American Honda sold over 1.3 million vehicles in 2023, increasing its sales by 33% from the previous year. The company is generally praised for the reliability of its vehicles, with the Honda warranty providing 3 years/36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 5 years/60,000 miles of powertrain coverage.
In addition to offering standard coverage, the Honda warranty offers 2 years/24,000 miles of complimentary maintenance, but it’s still not the best new car warranty — falling short of companies such as Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia, which offer greater warranty lengths.
Let’s zero in on what Honda’s factory warranty covers and what it lacks. We’ll also discuss what protection the company offers for certified pre-owned (CPO) and hybrid cars and what your options are for getting an extended auto warranty.
But first, explore quotes from a top extended warranty provider to learn how much coverage would cost to protect your vehicle after its factory warranty expires.
What does the Honda factory warranty cover?
The Honda factory warranty provides a 3-year/36,000-mile new vehicle limited warranty. This exclusionary warranty pays to repair or replace any defective part or component — other than those the plan excludes.
In addition, the new vehicle limited warranty covers the following:
- Batteries for key fobs and remotes for the first six months
- Wiper blade inserts for the first six months
- Wheel balancing and wheel alignment for 1 year/12,000 miles
- Air conditioner refrigerant for 2 years/24,000 miles
The manufacturer’s warranty provides 5 years/60,000 miles of powertrain coverage. This stated-component warranty includes your vehicle’s engine, transmission and transaxle, and front- and rear-wheel drive systems.
This warranty covers the hybrid powertrain for hybrid and EV vehicles.
The bumper-to-bumper warranty and powertrain coverage are transferable to a second owner, who is entitled to the remainder of the warranty.
Honda’s rust perforation limited warranty is in force for five years and unlimited miles. Under this coverage, the company will repair or replace any original model panel that rusts completely from the inside out. This includes rust that doesn’t perforate but is caused by a defect in material or workmanship. This anti-corrosion warranty doesn’t transfer to additional owners.
New Honda vehicles are eligible for 24-hour roadside assistance for 3 years/36,000 miles. This includes the following:
- Jump-starts
- Flat tire and lockout assistance
- Towing and winching
- Fuel delivery (up to 2 gallons twice per calendar year)
- Trip interruption benefits, including a rental car, lodging and food reimbursement when 100 or more miles away from your primary residence (up to $100 per day for three days)
- Assistance securing alternate transportation, renting a car, making hotel reservations or booking a flight
- Message relay services
- Enhanced directory assistance
New Honda vehicles qualify for 2 years/24,000 miles of complimentary maintenance through the Honda Service Pass program. This covers certain factory-scheduled maintenance throughout the coverage period, including oil changes and tire rotations.
| Warranty | Coverage |
|---|---|
| New vehicle limited warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Powertrain limited warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| Rust perforation limited warranty | 5 years/unlimited miles |
| High-voltage battery capacity limited warranty | 8 years/100,000 miles |
| Federal emissions warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles (with extended coverage for some components) |
| California emissions warranty* | Up to 7 years/70,000 miles |
| Seat belt limited warranty | 15 years/150,000 miles |
| Honda Genuine Accessory limited warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Replacement/remanufactured parts limited warranty | 1 year (replacement parts) or 3 years/36,000 miles (remanufactured parts) |
| Replacement 12V battery limited warranty | 8 years and 4 months |
| Replacement exhaust components limited lifetime warranty | As long as you own the vehicle |
| Roadside assistance coverage | 3 years/36,000 miles (gas vehicles) or 3 years/unlimited miles (EV vehicles) |
| Complimentary maintenance | 2 years/24,000 miles |
What’s not included
No vehicle warranty covers every breakdown, component or situation. Honda’s is no different. There are common exclusions found in the Honda factory warranty:
- Abuse, misuse, accidental damage or acts of nature
- Improper installation or maintenance
- Low fluid levels or the use of fluids other than those specified by Honda
- The installation of any part that is not equal to the original in quality of materials or workmanship
- Using your vehicle in races or competitive events
- Improper fueling procedures
- Parts or accessories that fail because they weren’t designed to fit your vehicle’s year and model
- A vehicle with an odometer that has been altered so that the actual mileage is impossible to determine
- Vehicles that are registered or normally driven outside of the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
- Failures caused by modifying your vehicle or installing accessories not authorized by Honda
- Incidental expenses or inconvenience incurred when the car is in for warranty repairs
- Vehicles declared a total loss or sold for salvage
The Honda new vehicle limited warranty also excludes the following:
- Normal deterioration and wear and tear, including expendable maintenance items (such as filters, brake pads and brake linings)
- Cleaning and polishing
- The adding of any fluid, except during a warrantable repair
- Broken, chipped or scratched window glass (unless it results from a defect in material or workmanship)
- Cosmetic flaws or minor damage to the body, paint and other items not due to a defect in material or workmanship
Additionally, Honda doesn’t provide warranty coverage for your new car’s tires. Typically, tires are covered by their manufacturers’ warranties.
