Auto warranty cost calculator
A plan saves money only when its approved payments, after deductibles and limits, exceed its full price. That depends on the repairs your car needs, what they cost, and the plan you choose.
Start with one repair's break-even point. Then compare the average repair budget with the full warranty cost. You can inspect the assumptions and sources without signing up.
Choose your car above, then select Show my break-even point and savings. See what one approved repair could save, then compare average costs over the same period.
The single-repair check compares one hypothetical bill with the full plan premium, deductible, eligible share and payout cap. At break-even, savings are zero. No repair or a denied claim leaves the full premium as an added cost. That bill is not added to the separate average-based budget below.
We multiply the available annual repair and maintenance average by your selected years. Where a model average is unavailable, the result identifies the broader brand or all-vehicle reference. We do not predict an individual car's failures.
The premium is a published example scaled to your time frame, not an offer for your vehicle. Replace it with the full price of a quote covering that period. A five-year budget does not establish that a five-year plan is available.
Potential savings subtract the premium from assumed reimbursement. Maintenance, excluded work and deductibles stay in your budget. Change the coverage and claims assumptions, including zero claims, to see how much the answer depends on them.
Our repair labor cost study shows how the same modeled job changes with location. Our NHTSA complaint audit explains why complaint counts cannot supply your car's failure odds.
Read our full methodology →Put the contract terms into numbers
These studies separate source records from chosen cost scenarios. Their findings help frame the estimate and contract questions; they do not predict a repair or determine claim eligibility.
Contract-math experiment
With an illustrative $2,500 full-term premium and $100 deductible, reducing the eligible share from the full bill to half doubles the one-claim threshold from $2,600 to $5,200. The payment is the relevant comparison with the premium.
48 illustrative premium, deductible and eligible-share combinations; no claim probabilities
See the analysis, charts and method →
Labor-allowance experiment
A hypothetical $150 hourly allowance falls below 17 of our 50 modeled metro rates. The largest eight-hour gap is $366.16, showing why covered labor and the permitted labor payment need separate checks.
50 modeled metro rates; eight approved labor hours; illustrative $150 hourly allowance
See the analysis, charts and method →Before using a repair as a future claim
A coolant warning, shudder or code is not a confirmed repair bill. The imported records distinguish diagnostic checks, smaller repairs, software remedies and complete replacements. Get the diagnosis, check the VIN for any applicable recall or manufacturer program, then enter the repair and coverage assumptions that fit.
A newly purchased service contract generally excludes an existing fault. The calculator does not decide whether a VIN qualifies for an extension, campaign or claim.