80 miles on a single charge. And if you ever driven an EV, then you know that “80 miles” is more like “64 miles on a good day,” since the range can fluctuate depending on how you drive, the roads you drive on, etc. That being said, it could be tough driving across the country in a first-generation Leaf as many chargers are far apart. However, you could probably complete the distance in a newer one.

The second-generation Nissan Leaf could make it

The second-generation Leaf, which made its debut for the 2018 model year, is powered by a 147-hp motor that’s connected to a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery. In its standard form, the Leaf can achieve up to 149 of all-electric range, according to Nissan. However, if you want more range, then you can opt for the Nissan Leaf Plus, which has a larger 62-kWh battery and 214 hp. That version can make go up to a reported 226 miles on a single charge.

After charting a hypothetical trip from San Francisco, Calif., to New York, NY, on ChargeHub.com, it’s apparent that the range-extended Leaf could make the long journey. If you’re able to find DC fast chargers along the way, then you would be blessed with 30-minute charge times. However, if you only opt for Level 2 (240-volt) chargers, then you can expect those wait times to range from four to eight hours to completely charge a Leaf.

Theoretically, you can make it to each station given the car’s range, but the wait times to charge the car might not be worth the trip.

Electric vehicles are still good for short distances

If you’re still thinking about taking an EV across the country – whether it’s a Leaf or something else – you may want to be sure and map out every charging station stop and hotel to stay at. What is usually a five-day trip in a gas-powered car can easily extend to a week in an electric vehicle, given the shorter range and charge times.

The editors at Inside EVs bit the bullet a few years ago and took a road trip in their 2018 Nissan Leaf. We’ll spare you the details, but they ended up succeeding in covering 526 miles with relative ease, thanks in part to a lot of downhill sections that allowed the Leaf to recharge some of its lost power.

Ultimately, Inside EVs noted that range anxiety is a “thing of the past,” however, they wouldn’t recommend driving across the country in one of things due to the added charge time. So, it’s definitely possible for an electric car to travel across the country, but the real question is: Do you have the patience to do it?

RELATED: Does Anyone Regret Buying the Nissan Leaf?

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