How it compares to third-party warranties
A third-party extended warranty is an optional plan that you may purchase to extend your car’s factory warranty. These vehicle service contracts offer exclusionary and stated-component coverage options and typically include additional perks, such as roadside assistance, tire protection and rental car reimbursement.
Third-party extended warranties cost an average of $108 per month or $2,845 in total, with the cost paid for upfront (in either a lump sum or by wrapping it into your loan), monthly (until the policy’s paid in full) or on a subscription-like contractual basis.
Extended warranties come into force when your factory warranty expires — there generally isn’t any overlap (though some policies do provide additional benefits while your factory warranty is active).
This means an aftermarket extended warranty is often a good choice when you plan on owning a car for longer than the term of its factory warranty.
To clarify: Since Honda only offers a 3-year/36,000-mile warranty period, your vehicle would no longer be covered by its factory warranty once you’ve owned the car for three years or driven more than 36,000 miles. In this case, an extended warranty would extend your coverage up to the limits of your new policy.
How it compares to other manufacturers
Like Toyota, Honda offers some maintenance coverage as part of the Honda factory warranty, though its bumper-to-bumper and powertrain coverage is similar to what Ford, Nissan, Toyota and other nonluxury brands offer.
On the flip side, the Honda warranty is standard when compared to competing brands, but falls short of the best new car warranties, providing a shorter coverage period than that offered by brands such as Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Kia.
The inability to transfer Honda’s rust perforation warranty is odd considering other brands such as Ford allow it and that the basic and powertrain warranties are transferable.
What does the Honda hybrid warranty cover?
Honda’s hybrid and EV lineup includes the Accord, CR-V and Prologue. In addition to hybrid powertrain coverage, each vehicle is backed by Honda’s high-voltage battery capacity limited warranty for 8 years/100,000 miles.
Gradual capacity loss is expected in EV batteries, so Honda doesn’t cover regular degradation. However, Honda will repair or replace your high-voltage battery under the hybrid warranty if the battery’s capacity degrades at a greater-than-normal rate.
Unfortunately, Honda isn’t clear on what this rate is. Other manufacturers specify that they repair or replace EV batteries that fall below less than 70% of their total capacity. We read through the entirety of the Honda warranty as well as information available on both its website and the websites of multiple Honda dealers and couldn’t find out what the company deems greater-than-normal degradation.
What does the Honda CPO warranty cover?
HondaTrue Certified is the manufacturer’s certified pre-owned program. Under this program, certified pre-owned vehicles (CPOV) qualify for the Honda CPO warranty, which differs from the coverage a noncertified used car would have (if any).
According to our research and rankings, the HondaTrue Certified pre-owned program is among the best CPO warranties available.
There are three HondaTrue Certified coverage levels:
| Coverage | HondaTrue Certified+ | HondaTrue Certified | HondaTrue Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age qualifications | Less than 1 year* | 1–6 years* | Up to 10 years* |
| Mile qualifications | Fewer than 12,000 miles* | Fewer than 80,000 miles* | Unlimited* |
| Inspection | 182 points | 182 points | 112 points |
| Nonpowertrain | 5 years/86,000 miles* | 1 year/12,000 miles** or 4 years/48,000 miles* when factory warranty expires | 100 days/5,000 miles** |
| Powertrain | 7 years/100,000 miles* | 7 years/100,000 miles* | 100 days/5,000 miles** |
| Roadside assistance | 2 years/50,000 miles (after factory warranty expires) | 1 year/12,000 miles** | 1 year/12,000 miles** |
| Complimentary oil changes | 2 | 2 | 1 |
**From date of CPO purchase or factory warranty expiration, whichever comes last.
The Honda CPO warranty begins when your car’s factory warranty expires. If the warranty has already expired when you purchase a Honda CPOV, the CPO warranty coverage begins immediately.
Neither coverage level is as comprehensive as the coverage provided under the factory warranty. The HondaTrue nonpowertrain coverage includes the following:
- Fuel system
- Suspension
- Steering
- Brakes
- Electrical and sensors
- Batteries and bulbs
- Heating, cooling and air conditioning
- Audio and navigational devices
- Safety restraint system
- Fluids and lubricants
- Hinges, power window regulators and external pumps and motors
- Diagnostic time
Under the CPO warranty, powertrain coverage is limited to the engine, transmission and transfer case and front- and rear-wheel drive systems.
