Cars with a 7-year warranty
Sleep easy with these cars that offer a seven-year warranty - even if you buy a five-year old car you'll have two years' cover left
One of the best ways to protect your new car against future problems and save money while doing so is to buy from a manufacturer that offers a seven-year warranty. These long-term warranties provide cover for almost every issue that could affect your car. They also carry over to new owners, meaning you could purchase a five-year-old used car with a seven-year warranty and still receive full cover for the next two years. Seven-year warranties are currently offered by only three manufacturers as standard: Kia, Ssangyong, and MG, while Toyota and Lexus now offer an even more comprehensive package that we will get onto later on.
Kia introduced their seven-year warranty in 2006, so any used model under seven years old will have some warranty remaining. MG started offering a seven-year warranty on its ZS models in 2017 and extended it to its entire range in September 2019. Ssangyong introduced their seven-year deal in the summer of 2018. If you don’t like what those manufacturers have to offer, you can also take advantage of five-year warranties which are available from a broader range of manufacturers. It’s worth remembering that warranties usually have a mileage limit, meaning the cover of the warranty will end if you exceed the stated mileage even if your car has not reached 7 years of age.
With that being said, let’s look at the cars that come with at least 7 years' warranty cover.
Kia
Kia has been at the forefront of long-term warranties since 2006 when it first offered its unique seven-year/100,000 mile warranty package on all of its new models. To this day the Kia warranty undoubtedly remains one of the strongest on the market. It's also fully transferable to later owners, so if you're buying a five-year-old Kia, you’ll still have two years left on the warranty.
The warranty itself is split into parts. Kia covers the bulk of its cars’ components for unlimited mileage for up to 36 months, and for 100,000 miles for up to seven years.
Some items aren’t covered for this length of time though - the battery is only covered for 24 months, as is the air-conditioning system. For the full list of exclusions, it’s best to read the small print on Kia’s website.
Also worth noting - the warranty period is still seven years or 100,000 miles if you use a new Kia as a taxi or private hire car, but you need to inform the company of your usage.
Cars included:
SsangYong
Ssangyong also offers a seven-year warranty on all of their new cars. The mileage limit for the Ssangyong warranty is 150,000 and cover for the audio/navigation unit also lasts for the full seven years or 150,000 miles - significantly better than Kia’s three-year/36,000-mile offering.
There are however some drawbacks. The caveats on the paintwork mean faulty bodywork (as a result of improper manufacturing) will only be covered for three years or 60,000 miles, and if you’re a taxi driver your mileage limit is only 100,000 miles. That said, both of these drawbacks don’t detract from the fact this is one of the best warranty packages out there.
The policy covers all the major mechanical components including wheel bearings and most suspension parts. Consumable parts like clutches and brakes are only covered for one year or 12,500 miles, however, and the battery is covered for three years.
The most recent changes to the policy mean it now comes as standard on the entire Ssangyong range. The electric Korando e-Motion is also covered for seven years, but has a lower 90,000-mile limit.
Cars included:
MG
We’re not talking about classic MG sportscars here with charming looks and iffy build quality. We’re referring to Chinese-built MGs.
The company offers a seven-year warranty on its ZS crossover and MG3 hatchback, but not on its GS SUV. It is important to note that it is only MG3s sold since 1 September 2018 (in line with the latest version of the MG3 being launched) that come with a seven-year warranty. The previous generation of the supermini could have either come with a three- or five-year warranty depending on its age.
The warranty has a limited mileage of 80,000 miles, but it is transferable between owners. The warranty covers all wear and tear items (but not tyres) for the first 12 months, paintwork for three years, and it’s also worth noting that if you use it as a taxi or private hire vehicle, the warranty is limited to 12 months/20,000 miles.
Cars included:
Toyota and Lexus
Admittedly, Toyota and Lexus are a bit of an outlier on this list as they do not offer the same seven-year warranty as the other manufacturers. What they do offer, however, is a new programme with an industry-topping 10-year warranty on all their new vehicles.
Toyota launched its ‘Relax’ programme in June 2021 with a promise to cover mechanical problems on its new models for up to 10 years or 100,000 miles. Each time a Toyota or Lexus is serviced at an authorised dealership, the car will receive an additional year of cover as part of the Relax scheme up to the age or mileage limit. This package comes as standard with every new Toyota or Lexus, but has been applied automatically to any car made by either manufacturer that is under 10 years old and has covered less than 100,000 miles.
The Toyota and Lexus Relax scheme currently offers the best warranty package on the market. If you were considering a new or used Toyota or Lexus as your next car, this might just be the icing on the cake if you’re looking for long-term cover against problems.
- Toyota Aygo X
- Toyota Yaris
- Toyota Yaris Cross
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota C-HR
- Toyota RAV4
- Toyota bZ4X
- Toyota Highlander
- Toyota GR86
- Toyota GR Supra
- Toyota Mirai
- Toyota Land Cruiser
- Toyota Hilux
Is a car warranty transferable?
In general, a car’s warranty is transferable provided the warranty hasn’t expired. You may be required to inform a manufacturer when you have bought a used car and that you want to transfer the warranty into your name, though.
In some cases, there will be a small fee to pay for this. Whether this is required and the paperwork for doing so should be included in the warranty policy provided with the car.