Chrysler extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

Chrysler extended warranty coverage

Chrysler technically doesn’t operate its own extended warranty program. Instead, Chrysler’s factory-backed extended warranties, which are more accurately known as vehicle service contracts, come from a brand called Mopar. Mopar has the same parent company as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo and Wagoneer, which is why it’s the official parts supplier for those automakers.

Mopar calls its extended warranties Mopar Vehicle Protection plans, and like all extended auto warranties, these plans only cover the cost of fixing factory defects. They don’t cover damage, regular wear and tear or parts that fail due to negligence or misuse.

Mopar has a large variety of coverage options available, including specialty coverages for things like tires and wheels, but it splits its traditional extended warranty options into two categories:

• Mopar Vehicle Protection plans for “new” vehicles are available for Chrysler vehicles that are still within their Basic factory warranty period (three years/36,000 miles). These plans don’t require a dealer inspection to activate, and terms last anywhere from five to eight years and 60,000 to unlimited miles.
• Mopar Vehicle Protection plans for “pre-owned” vehicles are available for any Chrysler under 10 years old that passes a dealer inspection (usually about $150 and not included in the cost of the warranty). Terms can last anywhere from one to five years and 12,000 to unlimited miles.

It’s critical to note that Mopar new vehicle plans start from the vehicle’s in-service date (i.e., the date it was purchased by the first owner), while pre-owned Mopar plans start from the warranty purchase date.

To illustrate the difference, let’s say you have a 2022 Chrysler Pacifica that’s still under factory warranty. If you buy a five-year/60,000-mile Mopar Vehicle Protection plan, you’re not getting five years of additional coverage starting today — you’re getting five years of coverage that starts retroactively from the date your Pacifica was sold to its first owner with zero miles on it.

Double-check the start date of your warranty before you sign on the dotted line.

Because your Chrysler’s Basic (aka bumper-to-bumper) factory warranty has you covered for your vehicle’s first three years or 36,000 miles, your “five-year/60,000-mile” new vehicle warranty really only provides additional coverage for two years or 24,000 miles. (An extended powertrain warranty would be even more limited, considering your factory powertrain warranty has you covered for a full five years or 60,000 miles.)

With a pre-owned Mopar Vehicle Protection plan, on the other hand, your term starts the moment you purchase the extended warranty. So, a four-year/50,000-mile pre-owned Mopar Vehicle Protection plan really does provide four years or 50,000 miles of extra coverage starting today.

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

Chrysler extended warranty plans

Both new and pre-owned Mopar Vehicle Protection plans come in three coverage levels: Powertrain Care Plus, Added Care Plus and Maximum Care. You can choose a deductible of $0, $100 or $200 with each plan.

Somewhat oddly, there’s also a fourth plan option just for pre-owned Chryslers called Added Care, which offers coverage somewhere between Added Care Plus and Powertrain Care Plus. However, according to multiple reps we spoke with, virtually nobody buys it. In fact, the vast majority of Mopar Vehicle Protection plan shoppers end up choosing Maximum Care.

Let’s look at the chart below to see why.

Put simply, Maximum Care covers nearly six times the parts of Added Care Plus for just 10% to 40% more cost. We asked the reps we spoke with if the other, less comprehensive warranty options only existed to make Maximum Care look like a better deal, and they confirmed as much.

Chrysler extended warranty benefits

In addition to covering the cost of repair bills, Mopar Vehicle Protection plans also come with some additional benefits:

• Rental car allowances of up to $45 per day (maximum $225 or five days total) to help with the cost of a rental car (or taxi rides) while your Chrysler is with the mechanic for a covered repair
• Roadside assistance of up to $100 per occurrence that includes 24/7 towing, jump-starts, flat-tire assistance (assuming you have a spare), fuel deliveries (up to two gallons) and locksmith services
• Trip interruption protection of up to $1,000 to help with the cost of food and lodging if your Chrysler needs to visit the mechanic over 100 miles from home for covered repairs

Overall, these are above-average benefits for a manufacturer’s extended warranty. Other brands often limit their car rental allowances and trip interruption protection to $35 and $500, respectively, so it’s nice to see Mopar step up.

Chrysler extended warranty cost

One nice thing about Mopar extended warranties is that you can buy one online in under two minutes. In contrast, most manufacturers’ extended auto warranties have to be purchased from dealerships that may tack on hidden fees.

Mopar Vehicle Protection Plan costs

Here are some of the quotes we collected for Chrysler vehicles from Zeigler Auto Group, a licensed wholesale retailer of Mopar Vehicle Protection plans. (In our experience, Zeigler’s prices tend to be about 40% less than dealerships’.) Note that these prices do not include tax and are based on a $100 deductible.

Based on these quotes, Maximum Care plans for Chryslers tend to cost a pinch above the average cost of an extended auto warranty, but are they still worth it? Before making a final call, let’s look at the finer details of Mopar’s warranty agreements.

Chrysler extended warranty terms and conditions

We looked at the provisions for Mopar Vehicle Protection plans to find any potential issues or anomalies, and what we found were some pretty standard terms for extended car warranties. We’ve broken down some key things for you to be aware of below, but just remember that it’s almost always a good idea to read a warranty agreement line-by-line before signing.

Is a Chrysler extended warranty worth it?

So, is a Chrysler extended warranty worth it? It’s close, but probably not. Let’s explain why.

Usually, an extended car warranty is more likely to be worth the cost if any of the following are true for you:

• Your vehicle has below-average expected reliability.
• The cost of the warranty is less than the cost of expected (covered) repairs.
• A surprise repair bill could be financially disastrous for you.
• You don’t mind paying a significant amount of money just for extra peace of mind.

We’ll focus on the first two points since the third and fourth points are subjective and dependent on your personal situation.

Take estimates of annual repair costs and frequency with a grain of salt. Everyone’s experience is likely to be somewhat different.

For starters, Chrysler vehicles are frequently ranked below average for expected reliability. J.D. Power ranked the brand last out of 29 automakers in its 2024 survey, and Consumer Reports also ranked it dead last out of 30 automakers.

That being said, data from RepairPal indicates that Chryslers aren’t too expensive to get back on the road. According to the data aggregator, as of 2019, Chrysler vehicles cost their owners just $608 in maintenance and repairs each year. (That’s about $846 when adjusted for inflation, and less than the industry average.) They also visit the shop less frequently than the industry average (0.3 times each year compared with 0.4 times), and those repairs cost about $2,000 or more just 12% of the time — which is right at the industry average.

But that can vary by model. Consumer Reports gave the 300 a predicted reliability score of 4 out of 5, while the Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid received a 3 and a 1, respectively. So if you're shopping for a minivan, a Maximum Care extended warranty could be a good choice that also brings peace of mind.

Before we wrap up, though, let’s see if a third-party warranty company can offer an even better deal that’s easier to say yes to.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties

Chrysler extended warranty alternatives

We collected quotes from two other extended auto warranty companies (olive and Endurance) to see how they compared with what Mopar offered us. The quotes we included below are for a Maximum Care-equivalent plan with a $100 deductible and don’t include tax.

As expected, Zeigler offered some pretty good deals on Mopar plans — but in select cases, the dedicated warranty companies offered better rates. That’s why it’s always best to get multiple quotes from several different providers before committing to an extended warranty.

» MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty