While driving a Toyota won’t necessarily make the hair on your neck stand up in excitement, the positive reputation of the brand just might. So, why is a Toyota extended warranty even something to talk about? Well, precisely because the cars last so long. As time goes on, repair costs rise.
One of our writers recently bought a near-mint 20-year-old Toyota Camry that still shines as a daily driver. At that point, Toyota’s warranty is long gone. But you can still find extended coverage from a third-party provider.
In our research, we’ve narrowed down a number of reputable extended car warranty providers that consistently pay out for repairs. When shopping around, get quotes from at least three providers to find the best extended auto warranty for your Toyota.
You can get started with our top recommendation, Endurance. Use the tool below to get started and see how much you would pay for an Endurance extended warranty.
In This Review:
- Toyota Extended Warranty Plans
- What Toyota’s Extended Warranty Doesn’t Cover
- How Much Does A Toyota Extended Warranty Cost?
- Advantages Of Third-Party Extended Car Warranties
- The Bottom Line: Is Toyota’s Extended Warranty Worth It?
- Should You Get An Extended Warranty?
- Toyota Repair Costs
- Check If You Still Have Coverage
Toyota Extended Warranty Plans
Toyota vehicle service agreements (VSAs) are also known as extended warranties or protection plans. They come in three coverage levels: Powertrain Protection, Gold Protection, and Platinum Protection. Here are a few features common to all Toyota extended warranty plans:
- New cars are eligible for a VSA until 3 years/36,000 miles.
- Drivers can add a VSA to a used Toyota only at the time of purchase.
- All plans come with roadside assistance, trip interruption, and rental car reimbursement.
- Drivers can choose between $0 or $100 deductibles.
If you add an extended warranty plan to your car when you purchase the vehicle, Toyota will let you finance the cost of the plan. That’s convenient, but that also means you’ll be paying interest on the warranty plan.
Toyota Powertrain VSA Coverage
The basic Toyota extended warranty is the Powertrain Protection VSA. Like the name suggests, it covers components of the powertrain beyond the factory warranty. These include parts in the engine, transmission, and drivetrain. It also covers some components in hybrid vehicles like the generator, motor, and transmission input damper assemblies. That’s good, because Toyota sells a lot of hybrids.
For new cars, the maximum coverage length is 6 years/100,000 miles from the in-service date. For used cars, the Powertrain plan can add up to 2 years/24,000 miles of coverage after the purchase date. Used cars purchased from a dealer are eligible for the Powertrain VSA until 13 years/150,000 miles.
Toyota Gold VSA Coverage
The mid-range Toyota extended warranty option is the Gold plan. It covers everything under the Powertrain plan plus many parts on these additional systems:
- Suspension
- Steering
- Fuel
- Cooling
- Air conditioning/heating
- Brakes
- Electrical
- High-tech equipment
- Additional hybrid components
The Gold plan can cover new vehicles up to 8 years/125,000 miles from the in-service date. As far as dealership extended warranties go, that’s a pretty good coverage period. Used cars are eligible until 10 years/150,000 miles, and the Gold plan can add up to 5 years/60,000 miles of coverage on used vehicles.
Toyota Platinum VSA Coverage
Toyota’s highest coverage option is the Platinum Protection VSA. This Toyota extended warranty plan covers hundreds of parts on most systems of the vehicle. In particular, it covers many more electrical and high-tech components than the Gold plan.
The Platinum VSA shares the same eligibility requirements and coverage limits as the Gold VSA:
- New cars eligible until 3 years/36,000 miles and covered for up to 10 years/125,000 miles
- Used cars eligible until 10 years/150,000 miles and covered for up to 5 years/60,000 miles after purchase
Added Benefits
All Toyota extended warranties come with the three benefits we mentioned earlier, but there are some differences between plans.
Roadside assistance includes towing, lockout service, jump-starts, fuel delivery, and flat tire service. It’s available for the duration of the VSA on all Toyota extended warranty plans.
Plans also come with trip interruption reimbursement. Platinum and Gold plans reimburse up to $100 per day with a five-day maximum over the life of the warranty. The Powertrain plan limits coverage to $50 per day with a four-day maximum.
The Powertrain plan also gets the short end of the stick with rental car coverage. It covers up to $35 per day for five days per breakdown, while Gold and Platinum provide up to $50 per day.
What Toyota’s Extended Warranty Doesn’t Cover
There are some limitations to Toyota protection plans. No matter which type of VSA you buy, you are required to go to a dealership for all repairs. While most major cities in the United States have a few, going to a dealer isn’t always the most convenient option.
It can also be more expensive to go to the dealer if you need to repair non-covered parts. Plus, not every dealership gives the same level of service. But if your town only has one Toyota dealer, that’s the one you’re stuck with.
While the Platinum Protection VSA covers many parts, it doesn’t cover everything. Here are a few exclusions:
- Wear and tear
- Maintenance and related parts
- Environmental damage
- Cosmetic parts
- Standard and hybrid batteries
- Damage from misuse or lack of maintenance
- Corrosion damage
How Much Does A Toyota Extended Warranty Cost?
