Ford F-150 extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans
An affordable extended warranty could make below-average reliability more worth it
Twenty-four years before the Willys Jeep, there was the Ford Model TT — a 1,500-pound pickup that started out pulling artillery and evacuating soldiers off the battlefields of World War I. As a civilian, you could purchase a brand-new Model TT for just $600 — or roughly $14,400 in 2023 dollars.
Today, Ford’s flagship pickup offers a few more creature comforts than its battle-scarred great-granddaddy (like doors, for one thing). As a result, the days of a sub-$10,000 Ford truck are long gone.
As of publishing, a new Ford F-150 costs anywhere from $35,000 for a base model to $85,000-plus for a top-trim Limited version. And when you consider Ford’s checkered reputation for reliability — especially with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine — you might be considering an extended warranty to protect your investment.
But how much does an extended warranty on a Ford F-150 cost? What are your options? And is it worth it overall? Read on to find out.
Key insights
- The Ford F-150 comes with a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty from the factory. That’s the minimum we expect from a major automaker.
- If you want more warranty coverage, you can purchase an official Ford Protect Plan or a third-party alternative.
- The price quotes we received for a seven-year/100,000-mile bumper-to-bumper extended warranty on a Ford F-150 ranged from $2,000 to $4,000.
- An extended warranty under $3,000 might be worth the cost, considering the Ford F-150’s below-average expected reliability.
Ford F-150 extended warranty coverage
An extended warranty lengthens your vehicle’s warranty protection beyond what you get from the factory. For context, all new Ford vehicles come with the following manufacturer’s warranty:
- A three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, which covers virtually everything on your vehicle except for a specific list of exclusions
- A five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which covers your engine, transmission and drive axle(s) (plus the drive unit on Ford electric vehicles)
Like most manufacturer’s warranties, Ford’s factory warranty will automatically transfer to new owners until it expires. So, if you purchase a two-year-old F-150 with 20,000 miles on the odometer, you should still have one year or 16,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper protection remaining.
That said, three years or 36,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage is basically the minimum for a major automaker. (Ford isn’t the only one to offer this much coverage — Toyota and Chevrolet are just as brief.) Regardless, it may not be enough if you plan to own your truck long-term.
Generally speaking, you have two options when it comes to buying an extended warranty for your F-150:
- Buy the official, Ford-backed extended warranty plan (called Ford Protect)
- Buy a third-party plan from a company like olive or Endurance that offers similar coverage, sometimes for less
The main benefit of buying the official Ford plan is that you’ll get better rental car benefits ($60 per day versus roughly $30 to $35 per day with a third party). However, Ford Protect plans require you to return to the dealership for all warranty repairs, while most third-party plans let you visit any ASE-certified mechanic of your choosing.
But, by and large, first- and third-party plans have similar coverage and benefits, so it mostly comes down to price.
» LEARN: What to know about manufacturers’ extended warranties
Ford F-150 extended warranty cost
The cost of a seven-year/100,000-mile Ford F-150 extended warranty is around $2,000 to $4,000.
To get that range, we got three quotes for a brand-new 2023 Ford F-150 XLT (MSRP: $55,000): one for a Ford Protect PremiumCARE plan and two for equivalent third-party plans, each with a $100 deductible.
It’s worth noting that Ford Protect does have three other plan options: PowertrainCARE, BaseCARE and ExtraCARE. But the best of these plans — ExtraCARE — only covers 113 parts. PremiumCARE covers 1,000-plus parts for just around 20% more in most cases, making it by far the better value.
Make sure to shop around and get quotes from multiple providers if you decide to get an extended warranty. That’s how you know you’re not getting overcharged.
The quotes we received were all for equivalent coverage terms, but you should be careful when you’re comparing quotes for your own vehicle. A “seven-year/100,000-mile” extended warranty might start on the date the first owner purchased the car. Considering the first three years/36,000 miles are covered by the factory bumper-to-bumper warranty, you’re really paying for four years/64,000 miles of added protection in those cases.
For context, the average extended car warranty costs around $1,000 per year of coverage, which would be $4,000 for four years. That makes our quotes from olive ($2,405) and Ford Protect ($2,745) seem like relative bargains.
But are they worth the cost?
If you have significant savings, getting stuck with a massive repair bill might not be a huge worry, but if you don’t, it could be ruinous. A ConsumerAffairs investigation found that most drivers surveyed couldn’t afford to pay cash for a $1,000 repair bill, and 13% of respondents simply had no way to handle a bill that large — even with credit.
Is an F-150 extended warranty worth it?
In general, an extended auto warranty is more likely to be worth it if any of the following apply to you:
- Your vehicle has below-average expected reliability.
- The cost of the warranty is lower than the expected cost of repairs.
- A big surprise repair bill could be financially catastrophic for you.
- You don’t mind paying a few thousand dollars for added peace of mind alone.
Since points three and four are subjective, let’s look at the Ford F-150’s reliability and repair costs.
Ford F-150 reliability and repair costs
For starters, Ford vehicles in general are expected to exhibit below-average reliability. J.D. Power ranked the American brand 23rd out of 29 brands for dependability, and Consumer Reports ranked it 22nd out of 30.
As for the Ford F-150 specifically, Consumer Reports gave the past three model years (2021 to 2023) a predicted reliability rating of 2 out of 5, citing major engine issues as the culprit. That’s also backed up by some reviews from real customers, too.
“My husband’s F-150 3.5 liter Eco boost truck has only 70,000 miles and all at once everything started going wrong!” wrote Lauren, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer in Michigan.
My husband’s F-150 3.5 liter Eco boost truck has only 70,000 miles and all at once everything started going wrong!”
David, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer in California, told us: “I took my truck (F150 Raptor) to have heater core replaced, I informed the service department that there was also an issue with the transmission that needed to be looked at and a a/c issue. They fixed the heater core, however, that was all. After driving the truck off and traveling 10 miles all sorts of alarms went off, causing the truck to become disabled and non functioning.”
RepairPal, which rates vehicles based on the cost and frequency of repairs, gave the F-150 a score of 3.5 out of 5. Its 2019 data suggests the F-150 costs $788 per year in repairs and maintenance and that 15% of repairs cost about $2,000 or more. Adjusted for inflation, that’s roughly $1,073 in January 2024. Those numbers are below average for a full-size pickup but above average for all cars, trucks and SUVs combined.
All things considered, you can probably expect your Ford F-150 to exhibit below-average reliability, and it may start needing major repairs before reaching 100,000 miles. Plus, the odds of you getting a good deal on a bumper-to-bumper extended warranty are decent.
As a result, an extended warranty on a Ford F-150 might be worth it if you can get one for under $3,000 or so.
Article sources
- J.D. Power, “Vehicle Dependability Slumps as Rate of Deterioration Increases, J.D. Power Finds.” Accessed March 15, 2024.
- Consumer Reports, "Who Makes the Most Reliable New Cars?” Accessed March 15, 2024.
- Consumer Reports, “Ford F-150.” Accessed Aug. 23, 2023.
- RepairPal, “Ford F-150 Reliability Rating.” Accessed Aug. 23, 2023.
