Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield
Your choice could be simple, depending on what coverage you want
Concord Auto Protect and CarShield are two wildly different extended auto warranty companies. Only one offers bumper-to-bumper protection and the option to pay month to month, but the other should be more affordable if you’re only looking to protect your powertrain over the next few years.
So which is best for you? Read on to find out.
What is the difference between Concord Auto Protect and CarShield?
Concord Auto Protect has simpler, often more affordable plan options, but it doesn’t sell really comprehensive coverage. You also have to buy a three- or five-year warranty and pay for your coverage in full within the first six months.
CarShield, meanwhile, offers more plan options (including a bumper-to-bumper plan) and a month-to-month commitment. It also accepts older and higher-mileage vehicles, so your choice might be simple if your car has over 150,000 miles on its odometer.
If we have to distill it down to one difference:
- Concord Auto Protect is best if you only want powertrain coverage.
- CarShield is best if you want bumper-to-bumper coverage.
| Concord Auto Protect | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Our pick for | Powertrain coverage | Bumper-to-bumper coverage |
| Available plans | 3 | 7 |
| Maximum mileage | 150,000 | 300,000 |
| Waiting period | 30 days | 20 days and 500 miles |
| Availability | Nationwide | Most states (not CA) |
Our take on Concord Auto Protect
Pros
- Affordable rates
- One free transfer included
- Discounts for military and AAA members
Cons
- No bumper-to-bumper plans
- No month-to-month payment option
- Must call to get a quote
Bottom line: Concord Auto Protect is a relatively unique warranty company. It’s a good option if you’re looking for affordable coverage, but you’ll miss out on some of the options and conveniences that many other warranty providers offer.
» EXPLORE: Concord Auto Protect reviews
Our take on CarShield
Pros
- Covers cars with up to 300,000 miles
- Month-to-month, price-locked plans available
- Generous rental car/rideshare benefits
- Offers Aluminum plan to cover expensive electronics
Cons
- Must call to get a quote
Bottom line: CarShield's high points include its generous rental car and rideshare benefits and its unique Aluminum plan that can help supplement your remaining factory powertrain warranty. Although CarShield's quote process isn't the best, its plan options and lax vehicle requirements make finding the right coverage easy.
» EXPLORE: CarShield reviews
Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield availability
In terms of availability, both companies are largely available in the same areas. The exception is that Concord Auto Protect operates in California (the state with arguably the strictest rules surrounding extended auto warranties), while CarShield does not.
Both companies cover cars over 20 years old, but CarShield has the slight edge when it comes to accepting older vehicles.
Finally, Concord Auto Protect will not cover vehicles with over 150,000 miles. CarShield goes as high as 300,000.
| Concord Auto Protect | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | Nationwide | Most states (not CA) |
| Maximum mileage | 150,000 | 300,000 |
| Vehicle age limit | 23 years | 25 years |
Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield coverage
Arguably the biggest difference between these companies is the types of coverage they offer.
For starters, Concord Auto Protect tends to sell plans in two term options: three years/36,000 miles or five years/60,000 miles. You then have two ways to pay: You can make a lump-sum payment upfront or make six interest-free monthly payments during the first six months of your policy.
CarShield, on the other hand, allows you to pay on a month-to-month schedule, and when you’re ready to cancel you can simply stop making monthly payments.
As for the plan options themselves, Concord Auto Protect offers three levels of coverage. However, it’s worth noting that even its most expensive plan (Premium) doesn’t offer true bumper-to-bumper protection that would cover most of the 2,000+ components on a vehicle:
- Premium covers roughly 500 parts across most major component groups on your vehicle.
- Advanced covers roughly 300 parts across your engine, transmission, drive axle(s), electrical systems, cooling system, brakes and all-wheel-drive system.
- Powertrain covers roughly 100 parts across your engine, transmission, drive axle(s), cooling system and brakes.
CarShield offers seven total plan types, including a bumper-to-bumper option:
- Diamond is an exclusionary, bumper-to-bumper warranty that covers the vast majority of your vehicle.
- Platinum covers 700+ components across most major component groups.
- Gold covers 300+ components across nine major component groups.
- Silver is a powertrain-equivalent warranty.
- Aluminum covers 300+ components not typically covered by a factory powertrain warranty, including your vehicle’s cooling system, electronics, infotainment system and brakes.
- Motorcycle & ATV covers 200+ components on motorcycles and ATVs only.
- Electric Vehicle Coverage covers your EV’s electric drive unit, electrical system, battery pack and more.
| Concord Auto Protect | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Available plans | 3 | 7 |
| Exclusionary coverage available | No | Yes |
| Powertrain coverage available | Yes | Yes |
| Contract lengths | 3 years/36,000 miles or 5 years/60,000 miles | Month-to-month (price remains unchanged as long as you make monthly payments) |
» UNDERSTAND THE BASICS: What does a car warranty cover?
Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield cost
To give you an idea of how these coverage options differ when it comes to cost, we decided to collect and compare quotes for the most robust plans from both providers.
- For Concord Auto Protect, that was a Premium plan with a standard $100 deductible, covering roughly 500 parts on your vehicle.
- For CarShield, that was a Diamond plan with a standard $100 deductible, covering 2,000+ parts on most vehicles.
As expected, the quotes for the Premium plan from Concord Auto Protect came in much lower. However, due to the fact that it covers 75% fewer parts, you’re much less likely to have a problem covered by a Premium plan than a Diamond plan. So, even though it may be more than twice as expensive, a Diamond plan may cover more repairs and provide more peace of mind.
| Concord Auto Protect (Premium plan, not bumper-to-bumper) | CarShield (Diamond plan, bumper-to-bumper) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 Lexus IS 300 | $633 per year | $1,680 per year |
| 2018 Mazda CX-5 | $583 per year | $1,440 per year |
| 2018 Jeep Wrangler | $583 per year | $1,440 per year |
| 2018 Ford F-150 | $633 per year | $1,440 per year |
| 2018 Ram 1500 | $633 per year | $1,440 per year |
| 2019 Porsche Macan | $833 per year | $2,160 per year |
» NEED CONTEXT? How much does an extended car warranty cost?
Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield policies
CarShield has a slightly shorter waiting period than Concord Auto Protect, as well as the option to pay month to month.
The two companies also have a different approach to liability limits — i.e., the maximum amount they’ll pay out. The most CarShield will ever pay out is the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) average retail value (read: market value) of your car. Concord Auto Protect, however, doesn’t have a cap on payouts — just a $9,000 max payout per claim.
That could make Concord Auto Protect the better option for vehicles with reputations for frequent and expensive engine trouble, such as Land Rovers and BMW M models.
| Concord Auto Protect | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection required | No | No |
| Waiting period | 30 days | 20 days and 500 miles |
| Pays mechanics directly | Yes | Yes |
| Payment options | Lump sum or 6 months of interest-free payments | Monthly payments available |
| Deductible options | $100 | $50, $100, $200 and $500 (for higher-mileage vehicles) |
| Coverage limit | $9,000 per claim | NADA average retail value |
| Is coverage transferable? | Yes | Yes |
» LEARN: How an extended auto warranty works
Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield benefits
Both Concord Auto Protect and CarShield include 24/7 roadside assistance, towing and rental car reimbursements with each plan sold.
CarShield goes a step further by offering an extra $25 per day in rental car reimbursements, $60 in daily rideshare reimbursements (Uber/Lyft only) and up to $125 per day in trip interruption coverage, which can help cover the cost of meals and lodging if your vehicle breaks down far from home.
| Concord Auto Protect | CarShield | |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside assistance | Yes | Yes |
| Towing | Yes | Yes |
| Rental car reimbursements | Yes ($75 per day) | Yes ($100 per day) |
| Trip interruption benefits | No | Yes ($125 per day) |
| Other | Discounts for retired military and AAA members | $60 per day rideshare reimbursement |
How people feel about Concord Auto Protect vs. CarShield
At the time of publishing, Concord Auto Protect has a 4.6-star average from 1,118 reviews on ConsumerAffairs, while CarShield has a 4.5-star average from 9,064 reviews.
Concord Auto Protect customers seem generally happy with how their claims were handled.
“They covered my repair on my Honda Pilot, there was no cost out of pocket for me. Great customer service agent and they took care of my claim right away. The plan was worth every dollar! I would easily purchase this again in the future for another vehicle,” wrote Shannon, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer in Texas.
Many of the negative reviews for Concord Auto Protect seem to stem from misunderstandings about coverage. As we mentioned earlier, even the company’s Premium plan only covers roughly 500 out of the 2,000+ total parts on the car, which can leave gaps in coverage leading to claim denial.
“Concord Auto Protect does not abide to their policy for covering the full auto insurance claim. They will tell you that they will only cover some parts and give you a very minimal reimbursement no matter how high you paid for the repair cost,” wrote RH in Georgia.
» SEE FOR YOURSELF: Concord Auto Protect reviews
CarShield customers also seem mostly happy with their claims handling and the money they saved.
It would have cost me [$]2000.00 out of pocket if I didn't have Car Shield.”
“Had to replace my 2018 Impala evaporator core and it would have cost me 2000.00 out of pocket if I didn't have Car Shield. I took the car to the dealership services and they took care of the rest. I had to get a car rental and they are in the process of reimbursing me the amount I paid. Thank you for repairing my car,” wrote Kimberly in Georgia.
But, in a similar vein, many CarShield reviewers felt misled about their coverage and surprised by denied claims.
“First of all Carshield doesn't explain to customers that there's only certain things they cover, ex. My car had to be towed to a car shop and I needed a radiator which was okay and covered but I needed other things done which wasn't covered and came to an extra almost 2,000 so the total came to almost 3000 which car shield only covered 800,” wrote Yolanda in New York.
» SEE FOR YOURSELF: CarShield reviews
» LEARN TO SPOT RED FLAGS: How to avoid the worst extended auto warranty companies
Bottom line: Concord Auto Protect or CarShield?
All things considered, what kind of driver is each of the above providers best for?
- Concord Auto Protect is best for drivers who only want partial coverage on their vehicle (i.e., for their powertrain only).
- CarShield is best for drivers who want true bumper-to-bumper protection and the peace of mind that comes with knowing most of the parts on your car are covered. It’s also a better fit for drivers who want the option to pay month to month.
If neither sounds right for you or you’d simply like more bumper-to-bumper warranty options, check out our top picks for the best extended car warranty companies.