HondaTrue doesn’t cover standard maintenance items and procedures, the emission system or cosmetics. Other exclusions also apply, including damage from abuse or misuse, failing to properly maintain your car, acts of nature and noncompliance with your warranty.
Though maintenance isn’t covered by either the nonpowertrain or powertrain levels, Honda provides complimentary oil changes for each CPO level:
- HondaTrue Certified+ and HondaTrue Certified: Two complimentary oil changes for 1 year/12,000 miles after your CPO purchase
- HondaTrue Used: One complimentary oil change for 1 year/12,000 miles
In addition to coverage for your car’s components, parts and systems, Honda’s CPO program provides roadside assistance. This lasts for 2 years/50,000 miles for HondaTrue Certified+ vehicles and 1 year/12,000 miles for HondaTrue Certified and HondaTrue Used cars. Roadside assistance services include the following:
- Emergency towing to the nearest Honda dealership or service center (following a mechanical breakdown or accident)
- Flat tire changes
- Jump-starts
- Emergency fuel delivery (up to 2 gallons twice per year)
- Lockout assistance
- Winching
- Trip interruption expensive reimbursement when more than 100 miles away from home while the vehicle is being repaired (up to $100 per day for three days)
- Concierge services
The Honda CPO warranty is transferable to a private party by contacting Honda Care and submitting a change of ownership.
Why would you need extended coverage for a Honda?
Honda’s exclusionary warranty ends after three years or 36,000 miles, with powertrain coverage expiring after five years or 60,000 miles. In other words, the Honda warranty may not provide long-enough coverage if you plan on keeping your car for longer than the warranty’s coverage term or mileage limit.
No factory warranty covers every component or system. A manufacturer’s warranty only covers defects in quality or workmanship. It typically doesn’t cover maintenance, wear and tear and other (potentially expensive) breakdowns and situations.
Extended warranties bridge the gap left behind when your factory warranty expires. These policies continue to protect your vehicle, potentially for more than 100,000 miles (with some offering coverage for up to 250,000 to 300,000 miles).
Purchasing an extended auto warranty may help you avoid costly repairs and other expenses as your car ages, puts on mileage and starts to have issues.
Honda reliability
On social media, Honda receives generally favorable reports about the reliability of its cars and SUVs. One of the most common comments we saw on Reddit referred to the high mileage that many Hondas attain without significant mechanical issues.
Other comment threads celebrate the reliability of the Honda Civic, though there are some reports of certain models having more issues than others.
RepairPal ranks Honda as No. 1 out of 32 total car brands in terms of reliability — the average annual cost of repairing a Honda is $428 compared to $652 across all makes and models.
The average Honda needs 0.3 unscheduled repairs per year, with 10% of repairs considered severe. In contrast, the average repair frequency for all models is 0.4 times per year, with an average severity of 12%.
The 2024 J.D. Power U.S. Dependability Study gives Honda a score of 206 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). This ranks the manufacturer slightly below the average of 190 PP100, especially compared to Lexus (135 PP100), Toyota (147 PP100) and Buick (149 PP100) — with the three worst-ranked brands scoring 268 PP100 (Land Rover), 275 PP100 (Audi) and 310 PP100 (Chrysler).
Where should you get an extended warranty?
Extended warranties are sold by car manufacturers (typically through dealerships) and third-party providers. A December 2023 USA TODAY Homefront auto warranty survey of 1,500 extended warranty owners revealed that 46% purchased an extended warranty directly from a manufacturer or authorized dealer. In contrast, 35% purchased coverage from a third-party extended warranty company.
When shopping around for coverage, compare policies from both types of providers to make sure you’re getting a policy that meets your budget, needs and vehicle.
Manufacturer extended warranty
The Honda extended warranty is called Honda Care, a vehicle service contract that offers both exclusionary and powertrain coverage. Though Honda’s extended warranty information isn’t spelled out in detail on its website, we consulted the website of Curry Honda Care, an authorized dealer, for a sample contract.
These vehicle contracts are administered by Honda, which means the automaker is responsible for approving or denying your claims.
Honda Care service contracts include the following:
- Exclusionary coverage: Covers any mechanical breakdown other than a specified list of exclusions. New, pre-owned, certified additional and certified used additional policies are available depending on your vehicle’s age and mileage.
- Powertrain coverage: Covers your car’s powertrain, including the engine, drive axles, transmission, seals, gaskets and fluids. Policies are available for standard and certified pre-owned vehicles.
Your car must be under three years old and have fewer than 36,000 miles to qualify for Honda Care coverage. Plans are available for new and used cars regardless of whether or not you’re the first owner.
In addition to breakdown coverage, Honda Care also provides the following:
- 24-hour roadside assistance: Towing, lockout assistance, battery jump-starts, tire changes and fuel delivery
- Rental car reimbursement: Up to $35 per day for a maximum of six days
- Trip interruption benefits: Up to $100 per day for a maximum of three days for covered breakdowns more than 100 miles from your home
- Concierge services: Assistance booking hotel reservations, arranging alternate transportation and relaying messages
Certain components and events are excluded from coverage under a Honda Care policy, wear and tear and damage from lack of maintenance, abuse or misuse. Additionally, electrical or mechanical breakdowns that existed before you purchased a Honda Care policy are excluded from coverage.
Honda offers an oil change service, a maintenance program and protection for other parts of your car (such as the windshield, key and key fob and tire and wheels).
Honda Care cost
Honda Care plans are available with $0 or $100 deductible options. When we requested a quote from Curry Honda Care for a 2021 Honda CR-V with 24,000 miles and garaged in North Carolina, we received the following quotes email right away:
| Contract Term | $0 Deductible | $100 Deductible |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years/80,000 miles | $835 | $735 |
| 3 years/120,000 miles | $1,135 | $1,035 |
| 4 years/80,000 miles | $915 | $815 |
| 4 years/120,000 miles | $1,255 | $1,155 |
| 5 years/80,000 miles | $955 | $855 |
| 5 years/120,000 miles | $1,305 | $1,205 |
You may transfer coverage to another private party by contacting your Honda dealer and paying a $50 transfer fee.
Third-party extended warranty
Third-party extended auto warranties are sold by independent aftermarket providers. Some providers, such as Endurance and Omega Auto Care, are direct administrators, meaning they sell and manage their policies. Other providers, such as Autopom and CarShield, are brokers, which means they sell policies on behalf of administrators and don’t manage policies themselves.
Generally, third-party extended warranties allow you to take your car to the auto shop or repair facility of your choice. You may have the option to install or use aftermarket parts, many of which meet or surpass the quality of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components and come with their own warranties.
Third-party warranties may be purchased at any time, even if your factory warranty has expired. Some providers offer special policies for EVs or used cars. However, the coverage cost depends on your vehicle's age and mileage, so it’s generally a good idea to purchase a plan as early into your ownership as possible.
You may pay for an aftermarket extended warranty upfront or by rolling it into your auto loan (depending on when and where you purchase a plan). Alternatively, you may pay for your policy each month. Some providers, such as Carchex, offer unlimited monthly subscription-like contracts.
Always shop around and request quotes from multiple providers to find the best extended car warranty for your budget and needs.
| Provider | Our Rating | Coverage Plans | Standout Feature | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Coverage plans | |||
| 3 | Customer support | |||
| 5 | Coverage for used vehicles | |||
| 8 | EV coverage | |||
| 5 | Maintenance benefits |
| Provider | Our Rating | Coverage Plans | Standout Feature | Get Started |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Coverage plans | |||
| 3 | Customer support | |||
| 5 | Coverage for used vehicles | |||
| 8 | EV coverage | |||
| 5 | Maintenance benefits |
What’s next?
The Honda warranty isn’t as lengthy as the warranties offered by some of its competitors, but the brand makes generally reliable vehicles. For the best peace of mind, consider purchasing a Honda Care vehicle service contract or shopping for an aftermarket extended warranty.
These policies will protect your vehicle’s parts and systems after the Honda warranty expires, with additional benefits to keep you on the road and safe behind the wheel.
Our rating methodology for auto warranty companies
At Homefront, we analyze, rate and rank top vehicle service contract providers to help you discover the right one for your needs. The best automotive service contract companies offer transparency, affordability and expansive coverage options, among other qualities.
We rate companies using our objective scoring methodology. We assess brands on factors that are important to consumers like you — including cost, coverage, market standing, trustworthiness and customer experience. After scoring companies on a 100-point scale, we simplify final scores into the 5-star ratings you see in our content.
Editorial note: The name “Homefront” refers to the alliance between USA TODAY and Home Solutions that publishes review, comparison, and informational articles designed to help USA TODAY readers make smarter purchasing and investment decisions about their home. Under the alliance, Homefront provides and publishes research and articles about home service and home improvement topics.
Homefront has an affiliate disclosure policy. The opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Homefront editorial staff alone (see About Homefront). Homefront adheres to strict editorial integrity standards. The information is believed to be accurate as of the publish date, but always check the provider’s website for the most current information.
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