You’ll have to get a quote from a Toyota dealer yourself to know exactly what you’d pay. However, some drivers have shared Toyota extended warranty costs they’ve received from dealers online. The numbers below come from a TacomaWorld forum in 2018 where three drivers shared prices.
These Toyota extended warranty costs apply to Tacomas, but the drivers don’t give much information on how many miles their trucks had at the time or how old they were. Different dealers can offer different prices, and some are more open to negotiation than others, too.
The bottom line is take these prices with a grain of salt.
You can see the first driver paid a bit more for one less year of coverage compared to the second driver. Again, these quotes were from different dealerships, and we don’t know the model years or trim levels of these Toyota Tacomas.
Looking at the Toyota extended warranty cost overall, it’s more affordable than many other dealership warranties we’ve researched. That, no doubt, is because Toyotas are generally cheaper to maintain.
So, how much should a Toyota extended car warranty cost? In general, they can cost between $1,500 and $2,500 depending on the type of coverage you want. Toyota drivers can expect to find more affordable prices because of the brand’s reputation for reliability.
Advantages Of Third-Party Extended Car Warranties
It pays to check out third-party providers when you’re looking to purchase extended warranty coverage. First of all, third-party plans are often cheaper than dealership warranties.
Another big benefit of third-party plans is that you can go to any repair shop certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE®). There are tens of thousands of these shops across the U.S., so you’re not limited to the dealership in your town.
If your car is new, one thing to remember is you can only buy an extended warranty from Toyota before 3 years/36,000 miles, which is when the factory warranty expires. And if you’re buying a used car, you can only add the warranty on the day that you purchase the vehicle.
These rules don’t apply to third-party providers. In fact, some companies specialize in coverage for older vehicles.
Of course, you don’t have to wait until your vehicle has 100,000 miles to add coverage. One of the most popular providers, Endurance, can cover vehicles up to 200,000 miles.
Toyota Extended Warranty Vs. Endurance
Here’s a comparison between Toyota’s VSAs and Endurance.
You can see that Endurance generally offers more choices than the Toyota dealership. Looking at the coverage levels, Endurance gives you two more options, one of which is a bumper-to-bumper, factory-style warranty.
The Bottom Line: Is Toyota’s Extended Warranty Worth It?
The Toyota extended warranty could be worth it if you want to keep visiting the same dealership for coverage after the factory warranty expires. Toyota extended warranty costs are on the affordable end. But keep in mind that you might be able to find better value from a third-party provider instead.
To see how much you would pay for your Toyota, use the tool below to get started and see how much you would pay for an Endurance extended warranty.
Should You Get An Extended Warranty?
Unfortunately, there’s no elixir of life for your vehicle, so you’ll have to cover repairs at some point. Broadly speaking, you have two choices. You can either save up funds to cover repairs yourself, or you can get an extended warranty from Toyota or a third-party provider.
For many drivers, extended warranties make budgeting easier with a steady monthly payment. You’ll also have a better idea of what you would pay when you take your car in for repairs.
As with any contract, It’s important to know exactly what’s covered. Once you understand the terms, you can have peace of mind that those repairs are taken care of.
Toyota Repair Costs
According to RepairPal, Toyota drivers pay about $441 per year on average for maintenance and repairs. That’s not very much. The average across all brands is $652 per year.
You probably already know that Toyotas are very affordable to maintain. Parts are easy to source, and pretty much any certified mechanic can work on the vehicles. Because of this, Toyota extended warranty costs are also cheaper than those of many other brands.
Check If You Still Have Coverage
Toyota’s bumper-to-bumper warranty on new vehicles lasts for 3 years/36,000 miles and is transferable to secondary owners. It covers almost any electrical or mechanical component against defects in materials or workmanship.
Toyota’s powertrain warranty lasts for 5 years/60,000 miles and covers the engine, transmission, and drive axle. If your car was put into service within either of these time periods, you still have warranty coverage.
Toyota’s certified pre-owned (CPO) warranty provides 1 year/12,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage from the date of purchase. In other words, that warranty begins when you buy a CPO vehicle. Plus, CPO cars come with 7 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage from the in-service date.
As far as factory coverage goes, that’s pretty much it besides standard corrosion and emissions warranties. When your car ages beyond these limits, you’re on the hook for repairs.
A new Toyota warranty in 2020 will only go as far as 2023 for bumper-to-bumper coverage or 2025 for powertrain coverage. It can be a good idea to get an extended warranty for your Toyota.
While a warranty doesn’t have anything to do with maintenance, new Toyota vehicles come with ToyotaCare, which pays for scheduled maintenance for the first 2 years/25,000 miles. After that, you can get a ToyotaCare Plus prepaid maintenance plan if you really want a hands-off relationship with your car.
Read our other guides: