Genesis extended warranty: cost, coverage and plans

Genesis extended warranty coverage

Genesis calls its official extended warranty plans Genesis Protection Plan Vehicle Service Contracts. (Vehicle service contract is another term for an extended warranty.)

Warranty lengths are usually given in terms of years and mileage. Coverage will end when your vehicle either ages out or racks up too many miles.

Like almost all warranties, Genesis Protection Plan VSCs are only designed to protect warranty holders from factory defects; they don’t cover maintenance, wear-and-tear components, cosmetic repairs, or damage from collisions, weather or vandalism. (If you want to save money on maintenance for your Genesis, the company does sell prepaid maintenance plans, though.)

It’s worth mentioning that, at the time of publishing, many Genesis vehicles are still protected under their factory warranties. That’s because Genesis vehicles first went on sale in the last decade, and their factory warranties offer five years/60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper coverage and 10 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage. So, as long as your Genesis has fewer than 100,000 miles, you may still have some protection — at least if you bought your vehicle when it was new.

If you bought used, both warranties would automatically transfer to you — but the factory powertrain warranty term shrinks to five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Genesis claims that term lengths for its extended warranties can stretch all the way to 10 years/120,000 miles, but when we called up multiple dealers for quotes, the longest term they offered was 10 years/100,000 miles. Your mileage may vary (quite literally).

The Genesis dealers we contacted also told us that they simply didn’t know if Genesis vehicles with expired factory warranties were still eligible for Genesis Protection Plan VSCs. What we did learn, however, is that prices quickly rise as you approach the 60,000-mile mark. (More on that later.)

» LEARN: What does a car warranty cover?

Genesis extended warranty benefits

Most extended warranties come with a variety of benefits besides their primary coverage, and Genesis Protection Plan VSCs are no exception. These include:

• Roadside assistance available 24/7
• Towing to the nearest dealer following a covered breakdown
• Rental car reimbursements of up to $35 per day for up to 10 days while your car is in the shop for a covered repair
• Trip interruption coverage of up to $200 per day for up to five days should your vehicle break down far from home

Overall, these are average benefits for an automaker’s extended warranty. Just bear in mind that these benefits might not cover all of your expenses and budget accordingly.

Genesis extended warranty plans

Unlike many other automakers with extended warranty programs, Genesis doesn’t offer multiple levels of protection. Instead, it only offers exclusionary (aka bumper-to-bumper) coverage. That means Genesis extended warranty agreements are written so that every part in your vehicle is covered unless it’s specifically listed as an exclusion.

Genesis extended warranty cost

Like most automakers, Genesis forces you to buy your extended warranty through a dealer, and because some dealers like to tack on extra fees, you won’t know if you’re getting a good deal until you call around for quotes from multiple dealerships. This is a time-consuming process, but it’s worth it, given how much money you may spend on an extended warranty.

Genesis Protection Plan VSC costs

We did the legwork, and here are the lowest quotes we were offered. (The highest were roughly $500 more across the board.)

For context, the average extended warranty costs around $1,000 per year of coverage. That means these warranties are a mixed bag with regard to price. On the one hand, the 10-year/100,000-mile warranty on the brand-new GV80 effectively doubles the factory New Vehicle Limited Warranty on a $70,000 car for around $2,600. On the other hand, if you drive a 2019 G70, it’ll cost you nearly $4,000 (with tax) to add just two years of coverage beyond your factory bumper-to-bumper warranty period.

These quotes suggest that Genesis wants you to commit to an extended warranty early in your vehicle’s life, but your results may vary.

» MORE: Where can you use an extended auto warranty?

Genesis extended warranty terms and conditions

While we were unable to obtain a Genesis Protection Plan VSC sample contract, a Genesis dealer did confirm with us that most standard terms and conditions for extended warranties apply. We’ve broken down some of the important terms and conditions for you to know below:

• Regular maintenance: As with pretty much all auto warranties, you must complete all of the recommended maintenance listed in your Genesis owners manual and keep your receipts to maintain coverage. Failure to present proof of regular maintenance may result in denied claims.
• Preexisting conditions: Issues that existed before you got your warranty won’t be covered. Crucially, that also includes issues that you can’t prove became issues during the warranty period, which is why we strongly suggest that you get a dealer inspection report for your vehicle (usually around $200) in tandem with a warranty purchase so you can later prove which issues are new.
• Transferability: If you sell your Genesis, you can transfer your remaining Genesis Protection Plan VSC coverage to the new owner by contacting Genesis, filling out some paperwork and paying a small fee.
• Cancellations and refunds: You can cancel your Genesis Protection Plan VSC within 30 days of purchase for a full refund as long as you haven’t submitted a claim yet. If you have submitted a claim or it’s been longer than 30 days, you can cancel for a prorated refund based on the remaining term, minus any paid claim amounts.

Remember, these are just the highlights, not a full summary. Always be sure to read the fine print of any extended warranty contract extremely carefully, line by line, so there aren’t any unpleasant (and expensive) surprises later.

What’s not covered by a Genesis extended warranty?

Standard exclusions apply, which means Genesis won’t cover unauthorized repairs, aftermarket parts, cosmetics, wear-and-tear items, or failures caused by track use, collisions, aftermarket parts, unauthorized commercial use, off-road use or towing beyond your Genesis’ rated capacity.

Genesis extended warranty alternatives

To find out how other warranty companies stack up to Genesis’ offerings, we collected quotes from two popular providers (Endurance and olive) for the sample vehicles we used above.

This small sample indicates that if you’re seeking extended warranty coverage for a new Genesis, a Genesis Protection Plan VSC might be the more cost-effective choice. However, if you’re looking to protect an older Genesis, a third-party warranty company might offer a better deal.

In either case, though, Genesis owners may still come out ahead without extended warranty coverage. Consider your own situation before you decide either way. If a large repair bill could ruin your finances, it may be worth having some added protection, even if your warranty doesn’t pay for itself.

If you have significant savings, getting stuck with a substantial repair bill might not be a huge worry, but if you don’t, it could be disastrous. 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.

If you do decide to sign on the dotted line, shop around and get quotes from multiple warranty providers to make sure you’re getting a good deal.

» MORE: How to choose an extended car warranty

Is a Genesis extended warranty worth it?

It’s hard to give a universal judgment on whether or not a Genesis extended warranty is worth the cost, but based on our research, the odds aren’t in favor of a Genesis Protection Plan VSC being a great value. We’ll try to give some perspective on why.

In general, an extended warranty is more likely to be “worth it” if:

• You drive an unreliable vehicle.
• The cost of the extended warranty is less than you expect to spend on the repairs it would cover.
• A large, unexpected repair bill could devastate your finances.
• You’re comfortable with paying for additional peace of mind even if you don’t wind up ahead financially.

Since the third and fourth points above depend on your personal circumstances, let’s dive into the first two.

For starters, Genesis vehicles have a reported slightly-below average reliability. J.D. Power ranked Genesis 16th out of 29 carmakers for dependability in 2024, but it’s worth noting that the firm only looked at problems per 100 vehicles coming out of the 2021 model year for that ranking. In 2023, Consumer Reports, which draws from a wider and older set of model years, ranked Genesis slightly below the middle of its list at No. 18 out of 30 brands.

If you bought your Genesis pre-owned, an extended warranty might make more sense because of your shorter factory powertrain warranty.

If something does go wrong with your Genesis, getting back on the road may not cost as much as you’d think. 2019 RepairPal data estimates that Genesis vehicles only cost owners $524 in maintenance and repairs each year, which when adjusted for inflation is $716 compared with the industry average of $891 per year.

Granted, that number may rise as more Genesis vehicles age out of their warranties — but for now, it’s impressive, especially considering that luxury vehicles usually come with increased parts and labor costs. (Having exclusionary coverage for five years/60,000 miles and powertrain coverage for up to 10 years/100,000 miles means that a lot of potential Genesis repair costs never actually put a dent in owners’ wallets.)

That’s why, Eric Hamilton founder of Whyte Knyte explains, “if you experience an issue, there’s a high chance it’ll occur within the factory warranty period.”

Basically, given that Genesis vehicles are fairly reliable and come with long factory warranties, a Genesis Protection Plan VSC might not protect you from enough repairs to justify its price tag. 

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties